one more for low tow

On Sunday, February 23, 2014 10:28:21 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Sunday, February 23, 2014 9:40:18 PM UTC-5, Bill T wrote:



Tow pilot got slow on climbout, brand new DG300 stalled on tow below 150ft AGL, glider released and hard landing destroyed the glider.

There's something important here that I don't understand.

Okay. I think I got it.

At the speed determined by the tow plane and with the glider wing at less than the critical angle of attack, the glider does not generate enough lift to increase altitude at the same rate as the tow plane. This is possible even if tow plane (and glider) are flying above the level flight stall speed of the glider.

So falling below tow position, glider pilot increases AOA to increase lift, and in doing so achieves the critical angle of attack, at which point the glider wing stalls, and the glider goes nose down. Glider pilot pulls release.

So if the glider does not release immediately after stalling on tow, the tow rope pulls the tail of the tow plane down, puts the wing of the tow plane above critical angle of attack, and stalls the tow plane?