On Tuesday, January 28, 2014 9:23:47 AM UTC-7, 150flivver wrote:
Those of you with TOST hooks, how do you track the number of times the release is activated? As I understand it, the mechanism has to be rebuilt when it's been exercised 10,000 times due to the main spring getting worn out..

Most Flight Manuals will defer to the Manufacturers recommendation for a particular component (Look at your seatbelts). You understand correctly that it is 10,000 actuation,s or 2000 launches (which most of us will never get to) . The manufacturer also recommends the release be sent in every 4 years.. There is also an Advisory Circular that addresses this. Many of the well known glider maintenance shops in the US like to see no more than 10 years in service before replacement. I tend to agree with this. In many ships they are a pain to get to and do not get cleaned or lubed very often. Also, there is some preload on the main spring so frequent service/replacement is not a bad call. I just bought a late model ship with less than 200 flights on it and I am in the process of replacing all the life limit parts. The release (CG only) was packed with dirt and corroded. While exchanging the release I also had access to the forward gear pivot which is another area that is not usually serviced due to the difficult access. Keep track of your cycles but also take a good look at the release every chance you get.