On Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 12:20:56 PM UTC-5, kirk.stant wrote:
As a glider pilot and tow pilot, there are a couple of SSA - recommended hand signals/procedures that I find confusing at best and dangerous at worst:



At one of the clubs where I regularly fly, they use the standard SSA signals, however, they leave the wingtip on the ground while the wing runner signals to take up slack. Once the slack is out, they signal a brief stop and then the wing runner turns a complete circle to view the entire airspace around the launch. If that shows no other traffic that would be a problem, the wing runner checks for a thumbs up from the pilot and then lifts the wingtip and gives the takeoff signal.

I believe that doing an intentional stop after taking out slack makes it far easier for the wing runner to make a full survey of the airspace, without juggling a wingtip during the check. It only takes seconds, but I believe it adds to safety.