On 6/20/2011 10:02 AM, Herbert kilian wrote:
Europeans have tens of thousands of winch launches of experience with
Spectra/Dyneema rope on us and as far as I hear they don't see real
advantages (meaning they are switching back to steel). Neither in
life expectancy nor in launch height or ease of splicing are there
significant reasons to abandon steel. In fact, the winch guillotine
has to be modified to cut Spectra, much more difficult than severing a
steel cable.
Unless you are winching from a really nasty surface I'd say that the
steel cable is still overall the best material to go with.

I miss the good old days when - in a crosswind, winching from a narrow runway
bordered by downwind powerlines - anyone with a winch and steel wire could
(and per the literature not rarely did) easily and spectacularly kill the
power in the 'hood. Can plastic do this?

Would Ben Franklin have used plastic rope for his famous kite experiment?

Funnily enough, I *don't* miss the thrill lost when watching plastic fall
harmlessly to the ground (say, after an unplanned 'wire' break) compared to
wondering how well-constructed some home-brew winch's safety cage was while
watching steel rope or single-strand downhole wire lunging toward me. (Yes, I
know I coulda deferred winching until a 'decent winch' became available, but
unfortunately I'm mortal, and I never wanted to discover how fine the line
between disappointed/angry glider pilots and an ugly mob!)

Regards,
Bob - those darned double-edged swords! - W.