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I don't know about detailed --
pA HREF="http://www.621vgs.co.uk/works.htm"http://www.621vgs.co.uk/works.htm/A
pBill Daniels wrote:
blockquote TYPE=CITEThe lighter Spectra doesn't sag nearly as much as
steel so the pull vector
bris more nearly aligned with the flight path.  The potential height
gain at
brrelease is more due to the angle that Spectra pulls on the glider.
pThe Van Gelder? You bet.  That's the reference winch design. 
Somebody want
brto link us to some detailed pictures of the Van Gelder?
pBill Daniels
p"Bob Johnson" wrote in message
bra "news:3F /a...
br Robert --
br
br There's only about a 100 lb reduction in line weight at release,
br assuming you're currently using 5mm steel, so I wouldn't expect a
br dramatic height gain.
br
br Hoo boy, a 6 drum Diesel Monster Van Gelder -- now THAT'S a winch!!
br
br Robert Johnson 8')
br
br
br Robert John wrote:
br
br At Dunstable (London Gliding Club - UK) we have 4 tugs
br (typically 2 operating unless it's really busy) and
br a 6 drum diesel Munster Van Gelder winch.  The launch
br rates with a slick ground crew can be extremely good.
br   30 secs to launch, another 30secs to reel in the cable,
br then hook up the next one and go.
br
br It's quick, quiet and cheap (a quarter the cost of
br a typical tug launch).
br
br Our only bugbear is that the field is fairly short
br so we rarely see more than 1200 feet from a winch launch,
br sometimes as little as 800 (flat calm on one of the
br shorter runs).  1500'+ would make winching the preferred
br method of launch for most XC flights (standard aerotow
br is 2000ft - we Brits are used to thermalling up from
br heights most Americans would regard as circuit height!).
br
br
br Perhaps we should experiment with Plasma rope?
br
br The winch is slightly less labour-intensive than the
br tug in that the hook-on and control crew is the same
br for both but you only need one winch driver and he
br is utilised as soon as he is needed - you don't need
br to wait for him to return to earth and taxi into position
br after a launch.   Someone from the launch point goes
br to the winch with a tractor and 6-hook trailer before
br the last cable is used so as to be ready to bring the
br cables back to the launch point.
br
br Rob John
br
br At 08:24 14 August 2003, Mike Lindsay wrote:
br In article , Bill Daniels
br writes
br
br I agree with Frank.  I hope it doesn't come to this.
br
br Returning to the USA situation with winch launch for
br a moment, whenever a
br group tries a once-a-year winch party with 20 or so
br untrained people, the
br result looks a lot like a Chinese fire drill.  Since
br this is the usual
br situation in the US, there is the widespread opinion
br that winch launching is
br a confused, labor intensive affair.
br
br However, a group of experienced winch people with polished
br procedures can
br make it look as easy as air tow.  It sure is a lot
br quieter, cleaner and more
br pleasant than the noisy, dusty environment in the vicinity
br of a tug.
br
br Bill Daniels
br It can also be very efficient. The Midland Gliding
br Club which operates
br from a hill top site in Shropshire, England, uses a
br single drum winch
br to launch and a lower powered winch to retrieve the
br cable. The launch
br rate can be phenomenal!
br
br --
br Mike Lindsay
br /blockquote
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