New 29 Palms Winchfest Video

Marc Ramsey wrote:
As I said, we discussed ahead of time what would happen if we were to
pull harder (for a normal launch, only a small amount of back pressure
was needed). We were observing carefully and tried holding the stick on
the back stop for a good portion of the climb. We obviously didn't have
a huge amount of elevator authority (forward CG from two heavy guys), so
maybe we just couldn't generate enough lift on a cold autumn day to
exceed the power output of the winch. Or, perhaps you are used to
winches that are underpowered...

By the way, I absolutely do not claim to be any sort of winch launch
expert. I am interested in reviving ground launch locally, was in the
UK on business, and chose a number of clubs to visit based primarily on
their winch launch operations. I trained according to BGA standards,
and was signed off to solo on the winch at a couple of clubs. I also
received some training in winch driving, talked to anyone who would
listen, and was generally impressed with equipment and the procedures used.

I recommend that anyone who is interested in using a winch in the US do
the same, we have a lot to learn here...

Marc