Winch Signals

In the UK the commands for both aerotows and winch launches are 'Take up
slack' which means slowly take up any excess slack cable, followed by
'All out', which means that all the slack has been taken out and you now
gun the throttle to start the launch.

For winch launching we normally use light signals, which are a slow
flashing white light for take up slack, followed by faster flashes for all
out. Stop is a continuous light.

However you can also use radio, if you can guarantee nobody stomping on a
vital transmission, or as the Germans do, use a fixed land line telephone.
If your winch run is fairly short and flat, you can also use a signalling
bat.

Derek Copeland

At 15:15 09 April 2009, Nyal Williams wrote:
Our club has yet to try winching, though a half-dozen members have
experienced it elsewhere sometime across the last fifty years.

Reading Piggot, I discover the command "All Out" for the beginning of
the launch. Is this the customary command in other places besides
England? Why this? What does it reall mean? At first I took it to
mean
"Everyone stand clear" or some such, but apparently it means "Give
'er
the gun" in US slang. Does this Britishism have some colloquial meaning
for them that doesn't exist elsewhere?

Seems to me, such a command would be the same one a glider pilot who has
no wing runner (aero retrieve from a landout) uses on the radio to tell
a
tow pilot to begin the launch after the rope is taut. I've heard,
"Go,
go, go." which I don't really like but can't say why.

What have you heard? Anyone have any comments to offer?