Many years ago I visited the Untterwossen glider port and was super impressed with their electric winch. It had all the controllable feature you would ever want to get a glider to the maximum height with a given cable length. It was something close to 2/3 the cable length in height. Programable for glider type and loading by a push of a button. They were installing a solar array and battery system that converted the thermal energy to another type that got you airborne!!!

Anyway with the availability of EV cars and their power trains, it is a no brainier to think how they could be adapted to a winch design.

I hope someone out there has the vision to make this a reality, It solves so many problems and the cost to get airborne is peanuts compared to the current commercial rates being charged.

As we watch in real time our sport headed towards near extinction, it would be a breath of fresh air to make it more affordable across the board.

Buzz Graves

Step One:

Get Elon Musk a ride in a SGS 2-33.

SGS 2-33? Elon? Noooo - at least something sexy and carbon. And being an African-American, show him the latest gliders from Africa to really get him excited.

On Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 7:51:21 PM UTC-6, BG wrote:
> Many years ago I visited the Untterwossen glider port and was super impressed with their electric winch. It had all the controllable feature you would ever want to get a glider to the maximum height with a given cable length. It was something close to 2/3 the cable length in height. Programable for glider type and loading by a push of a button. They were installing a solar array and battery system that converted the thermal energy to another type that got you airborne!!!
>
> Anyway with the availability of EV cars and their power trains, it is a no brainier to think how they could be adapted to a winch design.
>
> I hope someone out there has the vision to make this a reality, It solves so many problems and the cost to get airborne is peanuts compared to the current commercial rates being charged.
>
> As we watch in real time our sport headed towards near extinction, it would be a breath of fresh air to make it more affordable across the board.
>
> Buzz Graves

Have a look at these links

https://www.hdelectriclaunch.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bill.daniels.336 scroll down to March 9 and additional comments to see some component images and videos.

Go to https://cad.onshape.com/signin and register a free account. Then sign in. Search for Production Electric Glider Winch. The design is open source and pretty well vetted. Free accounts can only search for public projects.

Not ready for electric? Search for ICE winch.

Frank Whiteley

Wasn't there an article in Soaring proposing using the sled from a salvaged Tesla for a winch?

Paul A.

Yep.

On Friday, June 15, 2018 at 3:23:41 AM UTC-6, wrote:
> Yep.

I hear there's a possible project to use an electric motor to power a winch like that built by Greg Mecklenburg in Montana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr30dfhnNLc

Frank Whiteley

I've spent the first 6 months of my flying career in Hungary at a club that represented what a typical glider club looks like in central Europe.

The main difference is the use of dedicated, wide, grass glider fields, as opposed to the narrow, paved, general aviation runways that are typically used in the US.
The winch wire needs to be laid out on the field by a car, and no other aircraft (other than gliders) can use the runway as long as one or more wires are laid out. The field (or the area) has to be wide enough, should the winch wire fall to the side after release because of the crosswind. Of course, if the airfield is wide enough than other (e.g. powered) aircraft may operate (e.g. touch-and-go) simultaneously. Probably the asphalt would wear the winch wire out in no time, so grass airfields are preferred.

I would love to see more grass airfields with winch operations being established, it would definitely mean a new chapter in the sport of soaring in the US. No question it would be way more affordable.

Wider and longer fields without crosswinds are better for winch launching, but a lot can be done on a narrow short field with a lot of crosswind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbQtkLI24dA

On 6/15/2018 2:16 PM, Marton K-Sz wrote:
> I would love to see more grass airfields with winch operations being established, it would definitely mean a new chapter in the sport of soaring in the US. No question it would be way more affordable.

....And all that would take is a LOT of money!

Back in the 90s a group secured a lease with the Bureau of Land
Management for a section (1 mile square) of land in Southpark,
Colorado.Â* That's a valley, not a cartoon town.Â* We brought our winch
from the Black Forest Soaring Society to the valley at 10,000' MSL.Â* It
was quite a lot of fun when the wind changed or when I glider landed at
an odd corner of the field.Â* We simply turned the winch to align with
the glider and launched him from there.

--
Dan, 5J

On Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 6:51:21 PM UTC-7, BG wrote:
> Many years ago I visited the Untterwossen glider port and was super impressed with their electric winch. It had all the controllable feature you would ever want to get a glider to the maximum height with a given cable length. It was something close to 2/3 the cable length in height. Programable for glider type and loading by a push of a button. They were installing a solar array and battery system that converted the thermal energy to another type that got you airborne!!!
>
> Anyway with the availability of EV cars and their power trains, it is a no brainier to think how they could be adapted to a winch design.
>
> I hope someone out there has the vision to make this a reality, It solves so many problems and the cost to get airborne is peanuts compared to the current commercial rates being charged.
>
> As we watch in real time our sport headed towards near extinction, it would be a breath of fresh air to make it more affordable across the board.
>
> Buzz Graves

The operation at Unterwossen had 4 spools and could launch gliders at a incredible rate. The cables were laid out in parallel, the used wooden beams in the ground every 5 meters or so to prevent wear on the cable as they were dragged. The four cables were connected to gliders that were staggered. After four were launched a single cable retrieve car with a bridle, pulled the cables back to the launch area. The biggest delay between launches is retrieving the cable, using 4, it was 4 times more efficient.

We are just now getting to the stage were people are hacking on EV cars now that there lots of them out there getting to the junk yard. The controllers have to meet automotive standards on conformity and this is making it possible to roll your own.

BG