Safety of winch launch vrs. aero tow?

I still fly at dunstable and can say that there can still be a problem on
very still days off the Winch where you have too much height to land
straight ahead but not enough to turn safely. This is especially true for
abinitios/early solos. Unfortunately Dunstable is still far from flat and
still has a horrendous dip to the downs side over half the field with the
aver half having being filled in with spoil from the M1 making diagonal
landings in that direction difficult/impossible unless you want to do a
lemming act off the cliff edge that bisects part of the field but at least
the hedge has been partially removed on part of the southern edge leaving
the option of running on into a ploughed field. While I have never seen an
outfield landing following a winch break I could see it happening a calm
days with certain glider types.
Areotowing in Strong Easterly winds out towards the downs - that is best
confined to the horror vault. The wind coming across the top of the downs
produces a very violent wave pattern across the field and just as you are
getting to the roughest part where it feels like the wind is almost vertical
and trying to slam you back into the field the tug has to execute a sharp
right turn at V low altitude. There are parts of the field where the wave
effect produces a complete wind shadow.
As for being pulled off at 200ft - I wish. One of JJs (who probably taught
the previous poster) last acts before retiring for the winter was to pull me
off over the sw hedge - luckily we have a dip a bit further on that gives
another 40 ft and somehow I got it down back on the field after a 270. When
I asked him later if it was circa 150ft I was given the laconic comment -
"Not as much as that - remember each wing is only 30ft so you dont need a
lot providing you remember you already have flying speed and fly the turn
precisely". I never did have the courage to ask him exactly how high we
were.


"W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.)." wrote in message
...
Not always.

I learnt to fly at the London Gliding Club, Dunstable Downs some 40 years
ago, entirely on the winch, and on the T21b.

There was one run for which I was taught that the correct procedure for a
launch failure at a certain height was to land beyond the airfield
boundary
in the farmer's field.

The point surely is that before the launch starts the pilot should have in
mind all the possible options to cope with any launch failure; this may
include an off-airfield landing for either a wire or an aerotow launch.

Incidentally, the London Club now has more land, and outlandings after a
winch launch failure are not now required.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.


"Bill Daniels" wrote in message
nk.net...

snip

My original point was that with airtow stuff happens and sometimes you
aren't in position for a return to the runway. In winch launching, you
are.

Bill Daniels