Let's talk ground launching........

There are other risks than the glider hook hanging up. At North Weald,
we broke a child's leg when the drogue dropped into a group of young
football players and dragged one of them along the ground - the chopper
man decided not to pull the release but should have done. (Agreed there
were others things that should have avoided such accidents, but Sod's
law says that if something can go wrong it will if you keep trying long
enough.)

The requirement for a guillotine should not be dismissed lightly.

We also had a fatal accident on the ground - one end of the cable
snagged during retrieve, got very tight, and snapped back when a man at
the launch point went to release it, pulling him over, resulting in a
fractured skull. Tow truck driver didn't know there was a problem. The
victim forgot his training, to ensure the cable was slack before
releasing it from the truck. (If the chopper man had cut it when it
snagged, it would not have hurt anyone.)

Launch systems can bite, and will, if safety is not taken very
seriously.

Chris N.




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