Glider - Towplane Signals

The irony with our club is: no radio, no fly. But don't use it! We
don't want to **** off the landlord. In an emergency yes, but no speed
up, slow down, turns, or 'off tow' messages. Go figure. Of course the
landlord uses our radio freq. to order lunch and schedule refuelling.

If you are in an emergency (except for the no release problem where you
have plenty of time) you had better have a radio with push to talk in
an easy location. Because you just aren't going to have the time, or
the hands perhaps, to grab the hand-held and transmit. In immediate
emergency situations the hand-held is useless except to call back for
someone to bring the truck and haul you out, if anyone is listening.

At 07:30 24 March 2005, Go wrote:
The irony with our club is: no radio, no fly. But don't
use it! We
don't want to **** off the landlord. In an emergency
yes, but no speed
up, slow down, turns, or 'off tow' messages. Go figure.
Of course the
landlord uses our radio freq. to order lunch and schedule
refuelling.

If you are in an emergency (except for the no release
problem where you
have plenty of time) you had better have a radio with
push to talk in
an easy location. Because you just aren't going to
have the time, or
the hands perhaps, to grab the hand-held and transmit.
In immediate
emergency situations the hand-held is useless except
to call back for
someone to bring the truck and haul you out, if anyone
is listening.

I am a little confused here. I can see the sense in
having the radio to pass messages between tug and glider
like asking for an extra 5 kts. I can see the need
for having a transmit button easily accessible rather
than having to pick up a hand held radio but surely
the only action needed in an emergency is to release
from the tow. If either aircraft has an emergency or
problem the first thing must always be to release the
tow before it gets a lot worse.

Spoilers disconnected and popped out at Truckee (where
straight ahead landing at 100 ft = bad) would mean
to stay on tow for a while, not immediate release.

Towrope wrapped around a wing, one can't release, so
the tuggie might need to, another example where someone
can't immediately release.

Two very different things, two different actions.
But I'm not aware of anyone having a rope wrap around
a wing
and unable to release, where this happened very low
during launch. Up high in wave, yes, but at 100 ft?
Not that I'm aware of (thankfully).

I'm sure there are other circumstances I haven't considered,
where one doesn't want to release immediately. An
unconnected elevator where the nose hook is helping
stabilize the glider and I want to get to bailout height
perhaps? Boy, I'd hate to be in this situation, though.
Maybe save your own life, but if miffed up (more likely)
maybe killing the tuggie AND yourself.

Anyway, there are times when releasing automatically
maybe isn't the best choice.

But in any emergency, aviate, navigate, then communicate,
in that priority. I can't help but think the disproportionate

number of midairs at 'D' airports are pilots thinking
they
are accomplishing collision avoidance by looking at
the radio and talking into the microphone.

Mark
'PTT means premature termination of tow, not push-to-talk'


At 09:30 24 March 2005, Don Johnstone wrote:
At 07:30 24 March 2005, Go wrote:
The irony with our club is: no radio, no fly. But don't
use it! We
don't want to **** off the landlord. In an emergency
yes, but no speed
up, slow down, turns, or 'off tow' messages. Go figure.
Of course the
landlord uses our radio freq. to order lunch and schedule
refuelling.

If you are in an emergency (except for the no release
problem where you
have plenty of time) you had better have a radio with
push to talk in
an easy location. Because you just aren't going to
have the time, or
the hands perhaps, to grab the hand-held and transmit.
In immediate
emergency situations the hand-held is useless except
to call back for
someone to bring the truck and haul you out, if anyone
is listening.

I am a little confused here. I can see the sense in
having the radio to pass messages between tug and glider
like asking for an extra 5 kts. I can see the need
for having a transmit button easily accessible rather
than having to pick up a hand held radio but surely
the only action needed in an emergency is to release
from the tow. If either aircraft has an emergency or
problem the first thing must always be to release the
tow before it gets a lot worse.





Mark J. Boyd

I can see some ways in which a radio can help for a
slowly developing emergency. A fogging windscreen
or maybe
a glider caught above clouds. But this seems mostly
an already off tow circumstance.

I read recently about a glider pilot who had both of
these
happen on his 100th flight, and used his cell phone
to
get weather info and find a proper landout.

He circled for a while right under the cue sorting
it out.

So as with anything, I think radios can be an aid,
even
in an emergency, but I don't think they are very
useful for emergencies requiring immediate action on
tow.

Once off tow, and in a gaggle, maybe it is really nice
to radio
somebody you are gonna circle under them. I'd sure
like to know (and be asked for my agreement) before
someone joins in formation flight in a thermal with
me above them.

At 09:30 24 March 2005, Don Johnstone wrote:
At 07:30 24 March 2005, Go wrote:
The irony with our club is: no radio, no fly. But don't
use it! We
don't want to **** off the landlord. In an emergency
yes, but no speed
up, slow down, turns, or 'off tow' messages. Go figure.
Of course the
landlord uses our radio freq. to order lunch and schedule
refuelling.

If you are in an emergency (except for the no release
problem where you
have plenty of time) you had better have a radio with
push to talk in
an easy location. Because you just aren't going to
have the time, or
the hands perhaps, to grab the hand-held and transmit.
In immediate
emergency situations the hand-held is useless except
to call back for
someone to bring the truck and haul you out, if anyone
is listening.

I am a little confused here. I can see the sense in
having the radio to pass messages between tug and glider
like asking for an extra 5 kts. I can see the need
for having a transmit button easily accessible rather
than having to pick up a hand held radio but surely
the only action needed in an emergency is to release
from the tow. If either aircraft has an emergency or
problem the first thing must always be to release the
tow before it gets a lot worse.





Mark J. Boyd

BTIZ wrote:
lets talk about the tow pilots wing rock.. for GET OFF NOW!!!....
as a tow pilot... when you've got your hands full of a sick engine... last
thing I want to be doing is rocking so hard as to be obvious wing rock above
the normal bumps of a thermal or rotor..

he gets one rock... then he's eating rope..

No kidding! If he doesn't notice the smoke/oil/loss of climb by then,
let him go.

Shawn