Nice article on soaring on EAA web site

[Paul Remde]

http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp

[66]

On Feb 10, 6:32*pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
> http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp

Nice article.

But, arggh, a soft release in a Grob? With a Tost tow hook? Really?

Just curious, is this a US only aberration or is this dangerous
practice used in other countries?

Kirk
Grumpy in snowy Illinois

[[email protected]]

On Feb 11, 10:51*am, 66 > wrote:
> On Feb 10, 6:32*pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
>
> >http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp
>
> Nice article.
>
> But, arggh, a soft release in a Grob? With a Tost tow hook? Really?
>
> Just curious, is this a US only aberration or is this dangerous
> practice used in other countries?
>
> Kirk
> Grumpy in snowy Illinois

The PTS says "normal towline tension" This is the way I was taught,
and the way I teach. Every tow pilot I have ever asked said they
would prefer normal tension release. Every textbook I can remember
reading says normal tension. I cannot think of one good reason for a
"soft release" and many possible problems with it. I have no idea
where this concept came from, and why it is still use/taught in some
places. It is funny how bad ideas seem to "stick"...... When I do
check rides for pilots I don't know, I usually say "Now you're not
going to do a "soft release" are you?" Sometimes I forget and they
really scare the crap out of me when they suddenly pull up and then
dive!!!

There is a movement to standardize soaring instruction and
procedures.......He is an area which needs attention!


Cookie

[Berry[_2_]]

In article
>,
" > wrote:

> On Feb 11, 10:51*am, 66 > wrote:
> > On Feb 10, 6:32*pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
> >
> > >http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp
> >
> > Nice article.
> >
> > But, arggh, a soft release in a Grob? With a Tost tow hook? Really?
> >
> > Just curious, is this a US only aberration or is this dangerous
> > practice used in other countries?
> >
> > Kirk
> > Grumpy in snowy Illinois
>
> The PTS says "normal towline tension" This is the way I was taught,
> and the way I teach. Every tow pilot I have ever asked said they
> would prefer normal tension release. Every textbook I can remember
> reading says normal tension. I cannot think of one good reason for a
> "soft release" and many possible problems with it. I have no idea
> where this concept came from, and why it is still use/taught in some
> places. It is funny how bad ideas seem to "stick"...... When I do
> check rides for pilots I don't know, I usually say "Now you're not
> going to do a "soft release" are you?" Sometimes I forget and they
> really scare the crap out of me when they suddenly pull up and then
> dive!!!
>
> There is a movement to standardize soaring instruction and
> procedures.......He is an area which needs attention!
>
>
> Cookie


Soft release is an old-time Schweizer thing. The Schweizer 2-33 frame
has a small cross member just in front of the tow release that gets hit
by the tow release arm when the rope is released under tension.
Eventually, the little cross member cracks. This lets in moisture and
then you get corrosion. The soft release was an attempt to prevent that.
People were taught to do this by old-time Schweizer instructors but were
never told why. The practice took on a life of it's own and persists.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 11, 3:32*pm, Berry > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
>
>
> " > wrote:
> > On Feb 11, 10:51*am, 66 > wrote:
> > > On Feb 10, 6:32*pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
>
> > > >http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp
>
> > > Nice article.
>
> > > But, arggh, a soft release in a Grob? With a Tost tow hook? Really?
>
> > > Just curious, is this a US only aberration or is this dangerous
> > > practice used in other countries?
>
> > > Kirk
> > > Grumpy in snowy Illinois
>
> > The PTS says "normal towline tension" *This is the way I was taught,
> > and the way I teach. *Every tow pilot I have ever asked said they
> > would prefer normal tension release. *Every textbook I can remember
> > reading says normal tension. I cannot think of *one good reason for a
> > "soft release" and many possible problems with it. *I have no idea
> > where this concept came from, and why it is still use/taught in some
> > places. *It is funny how bad ideas seem to "stick"...... *When I do
> > check rides for pilots I don't know, I usually say "Now you're not
> > going to do a "soft release" are you?" * Sometimes I forget and they
> > really scare the crap out of me when they suddenly pull up and then
> > dive!!!
>
> > There is a movement to standardize soaring instruction and
> > procedures.......He is an area which needs attention!
>
> > Cookie
>
> Soft release is an old-time Schweizer thing. The Schweizer 2-33 frame
> has a small cross member just in front of the tow release that gets hit
> by the tow release arm when the rope is released under tension.
> Eventually, the little cross member cracks. This lets in moisture and
> then you get corrosion. The soft release was an attempt to prevent that.
> People were taught to do this by old-time Schweizer instructors but were
> never told why. The practice took on a life of it's own and persists.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I have seen this cracking problem with Schweizers....I have also seen
Schweizers with a little rubber bumper pad installed where the hook
swings up, so it bounces off without causing any damage. I do not
know if this was "original equipment"

I have also seen a few Schweizers where the tow hook has gotten
"stiff" and will not open by gravity alone. It would be possible to
pull the release, with no tension on the rope, and have the rear part
of the mech. just go back in place with no release! At least with
"normal" tension on the rope, you are sure to release. (Yeah, the
stiff hook shoudl be repaired/adjusted).

I think the soft release deal is sort of fixing a small problem by
creating a big problem.

Cookie

[Sarah[_2_]]

Exactly. A certain soaring site in Arizona, which flew both G103's
and 2-33's insisted on "soft releases" in either, I guess
standardizing the process for the towpilots. This was 20 years ago -
The last time I visited to rent, there was no mention of this during
the check ride.

--Sarah


On Feb 11, 2:32*pm, Berry > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
> " > wrote:
> > On Feb 11, 10:51*am, 66 > wrote:
> > > On Feb 10, 6:32*pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
>
> > > >http://www.eaa.org/lightplaneworld/articles/1102_gliderflight.asp
>
> > > Nice article.
>
> > > But, arggh, a soft release in a Grob? With a Tost tow hook? Really?
>
> > > Just curious, is this a US only aberration or is this dangerous
> > > practice used in other countries?
>
> > > Kirk
> > > Grumpy in snowy Illinois
>
> > The PTS says "normal towline tension" *This is the way I was taught,
> > and the way I teach. *Every tow pilot I have ever asked said they
> > would prefer normal tension release. *Every textbook I can remember
> > reading says normal tension. I cannot think of *one good reason for a
> > "soft release" and many possible problems with it. *I have no idea
> > where this concept came from, and why it is still use/taught in some
> > places. *It is funny how bad ideas seem to "stick"...... *When I do
> > check rides for pilots I don't know, I usually say "Now you're not
> > going to do a "soft release" are you?" * Sometimes I forget and they
> > really scare the crap out of me when they suddenly pull up and then
> > dive!!!
>
> > There is a movement to standardize soaring instruction and
> > procedures.......He is an area which needs attention!
>
> > Cookie
>
> Soft release is an old-time Schweizer thing. The Schweizer 2-33 frame
> has a small cross member just in front of the tow release that gets hit
> by the tow release arm when the rope is released under tension.
> Eventually, the little cross member cracks. This lets in moisture and
> then you get corrosion. The soft release was an attempt to prevent that.
> People were taught to do this by old-time Schweizer instructors but were
> never told why. The practice took on a life of it's own and persists.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 12, 5:04*pm, Sarah > wrote:
> Exactly. *A certain soaring site in Arizona, which flew both G103's
> and 2-33's insisted on "soft releases" in either, I guess
> standardizing the process for the towpilots. *This was 20 years ago -
> The last time I visited to rent, there was no mention of this during
> the check ride.
>
> --Sarah

I think I saw some mention of this in info on that gliderport's
website. The last check ride where I had somebody do that, a hard
pull up followed by a big dive, then release..the guy said he learned
it at that place too. When I asked him "why" they do that, he had no
answer, just "that's they way they told me".

What is the "plus" of soft release as far as tow pilot is concerned?

BTW....I searched the "soft release" on the Internet, and found one
textbook which has a section on "soft release" I do not know what the
book actually says about the soft release, but there is a section
about it.....Hopefully it says the soft release is a bad idea. I also
found some reports from a Soaring Safety Foundation meeting, where all
agreed on the "normal tension" release, and recommended a rubber
bumper be installed in the tow hook of the SGS-2-33.

One of my favorite textbooks is "Beginning Gliding" by Derek
Piggott.....He has a couple of paragraphs about relaese for aero tow.
He warns of the dangers of diving before release, as well as the
problems of trying to release under "increased" tension.

Are people confuing release technique for winch launch and aerotow
launch??

Cookie

Cookie

[Jim Beckman[_2_]]

At 04:30 13 February 2011, wrote:
>
>What is the "plus" of soft release as far as tow pilot is concerned?

The only thing I can imagine is that a soft release is less likely to put
a knot in the towrope. Mostly I've heard tow pilots say they'd rather
be able to feel the release. I try to avoid releasing at a moment when
the rope has extra tension in it, but generally release with a normal load
on the rope.

Jim Beckman

[[email protected]]

On Feb 13, 8:31*am, Jim Beckman > wrote:
> At 04:30 13 February 2011, wrote:
>
>
>
> >What is the "plus" of soft release as far as tow pilot is concerned?
>
> The only thing I can imagine is that a soft release is less likely to put
> a knot in the towrope. *Mostly I've heard tow pilots say they'd rather
> be able to feel the release. *I try to avoid releasing at a moment when
> the rope has extra tension in it, but generally release with a normal load
> on the rope.
>
> Jim Beckman

Hi Jim,

The "knot in the tow rope" is an arguement I have heard for the soft
release. But in reality, a "normal tension" release will usually not
put a knot in the tow rope. The normal tension is really not all that
much tension. Release under "extra" tension tends to knot the rope
more often.

Now knots in the tow rope is a problem in itself. If you spend the
whole day on the flight line, you will find some days there are no
knots at all, and sometimes quite a few. It is just one of those
things. Some knots form after release, and some form as the tow plane
is landing, dragging the rope on the ground.

But... the solution to knots in the rope is to inspect the rope each
flight, and remove the knot. A knot formed during release or during
landing is easy to untie. The problem comes when nobody sees the
loose knot, and then does another tow! Now the knot is almost
impossible to remove, and has most likely weakened the rope.

The solution to knots in the rope is not some cockamamie wierd
dangerous release "pull up and dive" deal!

Cookie

[[email protected]]

This soft release deal seems to be a lot more common than I thought!
Searching the Internet brings up some interesting stuff. Here is
something form a SOP manual for a glider club:

Soft Release Procedures
A soft release, or low-tension release, is standard operating
procedure at . We do this to prevent damage to the fuselage structure
and excess wear of the Schweizer tow hook which can occur after
repeated high-tension releases. A soft release is performed in all of
our aircraft for standardization. As an added bonus this type of
procedure also all but eliminates harmful knots forming in the towline
after release and alerts the tow pilot that you are about to release.
The purpose is to relieve some of the tension on the towline, not put
a lot of slack in the line. When a “bow” begins to form in the
towline, the tension has been reduced enough to release.

To perform a soft release:
1) HOLD the release handle with your left hand.
2) REPOSITION slowly to just beyond the right wing of the towplane.
This is done to enable the glider pilot to continuously view the
towplane during the following steps, and ensure rapid and visible
separation from the towline after release.
3) Initiate a BRISK CLIMB until the towplane appears about 10 degrees
below the horizon.
This climb must be rapid enough to accelerate the glider. This speed
difference relative to the towplane is what will create the slack you
want.
4) PITCH OVER to stop the climb BUT NOT ENOUGH TO DECEND.
5) Once a “bow” forms in the towline forms, RELEASE.
At this time the glider should be level with the towplane or slightly
above. With proper slack in the line you should here little to zero
noise when releasing the rope.
6) After release, TURN RIGHT to clear the towplane and rope.
*** Never dive to accelerate the glider. This is not as effective as
climbing and may cause you to fly below the towplane

[ray conlon]

On Feb 13, 10:02*am, "
> wrote:
> This soft release deal seems to be a lot more common than I thought!
> Searching the Internet brings up some interesting stuff. *Here is
> something form a SOP manual for a glider club:
>
> Soft Release Procedures
> A soft release, or low-tension release, is standard operating
> procedure at . We do this to prevent damage to the fuselage structure
> and excess wear of the Schweizer tow hook which can occur after
> repeated high-tension releases. A soft release is performed in all of
> our aircraft for standardization. As an added bonus this type of
> procedure also all but eliminates harmful knots forming in the towline
> after release and alerts the tow pilot that you are about to release.
> The purpose is to relieve some of the tension on the towline, not put
> a lot of slack in the line. When a “bow” begins to form in the
> towline, the tension has been reduced enough to release.
>
> To perform a soft release:
> 1) * * *HOLD the release handle with your left hand.
> 2) * * *REPOSITION slowly to just beyond the right wing of the towplane.
> This is done to enable the glider pilot to continuously view the
> towplane during the following steps, and ensure rapid and visible
> separation from the towline after release.
> 3) * * *Initiate a BRISK CLIMB until the towplane appears about 10 degrees
> below the horizon.
> This climb must be rapid enough to accelerate the glider. This speed
> difference relative to the towplane is what will create the slack you
> want.
> 4) * * *PITCH OVER to stop the climb BUT NOT ENOUGH TO DECEND.
> 5) * * *Once a “bow” forms in the towline forms, RELEASE.
> At this time the glider should be level with the towplane or slightly
> above. With proper slack in the line you should here little to zero
> noise when releasing the rope.
> 6) * * *After release, TURN RIGHT to clear the towplane and rope.
> *** Never dive to accelerate the glider. This is not as effective as
> climbing and may cause you to fly below the towplane

Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
auto...

[Peter F[_2_]]

At 15:02 13 February 2011, wrote:
>Searching the Internet brings up some interesting stuff. Here is
>something form a SOP manual for a glider club:
>
>To perform a soft release:
>1) HOLD the release handle with your left hand.
>2) REPOSITION slowly to just beyond the right wing of the towplane.
>This is done to enable the glider pilot to continuously view the
>towplane during the following steps, and ensure rapid and visible
>separation from the towline after release.
>3) Initiate a BRISK CLIMB ...

Then presumably start writing to the family of the tug pilot you've just
killed

[Andy[_1_]]

On Feb 13, 8:32*am, ray conlon > wrote:

> Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
> loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
> auto...

So leave it all parked on the ground then it will never wear out!

Anyone doing a soft release behind me is going to pay for the tow up
to the time I find out they left.

Anyone doing a brisk climb while on tow behind me is going to hear
about it on the ground afterward.

It may be of interest that the Arizona site that has been linked with
mandatory soft releases also thinks it's OK to use bits of hardware
store chain instead of approved Tost rings. Go figure that one.

Andy

[Tony[_5_]]

this article was posted at soaring cafe. there, the pilot who
actually flew the flight commented, saying:

"I’m pretty sure I didn’t ask Corey to pull up and then dive to put
slack in the rope on release. We don’t do that at Beloit and its not
necessary with the Tost release on the Grob 103. ‘Much more likely he
was too low on tow for a safe release and I asked him to move up into
a proper high tow position before releasing."

[[email protected]]

and may cause you to fly below the towplane
>
> Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
> loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
> auto...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Not true........Mechanical devices are designed to do the
job........Why should I put myself / passenger/ glider/ towpilot in
danger just to give the tow hook "less stress"? How about "less
stress" on me? Like a "normal release". THat climb and dive deal
give me too much stress. Mechanical devices, tools, etc work for
me....I don't work for them.

BTW......no "T" is Schweizer...(yet another of my pet peeves) LOL

Cookie

[[email protected]]

Here's a nice response form an earlier RAS discussion onthe same
subject form "66"


1. Tost release is designed to release under normal load. No special
requirement, just pull release.

2. Schweizer release may actually not release the tow rope under a
real soft load (if arm sticks, for example, and towring is recaptured
when release closes). As long as load isn't excessive (i.e. pulling
up prior to release) no damage should result from normal tension
release.

3. Tow pilots generally do not like soft releases - it's embarassing
to climb an extra thousand feet or two with nothing on the end of the
string (BTDT). Especially on a nice bumpy day, with a light glasshole
behind me, I want to know when he/she decides to leave!

4. Why do a maneuver just prior to release that will decrease the
rate you get separation from the towplane and distract you from
clearing your airspace prior to release?

5. Worse case is that you match speeds with towplane, pull release,
then eat the end of the towrope. Dumb.

So now, tell me again why a soft release is taught? Oh right, to save
a few bucks on maintenance...

Only thing worse than a soft release is a kiting release - those guys
(you know who you are) deserve a good thrashing!

Just get behind the towplane, stabilize, clear the airspace, release,
watch for the rope to leave, then turn away. Easy...

Kirk
66

[[email protected]]

On Feb 13, 8:06*pm, Tony > wrote:
> this article was posted at soaring cafe. *there, the pilot who
> actually flew the flight commented, saying:
>
> "I’m pretty sure I didn’t ask Corey to pull up and then dive to put
> slack in the rope on release. We don’t do that at Beloit and its not
> necessary with the Tost release on the Grob 103. ‘Much more likely he
> was too low on tow for a safe release and I asked him to move up into
> a proper high tow position before releasing."

OK...we have to let the pilot off the hook on this one! When you are
the subject of an acticle you are sometimes presented in a bad light
because of the author's lack of understanding.

One of our local pilots landed in a soybean field a couple of years
back. Somebody called the police, and the police called the FAA. The
FAA told the police it was a "non issue". In the morning paper the
article read. "Glider plane crashes in 27 acre soybean
field....Crops destroyed" (Giving the impression that all 27 acres
were somehow destroyed, when in reality about 15 soybeans got pulled
off thier stems!)

We called the newspaper and asked them to retract the story and write
what really happened. We found out that the reporter did not even go
to the glider landout...he merely called the police station and asked
if anything interesting happened that day. The paper said they had no
intention of retracting the story or presenting what really happened!

Don't always believe what you read!

Cookie

[Jim Beckman[_2_]]

At 01:55 14 February 2011, wrote:
>
>We called the newspaper and asked them to retract the story and write
>what really happened. We found out that the reporter did not even go
>to the glider landout...he merely called the police station and asked
>if anything interesting happened that day. The paper said they had no
>intention of retracting the story or presenting what really happened!

Wrong offer. Tell the person who wrote the story to come on out to the
glider field and they'll get a free demo ride. Bring your photographer
along, too (photogs love subjects like sailplanes). Then once you've
given him the ride and impressed him with the operation, bend his ear a
little bit about what a landout really amounts to (or doesn't).

[But do try and keep him away from the ACA guys drinking beer on the deck.
He might get the wrong impression.]

Jim Beckman

[Tony V]

Jim Beckman wrote:

> Wrong offer. Tell the person who wrote the story to come on out to the
> glider field and they'll get a free demo ride. Bring your photographer
> along, too (photogs love subjects like sailplanes).


Exactly. You might even get a video out if it - like the one on the main
page of my club web site http://soargbsc.com, starring yours truly :-)
in the back seat.

Tony

[Andy[_1_]]

On Feb 13, 5:30*pm, Andy > wrote:
> On Feb 13, 8:32*am, ray conlon > wrote:
>
> > Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
> > loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
> > auto...
>
> So leave it all parked on the ground then it will never wear out!
>
> Anyone doing a soft release behind me is going to pay for the tow up
> to the time I find out they left.
>
> Anyone doing a brisk climb while on tow behind me is going to hear
> about it on the ground afterward.
>
> It may be of interest that the Arizona site that has been linked with
> mandatory soft releases also thinks it's OK to use bits of hardware
> store chain instead of approved Tost rings. *Go figure that one.
>
> Andy

I received a private email about this post. It seems that at least one
person had the impression that I was saying the soft release would be
both undetectable to the tow pilot and so violent as to be a hazard.

I replied:

"The problem with a well executed soft release is that it gives the
pilot no cue as to the release. If the tow pilot is not looking in
the mirrors he may well miss it. This is no problem at all for ride
operations where the release is always at the same altitude but it may
when the glider pilot releases early in lift.

Making a "brisk climb" is not required for a soft release. Anyone
inexperienced pilot reading RAS and then attempting a "brisk climb" to
start one could get the tow pilot into trouble."

I also replied that I had experience of soft release at both ends of
the rope.

Andy

[[email protected]]

On Feb 14, 8:50*am, Andy > wrote:
> On Feb 13, 5:30*pm, Andy > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Feb 13, 8:32*am, ray conlon > wrote:
>
> > > Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
> > > loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
> > > auto...
>
> > So leave it all parked on the ground then it will never wear out!
>
> > Anyone doing a soft release behind me is going to pay for the tow up
> > to the time I find out they left.
>
> > Anyone doing a brisk climb while on tow behind me is going to hear
> > about it on the ground afterward.
>
> > It may be of interest that the Arizona site that has been linked with
> > mandatory soft releases also thinks it's OK to use bits of hardware
> > store chain instead of approved Tost rings. *Go figure that one.
>
> > Andy
>
> I received a private email about this post. It seems that at least one
> person had the impression that I was saying the soft release would be
> both undetectable to the tow pilot and so violent as to be a hazard.
>
> I replied:
>
> "The problem with a well executed soft release is that it gives the
> pilot no cue as to the release. *If the tow pilot is not looking in
> the mirrors he may well miss it. *This is no problem at all for ride
> operations where the release is always at the same altitude but it may
> when the glider pilot releases early in lift.
>
> Making a "brisk climb" is not required for a soft release. Anyone
> inexperienced pilot reading RAS and then attempting a "brisk climb" to
> start one could get the tow pilot into trouble."
>
> I also replied that I had experience of soft release at both ends of
> the rope.
>
> Andy- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Andy,

Years back we had a tow pilot who was pretty much programmed to tow to
3000' on every tow. For ****s and giggles we found that if you did a
soft release at say 1400', we all got a good laugh at his expense as
he continued to climb to 3000.

Yet another very bad reason to do the soft release....but funny!

Cookie

[Dan Marotta]

On Feb 14, 5:09*pm, "
> wrote:
> On Feb 14, 8:50*am, Andy > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Feb 13, 5:30*pm, Andy > wrote:
>
> > > On Feb 13, 8:32*am, ray conlon > wrote:
>
> > > > Any mechanical device benifits from being operated at lower stress
> > > > loads to the structure..Tost,Schweitzer, the tow plane or your
> > > > auto...
>
> > > So leave it all parked on the ground then it will never wear out!
>
> > > Anyone doing a soft release behind me is going to pay for the tow up
> > > to the time I find out they left.
>
> > > Anyone doing a brisk climb while on tow behind me is going to hear
> > > about it on the ground afterward.
>
> > > It may be of interest that the Arizona site that has been linked with
> > > mandatory soft releases also thinks it's OK to use bits of hardware
> > > store chain instead of approved Tost rings. *Go figure that one.
>
> > > Andy
>
> > I received a private email about this post. It seems that at least one
> > person had the impression that I was saying the soft release would be
> > both undetectable to the tow pilot and so violent as to be a hazard.
>
> > I replied:
>
> > "The problem with a well executed soft release is that it gives the
> > pilot no cue as to the release. *If the tow pilot is not looking in
> > the mirrors he may well miss it. *This is no problem at all for ride
> > operations where the release is always at the same altitude but it may
> > when the glider pilot releases early in lift.
>
> > Making a "brisk climb" is not required for a soft release. Anyone
> > inexperienced pilot reading RAS and then attempting a "brisk climb" to
> > start one could get the tow pilot into trouble."
>
> > I also replied that I had experience of soft release at both ends of
> > the rope.
>
> > Andy- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Andy,
>
> Years back we had a tow pilot who was pretty much programmed to tow to
> 3000' on every tow. *For ****s and giggles we found that if you did a
> soft release at say 1400', we all got a good laugh at his expense as
> he continued to climb to 3000.
>
> Yet another very bad reason to do the soft release....but funny!
>
> Cookie

Yaas... But I'll bet the operation will bill the tow at the altitude
the tow pilot reports. How do you like paying for a 3,000 foot tow
when you got off at 1,400 feet? And is it really fun to laugh at the
wasted time and fuel? Some operators operate on thin margins...