Safety of winch launch vrs. aero tow?

What in-air signals? I had no radio, but even if I had it was clear that the
tug pilot was having an interesting day, so I wouldn't have wanted to
distract him.

Fortunately this was in East Anglia in the UK, so there was a constant set
of fields each about the size of a normal gliding club site.

"Shirley" wrote in message
...
Chris Reed wrote:

We climbed (very slowly) to 400ft and then
stayed there while we flew in a straight line at
least 3 miles from the airfield. It's the only time
I've been field spotting on tow for such a long time.

Not suprisingly, I failed to soar once we reached
the release height of 2,000 ft

Was it not possible for you to use the in-air signals to steer the tow
pilot
back toward the field?

Chris Reed wrote:
What in-air signals? I had no radio,

Well, in the US we have this
http://home.comcast.net/~verhulst/GB...t/signals.html

it was clear that the tug pilot was having an
interesting day, so I wouldn't have wanted to
distract him.

A valid point.

Tony V.

From a UK perspective the signals are unexpected! We have one signal from
glider to tug (Can't release) and two from tug to glider (release now,
spoilers out). These are the same as the US signals.

UK tug pilots are an independent breed - I imagine that trying to tell them
where to go could leave you dropped in fierce sink. On the other hand, prior
negotiation coupled with flattery can get you to that good thermal
(especially if you repay the tow in the bar later on).


"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
...
Chris Reed wrote:
What in-air signals? I had no radio,

Well, in the US we have this
http://home.comcast.net/~verhulst/GB...t/signals.html

it was clear that the tug pilot was having an
interesting day, so I wouldn't have wanted to
distract him.

A valid point.

Tony V.

Of course. When we say 200 feet, it's the first 199 that are
important. As a rule, you should only attempt to land in what you can
see up to 200 feet agl. You've already been planning your landing
during the tow, now you need only execute.

Above 200 feet you have more options, one of which is to recognize the
conditions (wind shear, sink, low airspeed, tailwind on takeoff, etc.)
which may not favor a rote return to the airfield. But above 200 you
can start planning landings to known fields that you cannot see (not
necessarily the airport).