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...