Does anyone use a tug tow hook that releases automatically whenglider kites?

Now don't try to increase the number of "flight reviews" we must endure,
Young Grasshopper.

It's more about currency than reviews. Fly more and you'll be amazed at how
much more competent and knowledgeable you are.

"son_of_flubber" wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, February 12, 2014 12:03:17 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Ain't no doubt about how quickly the tug gets upset when the glider
decides

to fly hither and yon.



My event involved a highly experienced retired FAA guy with type ratings
in

every aircraft imagineable. It was his first flight in a borrowed HP-14

and, during the departure turn at about 700' AGL he flew high and wide to

the right, outside of the turn. Before I could reach the release lever,

he'd turned hard left and dove across the tail of the Pawnee wrapping the

tow rope around his left wing and, after it cut the top and bottom skins
of

the wing clear to the spar, cutting the rope in two in the middle. The

final yank on the rope caused the tug to yaw hard right and pitch
slightly

up (from about 45 degrees down).

Yikes. Over confidence and diminished capacity are a bad combination.

Annual flight reviews would head off more accidents than better tow hooks.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014 10:39:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Now don't try to increase the number of "flight reviews" we must endure,
Young Grasshopper.

Due to lax enforcement, flight reviews for glider pilots are already in effect voluntary.

I'm suggesting that pilots who know that their capacities are in decline, might in an ideal world, volunteer for 'early' flight review. I realize that a primary symptom of cognitive decline is an inability to recognize or acknowledge that decline (and irritation with anyone who raises the point).

If that "expert pilot" who nearly killed you on tow, had taken a timely flight review, the whole incident might never had happened.

Experts inevitably grow incompetent over time and some of them continue to fly.

Now I understand your point. That pilot had a lot of type ratings,
airliners and such. He was a neophyte glider pilot who was given the use of
a glider that he had no business flying. Of course, I didn't know that at
the time.


"son_of_flubber" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, February 13, 2014 10:39:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Now don't try to increase the number of "flight reviews" we must endure,
Young Grasshopper.

Due to lax enforcement, flight reviews for glider pilots are already in
effect voluntary.

I'm suggesting that pilots who know that their capacities are in decline,
might in an ideal world, volunteer for 'early' flight review. I realize
that a primary symptom of cognitive decline is an inability to recognize or
acknowledge that decline (and irritation with anyone who raises the point).

If that "expert pilot" who nearly killed you on tow, had taken a timely
flight review, the whole incident might never had happened.

Experts inevitably grow incompetent over time and some of them continue to
fly.

On Thursday, February 13, 2014 8:40:08 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
He was a neophyte glider pilot who was given the use of
a glider that he had no business flying.

I would expect most neophyte glider pilots to land soon and inspect for damage after wrapping the tow rope around the wing and jerking loose. You might see why I concluded that this guy had more issues than inexperience in a glider.

His inexperience on tow may have lead to entanglement with the rope, but what reasonable person would elect to fly a potentially damaged aircraft for four hours?