On 10/28/2015 9:10 AM, Tango Whisky wrote:
Am Mittwoch, 28. Oktober 2015 15:53:08 UTC+1 schrieb Sean Fidler:
Shaking my head. You are missing the point entirely.

First, we are in the USA, not Europe. There are endless options for
auto-towing in the USA. See earlier post describing a great day in
Cadillac, MI.

This "winch, winch, winch" obsession demonstrated on this thread is a big
part of the problem for auto-towing I imagine. Ridiculous, but a sad
reality. Soaring would be more popular and less expensive if auto-towing
was more prevalent. Think colleges for example. Every college could
have a soaring program with auto-towing. If it was encouraged as a low
cost, minimalist means of soaring, almost anyone could afford it.

Imagine how many more "clubs" could exist on a simple auto-tow strategy.
Or, small groups could form without the full club organization required
to afford, maintain and manage expensive winches, towplanes, etc. Or, if
you want to justify a winch expenditure in your club for the future, why
not try auto-towing at first to prove the concept, then go for a winch?
Or, why not have both auto-towing and winching in your clubs "arsenal"
simply to have the ability to teach/train/utilize all launching methods?
We have wave camps, wouldn't an auto-tow camp be fun once in awhile? No,
no, no...blasphemy? Maybe near some airport along a ridge or on a beach
as the Brits posted earlier.

What a depressing lack of vision and freedom displayed on this thread.
Why the "kill auto-towing" press here boys. It makes no sense. There
can be both, can there not?

And, if winches are so great, why are they not "gloriously" hard at work
at every US club "in mass?" If I took you all at your word, winches
should be roaring away everywhere, should they not? The truth is that
winches are actually quite rare in the USA. Are they not? Why is this?
Why is Europe apparently succeeding with winches when the USA is clearly
not?

I have my answer boys. I really do. It is: Few understand the benefits
of auto-towing and this is why it is dead in the USA. Everything is
boiled down to a club mentality. Nothing left to discuss here. Got it.
Thank you!

Perhaps go start a "Winches are great (wait, we're is ours again)"
thread? Good luck with this. I'll certainly look forward to commenting,
"in kind." A fact base discussion I'll look forward too.

Sean 7T

Yep. Same thing as with steamboats. Few understand the benefits of using a
steamboat for a business trip from London to New York. That's why they are
dead, and everybody uses these expensive airplanes.

Bert Ventus cM TW


Chortle. Count me as one who's seen/done auto-towing and winching, the former
done safely and well on an airport in "along-the-runway" wind conditions, the
latter done both dodgily, and well. As soon as those monopolistic winch
manufacturers send me my royalty checks for shilling for 'em, I'll be happy to
vote for winching as by far the less troublesome and easy to do, with a
modicum of safety for all.

Meanwhile, knock yourself out having a blast auto-towing (use your own
vehicle, to be righteous to the unwashed you "rope in"). If you don't do
something spectacularly dumb (and already done by lots of others before), you
*will* have a blast...but if ignorance-based Darwinism is part of your plan
(Look Ma! No experience!), you may enrich those monopolistic coroners and
hospitals, and experience a major downer. Don't sweat insurance; it doesn't
matter so long as your intentions are good.

Please do report back on RAS, too.

Bob W.