Bill Daniels wrote:
Good show!

Dyneema/Spectra winch cable allows for launches to approximately 50% of the
original cable length. Calculations show that there is really no upper
limit to the amount of Dyneema that can be used.

90 seconds to 5200 feet AGL on a winch beats the hell out of 20 minutes on
aero tow. That's especially true when the typical cost is $10 for the
launch.

That sounds a bit frightening - 3500 fpm! What are the stresses on the
glider to get that kind of climb rate? How far away is disaster if the
pilot twitches a bit on the controls or hits some wind shear or a thermal?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org