Keep your hand off the release handle during aero tows!

At 02:06 05 October 2013, Bill T wrote:
Winch tow, hand on release? Not a good idea?

Asking a question? Making a statement? Sarcasm? What?

Jerk acceleration from some slack or something in the line and you
inadvertently pull the release.

HAD VERY MANY WINCH LAUNCHES?

All Out in my country means you take up the slack and launch. What slack
then?

"Or something else in the line". Like what, Gremlins tight rope walking?

HAVE MUCH WINCH EXPERIENCE?

What DOES cause slack in the ground roll or climb-

1. Pretty rare to have a tail wind gradient change as you climb or no wind
create momentary slack rope, but it happens.

So what? Then the trained winch driver gives more kts. Enough acceleration
to cause so severe a jerk and a premature detach because you were holding
the release? Pretty hard to fathom.

2. Poor pilot winch technique or not timely enough reactions, cause your
own slack, line catches up and a hard jerk? Not so. Thousands of feet of
line are very nice at cushioning shock, if not, maybe you should be
releasing and start over anyway.

3. EXPERIENCED winch pilots know instead, that with even a momentary slack,
usually a chute does you a favor, opens and an auto back release on a Tost
hook. If not, my left palm is right there on the left knee and left pinky
on the yellow knob for as fast as I can pull.

4. Hit severe sink on the way up, some slack (usually just a bow in the
line), recover as above or abort. Where's the jerk?

5. Novice winch driver or one with a lead foot on the accelerator and no
line tension control, brief cough in the motor, too fast a start can cause
slack in a stretched elastic line or break a weak link or both. Imagine all
the possible senarios. Prudence says immediately release and land straight
ahead, not react with a harder pull, steeper rotation to risk stall or back
release at a high AOA, or possibly break the weak link at not enough meters
high to have time, airspeed and elevator authority to aim back at the
ground and flare. (Maybe this is the type of situation where one can get so
excited and pull whatever he is holding on to.)

My hand (or part of it) is on (or near) the let-go mechanism.