Keep your hand off the release handle during aero tows!

Agreed, but depending on the tug being flown this may be more difficult
than for the glider pilot. The tug pilot will normally have one hand on
the stick and the other on the throttle/gas so at a moment when he is
probably being subjected to a violent downward 'bunt' he needs to let go of
something (the throttle), look for the release, grab it and operate it. On
some tugs the release is near the throttle, on others it is in the roof, it
may be on his left when he has his right hand on the throttle. Evidence
suggests that tug pilots are not able to react fast enough.

The onus must be on the glider pilot not to put the tug and its pilot at
risk. If the glider pilot has his hand touching the release:
1. He/she can pull it faster than the tug.
2. The glider pilot is in a better position to see/realise that the tow is
going wrong. Unless the tug pilot is looking in the mirror at the right
moment, by the time he feels the speed going and the nose dropping it is
probably too late if he is much below 1,000'.

At 14:11 11 October 2013, Del Copeland wrote:
Totally agree George. However the tug pilot should have a
release at his end which he is perfectly entitled to pull if things
are getting out of hand.

Derek Copeland

At 13:17 11 October 2013, George Knight wrote:
This discussion, that started as one about whether to hold the
release
during an aerotow launch, has focussed on the risk to the
glider pilot if a
wing drops during the launch and subsequently migrated to
become a debate
about winch launch techniques.

The poor chap who has been forgotten in all this is the tug
pilot! Over
the years a number of tug pilots in different countries have
been killed by
glider pilots getting out of position and going too high too
quickly. This
results in a big reduction in the tug's airspeed towards the stall,
and
since it no longer has enough elevator authority the glider
raises the
tugs tail and points it at the ground. Below about 700' a tug
upset is
probably fatal for the tug pilot - but only a minor inconvenience
to the
glider pilot.

Tug upsets, once triggered, occur in a very short elapsed time
period -
probably two or three seconds. This does not give the glider
pilot time to
search for the cable release and pull it so as to save the tug
pilot's
life.

On aerotow a glider pilot should have his hand touching the
release, or
holding a loop of nylon connected to it, if the stick movement
would
otherwise be restricted until at least 1,000'. Tug pilots are
doing you a
service. Respect them by being able to release instantly if the
tow goes
wrong.

One entry in this thread stated that tows can be very rough
and that the
release might get pulled by accident. Much better that than kill
a tug
pilot.

At 15:09 11 October 2013, George Knight wrote:
Agreed, but depending on the tug being flown this may be more difficult
than for the glider pilot. The tug pilot will normally have one hand on
the stick and the other on the throttle/gas so at a moment when he is
probably being subjected to a violent downward 'bunt' he needs to let go
of
something (the throttle), look for the release, grab it and operate it.
On
some tugs the release is near the throttle, on others it is in the roof,
it
may be on his left when he has his right hand on the throttle. Evidence
suggests that tug pilots are not able to react fast enough.

The onus must be on the glider pilot not to put the tug and its pilot at
risk. If the glider pilot has his hand touching the release:
1. He/she can pull it faster than the tug.
2. The glider pilot is in a better position to see/realise that the tow
is
going wrong. Unless the tug pilot is looking in the mirror at the right
moment, by the time he feels the speed going and the nose dropping it is
probably too late if he is much below 1,000'.

Following the accident at Aboyne in which Stan Easton lost his life one of
the requirements for UK tugs is that the release must always be adjacent to
the throttle. I have seen banner towing tugs where it is not but for glider
towing I understood that it was a requirement.