The Capstan and Olypia 2 really have 'compromise' hooks,
halfway between nose hook and C of G hook. Not quite
so good for winch launching but not as wildly unstable
on aerotow as a true C of G hook.

Not sure about the accident statisics for those days,
my close involvement only began when I started work
at Booker in 1970 - certainly there were aerotow accidents
back then.

Chris Rollings

At 10:48 07 January 2004, Silent Flyer wrote:

Chris Rollings wrote in message
...

SNIP
Let's look at the numbers. I will use the UK as an
example, since I have a fairly accurate knowledge
of
the statistics there, but the pricipals are the same
for any of the World's gliding nations.
SNIP

Chris

I learnt to fly at an all aerotow operation back in
1967 at the old
Leicestershire club at Rearsby. Training was on a Slingsby
Capstan and
pupils were then sent solo in an Olympia 2b, (in my
case after twenty seven
flights). These of course like virtually all gliders
of that time had only
CoG hooks.

What do the accident statistics say when comparing
that period with the
present day ?

Don Brown