Helps to have a 300 hp tug or when that one is down a 220 hp tug. A young wing runner who knows to keep the upwind wing low, and then there have been a few interesting rides. I am always ready to release until I have aileron control. And practice, 5-11 tows a day. After a few Sundays it was normal so when we had a tailwind of only 8 knots that was like a 10 knot headwind! There are pilots out there whom safely fly everyday in very challenging conditions, I admire them. We have pilots who fly 2-33's in conditions I prefer not to fly.


On Friday, April 20, 2018 at 12:15:06 AM UTC-7, Chris Rowland wrote:
At 20:05 19 April 2018, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
I fly from an airport where for many very good reasons we only launch to
th=
e West. Yet in the winter we have many days of Santa Ana (strong East
wind=
s). The operators of this airport have 30 plus years of experience with
do=
wnwind takeoffs. I personally have flown take offs with paying
passengers
=
in a 2-32 or G-103 with quartering tailwinds of up to 26 knots, any
higher
=
than that I let the owners fly. After some number of these launches they
r=
eally become a non-event. I have flown take off's with an ASW-24 or
Ventus=
2c with up to 18 knots of quartering tailwind as do the other private
pilo=
ts.

I'm curious about what techniques you use to take off with a strong
tailwind, do you just let the wing drag until you have forward airspeed,
then pick it up?

Chris