Winch instruction material

[Phil Stade]

We are starting to introduce a lot more pilots to winching in Alberta.
I am looking for a step by step approach to instruct newbies in the
winch launch method. Your recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks
Phil

[GM]

On Aug 21, 6:50*pm, Phil Stade > wrote:
> We are starting to introduce a lot more pilots to winching in Alberta.
> I am looking for a step by step approach to instruct newbies in the
> winch launch method. Your recommendations would be appreciated.
> Thanks
> Phil

Phil,

unfortunately, there is no established curriculum in the US since
winch-launching is still the 'odd' launch method. The British BGA has
material published under: http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/safety/safewinchlaunching.htm

The most comprehensive material is published by the German Aero Club
(DAeC) but it is only available in German. BTW - in 2009, over 200,000
winch launches were made in Germany with a very low accident rate, so
the training methods must work.

Uli Neumann

[David Coucke]

On Aug 21, 6:20*pm, GM > wrote:
> On Aug 21, 6:50*pm, Phil Stade > wrote:
>
> > We are starting to introduce a lot more pilots to winching in Alberta.
> > I am looking for a step by step approach to instruct newbies in the
> > winch launch method. Your recommendations would be appreciated.
> > Thanks
> > Phil
>
> Phil,
>
> unfortunately, there is no established curriculum in the US since
> winch-launching is still the 'odd' launch method. The British BGA has
> material published under:http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/safety/safewinchlaunching.htm
>
> The most comprehensive material is published by the German Aero Club
> (DAeC) but it is only available in German. BTW - in 2009, over 200,000
> winch launches were made in Germany with a very low accident rate, so
> the training methods must work.
>
> Uli Neumann
A member of my old club Ceasars Creek Soaring in Ohio, Jim Goebel, put
together a very good presentation on winching. It may be available on
their website or you can try to find him in the SSA directory.,

[Adam]

On Aug 21, 5:50*pm, Phil Stade > wrote:
> We are starting to introduce a lot more pilots to winching in Alberta.
> I am looking for a step by step approach to instruct newbies in the
> winch launch method. Your recommendations would be appreciated.
> Thanks
> Phil

See bottom of page here for some info on the subject:

http://www.crosscountrysoaring.com/Download.html

/Adam

[Mike Philpott]

I fly at Lasham in the UK and I choose winching as my preferred
method of launching. It is far cheaper than aero towing and I
reckon that if you can't get away from a winch launch, it quite
likely isn't cross countryable anyway.

Although there have been a few bad winching accidents over the
years, it is a perfectly safe method of launching provided it is
done properly. The BGA has had a 'safe winch launching'
initiative which was led by Hugh Browning. They concentrated on
a number of areas where bad practice had crept in and have
altered the training syllabus to compensate. Areas of particular
concern were:

1. If you drop a wing on the ground run, release and don't try to
pick it up. This avoids the risk of 'cartwheeling' at the beginning
of the launch. We now teach people to keep their left hand on
the release until they have full aileron control.

2. Make the initial climb very gentle. It takes little imagination to
think what might happen if the launch fails with your nose about
45 degrees up in the air with precious little airspeed at low
altitude.

3. As soon as you have safe climbing speed GRADUALLY
transition into the full climb attitude. If you do it too fast, you
risk a high speed stall and if you have any yaw, could flick roll.
The transition should take around 5 to 7 seconds.

4. As you climb, constantly monitor airspeed. With the pull of the
cable, particularly towards the top of the launch, the wing
loading is much increased and so the stall speed. If the speed
drops below the minimum, lower the nose a little and if
necessary release.

5. If the speed gets too high, try to wave it off but if that doesn't
work, release.

6. Before launching, have a plan in mind what to do for pattern
(circuit) recovery if the launch fails. Also decide on your
approach speed. This will vary according to wind strength and
the shape of your airfield.

7. If the launch fails, lower the nose then WAIT!!! until you have
flying speed before attempting to manoevre the aircraft. People
have spun off a failed winch launch because they tried to turn
with insufficient speed.

Winch launch failures are routine. Around 1 in 100 winch
launches fail in some way or another. Always have it in the back
of your head what you would do if the launch fails.

The ways that a launch can fail are many and varied. There
might be a noise as the cable breaks but there might not. The
launch can fail suddenly or there might just be a gradual loss of
power. The important thing is to monitor airspeed and attitude
as well as acceleration. Launch failures are usually pretty
obvious but not always so.

I hope that this is helpful. I would really recommend doing some
winch training with experienced instructors. I don't know of
anywhere in North America where it can be done but we
welcome people from all over the world at Lasham. There is on-
site accommodation available and it is around an hours drive or
train ride from London.

Hugh Browning and very many other experienced instructors fly
there. Through Hugh's efforts, the serious/fatal accident rate
from winch launching has been reduced from around 16 in a five
year period to less than 4. I think that this is a fantastic effort
for which Hugh and the other BGA people should be justly proud.

[Bill D]

On Aug 23, 7:41*am, Mike Philpott <@> wrote:
> I fly at Lasham in the UK and I choose winching as my preferred
> method of launching. It is far cheaper than aero towing and I
> reckon that if you can't get away from a winch launch, it quite
> likely isn't cross countryable anyway.
>
> Although there have been a few bad winching accidents over the
> years, it is a perfectly safe method of launching provided it is
> done properly. The BGA has had a 'safe winch launching'
> initiative which was led by Hugh Browning. They concentrated on
> a number of areas where bad practice had crept in and have
> altered the training syllabus to compensate. Areas of particular
> concern were:
>
> 1. If you drop a wing on the ground run, release and don't try to
> pick it up. This avoids the risk of 'cartwheeling' at the beginning
> of the launch. We now teach people to keep their left hand on
> the release until they have full aileron control.
>
> 2. Make the initial climb very gentle. It takes little imagination to
> think what might happen if the launch fails with your nose about
> 45 degrees up in the air with precious little airspeed at low
> altitude.
>
> 3. As soon as you have safe climbing speed GRADUALLY
> transition into the full climb attitude. If you do it too fast, you
> risk a high speed stall and if you have any yaw, could flick roll.
> The transition should take around 5 to 7 seconds.
>
> 4. As you climb, constantly monitor airspeed. With the pull of the
> cable, particularly towards the top of the launch, the wing
> loading is much increased and so the stall speed. If the speed
> drops below the minimum, lower the nose a little and if
> necessary release.
>
> 5. If the speed gets too high, try to wave it off but if that doesn't
> work, release.
>
> 6. Before launching, have a plan in mind what to do for pattern
> (circuit) recovery if the launch fails. Also decide on your
> approach speed. This will vary according to wind strength and
> the shape of your airfield.
>
> 7. If the launch fails, lower the nose then WAIT!!! until you have
> flying speed before attempting to manoevre the aircraft. People
> have spun off a failed winch launch because they tried to turn
> with insufficient speed.
>
> Winch launch failures are routine. Around 1 in 100 winch
> launches fail in some way or another. Always have it in the back
> of your head what you would do if the launch fails.
>
> The ways that a launch can fail are many and varied. There
> might be a noise as the cable breaks but there might not. The
> launch can fail suddenly or there might just be a gradual loss of
> power. The important thing is to monitor airspeed and attitude
> as well as acceleration. Launch failures are usually pretty
> obvious but not always so.
>
> I hope that this is helpful. I would really recommend doing some
> winch training with experienced instructors. I don't know of
> anywhere in North America where it can be done but we
> welcome people from all over the world at Lasham. There is on-
> site accommodation available and it is around an hours drive or
> train ride from London.
>
> Hugh Browning and very many other experienced instructors fly
> there. Through Hugh's efforts, the serious/fatal accident rate
> from winch launching has been reduced from around 16 in a five
> year period to less than 4. I think that this is a fantastic effort
> for which Hugh and the other BGA people should be justly proud.

Please don't try to learn winch launch on RAS. You can't learn it
from a list. Fly with a qualified instructor for at least 20 launches
- more if you can.

Also, read what GM wrote. Statistically, a winch launch in Germany is
orders of magnitude safer than an aero tow in the US. The German
winch accident record says they do better training than anyone else by
far. Yes, the DAeC (Deutscher Aero Club eV) training materials are
German but they're translatable.

I have written a training guide for US pilots based on DAeC and other
sources and it's available for unrestricted use just for the asking.
e-Mail me and I'll send a PDF.

[Mike Philpott]

>Please don't try to learn winch launch on RAS. You can't learn
it
>from a list. Fly with a qualified instructor for at least 20
launches
>- more if you can.
>
>Also, read what GM wrote. Statistically, a winch launch in
Germany is
>orders of magnitude safer than an aero tow in the US. The
German
>winch accident record says they do better training than anyone
else by
>far. Yes, the DAeC (Deutscher Aero Club eV) training
materials are
>German but they're translatable.
>
>I have written a training guide for US pilots based on DAeC
and other
>sources and it's available for unrestricted use just for the
asking.
>e-Mail me and I'll send a PDF.
>


I don't suggest that anybody could learn to safely fly a winch
launch, simply by reading what is written on RAS, or by reading
any training guide for that matter. If you read what I wrote, you
will see that I also recommend flying with an instructor.

Winch launching is a great way to launch. It is quite safe,
provided it is flown properly. In the UK, we have changed the
way we instruct winching and this is what I was endeavouring to
explain in my note. Please do not misunderstand what I wrote.

[Bruce Hoult]

On Aug 24, 1:41*am, Mike Philpott <@> wrote:
> I fly at Lasham in the UK and I choose winching as my preferred
> method of launching. It is far cheaper than aero towing and I
> reckon that if you can't get away from a winch launch, it quite
> likely isn't cross countryable anyway.

I tend to agree with you, so on days that I think are soarable and
have no passenger (why else would I be in the air with no passenger?)
I often dump the towplane at 1000 - 1500 ft, hopefully in a thermal.

This does tend to surprise the tow pilot. More than one has jokingly
asked, a couple of hours later when I've come back, whether I was
unsatisfied in some way with their tow.

It also surprised the instructor a few years ago when I was in the USA
and took a flight (my only one so far!) in a Duo Discus at the Chicago
Gliding Club and released in a (weaker than I thought!) thermal at
about 1200 ft agl. It was touch and go for a few minutes but
eventually we spent an hour cruising around the area at 4000 ft.

I recall one flight this season where I released at 700 ft above the
strip and thermalled away.

This makes for an aerotow that isn't *that* much more expensive than a
winch launch, especially if the towplane can turn straight onto
downwind (or already is).

Yeah, sometimes I need an embarassing relight, but sometimes I need
them from 3000 ft tows too.


I suspect that a lot of people never even consider the possibility of
releasing early and just follow the towplane to their predetermined
launch height no matter what.

I know I used to do that until once when I was flying with an
instructor at Omarama on a day with the towplane and glider bouncing
all over the place, frequent slack rope experiences etc. At one point
the instructor inquired why I hadn't released in the 10+ knot thermal
we'd just flown out of. Huh? I was too busy just trying to follow the !
@#$% tow plane to look at the vario! I released and turned back,
couldn't find the thermal and somewhat unhappily said You Have
Control. He couldn't find it either and we were back on the ground in
ten minutes.

Since then I've paid much more attention to the vario while on tow.
So, thanks for that lesson Julian.

[ProfChrisReed]

From a UK perspective, the element of training which is most strongly
stressed (once the student can fly the launch) is launch failures.

There are (roughly) 4 cases to train for:

1. Cable break/power failure immediately after rotation. The recovery
action here is to lower the nose to the normal gliding attitude, or a
fraction lower, and land without using airbrakes. This is the most
dangerous to teach, as fractionally overdoing the nose-lowering spears
you into the ground. I believe the BGA recommendation is that this is
now only demoed to students, though instructor training requires the
student instructor to fly the recovery.

2. Break soon after full climb is established (150-350 ft). What the
instructor is looking for here is a rapid push over into a
substantially nose-low attitude until approach speed is reached, then
reaising the nose to the normal approach attitude. At this point the
pilot must decide what to do, which from this height is completing the
landing (straight ahead) with appropriate use of airbrakes. The speed
of push over is important, to maintain a margin above the stall. Slow
reactions require further training until the push over becomes
automatic. Making the decision as to how to land only after approach
speed has been reached is also vital - teaching a spin from a
simulated cable break opens a lot of studetns' eyes!

3. High break (700 ft or so). Push over and then decision-making. Land
ahead is not an option here, so the student has to learn to fly an
abbreviated circuit.

4. Awkward height cable break - at a 3,000 ft strip like my own this
is around 500 ft. Too high to land ahead, too low for anything like a
proper circuit. Push over as before then decision making, which must
not be too long delayed or the options run out. A tight, abbreviated
circuit is required with an uncomfortably low final turn. If decision-
making is slow, or the circuit not flown precisely enough, further
training.

In addition to simulated cable breaks, where the instructor pulls the
bung, we also teach gradual power failures of the winch. Here the
student should be signalling for more power and, when it doesn't
arrive, deciding in good time to abandon the launch and land
appropriately (as above).

I don'tknow of a UK winch club where students are allowed to solo
before they can cope with all these, which means that any winch
failure producesa safe landing back on the airfield.