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#1
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Record height for a winch launch?
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?
For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T |
#2
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Record height for a winch launch?
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 11:15:34 -0700, Nick Kennedy wrote:
For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T On a reasonable day 1400 is enough and less good days typically just take a bit longer to get going. Occasionally you get lucky too. A year or two back I took a launch around lunchtime, which I abandoned at 1000 ft due to a sudden overspeed. Thought it might be a thermal, so whipped the wheel up, hung a 180 and came straight back down the middle of the runway. Met it at 900ft - a very small tight thermal that immediately showed 5-6 kts up. Got my Libelle nice and tight in it and noticed the averager showing 13 kts as I went through 3500. Unfortunately I had to leave at 4700 or so because we're under under the outer shelf of Stanstead CTR and its base is 5500. Dunno if you have the sort of odd conditions we sometimes get, but there are times on a calm day when there's very little lift under 1800-2000, a nasty trap if you'd towed to 2500 and didn't notice the dead lower regions, but by starting from a winch launch to 1400 I'll certainly know if its that sort of day. -- Martin | martin at Gregorie | gregorie dot org |
#3
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Record height for a winch launch?
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got? For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching! Uli 'AS' |
#4
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Record height for a winch launch?
On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:53:52 -0700, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote: New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got? For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching! I'd do the same if in the right circumstances, as would any of our pilots. Besides, high key for starting a circuit from the winch end of our airfield is 700 ft, so on a good day the chance of sniffing out a bump from 1000 ft is quite good. -- Martin | martin at Gregorie | gregorie dot org |
#5
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Record height for a winch launch?
So not my story but one of our pilots was giving a winch ride to a elderly woman ( 86 or so) first flight ever, when we had a wire break at 800 feet. It was a resonable day with 4-5 knot thermals, and he says out loud "I think I can save it" and she says "do the best you can". Well he managed to do a climb to 3-4k agl and they had a hour flight before landing. She exclaimed after landing She was glad she didnt die after that! Its all about your mindset and syntax ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
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#6
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Record height for a winch launch?
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote: New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got? For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching! Uli 'AS' Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our club tow pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you still hangin' on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'. |
#7
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Record height for a winch launch?
On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 11:00:52 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote: On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote: New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got? For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important. If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away. Nick T I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching! Uli 'AS' Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our club tow pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you still hangin' on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'. |
#8
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Quote:
Could you elaborate on the supposedly broken rules so we can learn more re winch launching? TIA Colin |
#9
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Record height for a winch launch?
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