On Jun 2, 4:43*am, Paul wrote:
Currently the club that I am part of don't seem to be too concerned about
the safety aspects of using the correct weak links for winch launching
and I'd like to know how safe it is.

Currently I see two issues with the winch launching:

1. Sometimes a weak link is not used at all. The gliders are attached
directly to the winch cable (via drogue chute and various connectors).

2. When a weak link is included in the cable (only a primary link - no
reserve link) it is used for all glider types (G102 Astir, G103 Twin II,
ASW20, LS4) and I'm not even sure what the breaking strain is. My guess
is it's a Tost #1 black (1000 daN) weak link but that's hard to tell
because its weathered and the protective sleeve obscures the Tost number.
The weak link is never changed between glider types.

According to what I have read (glider manuals and Tost manual) the
maximum winch load that should be exerted on most of the single seaters
is 500 daN and on the G103 Twin II it's 750 daN.

Am I being paranoid about safety? Are weak links not that important for
safe winch launching?

I took the matter up with the safety officer who said I need to take it
up with the CFI but I'd like to get some advice and input before I engage
with the CFI over the matter.
I'm new to soaring so I don't know it all.

Thanks

Paul,
I am horrified to read this kind of message!! The weaklinks are an
essential safety device to avoid overstressing the glider. Please go
to http://www.tost.de/evers/edefault.htm and research the proper set-
up of the winch launch tackle.
There is a very active discussion group on the internet (winchdesign
on yahoo) trying to revive winch launching in the US in a safe way.
Any accident due to ignorance will give the insurance companies more
reason to choke off these effort! Contact me via PM off-line if you
need more info.
Uli Neumann