Sorry for all the typos on prev. post. Cellphone, no spell checker. We found it not necessary or desirable to use a pilot chute or disk to increase drag on glider end tow rope as it falls after glider releases off an auto tow. We let the rope fall in a heap. We do put a streamer of fuorescent colored plastic tape on the glider end in order to identify it for retreival. The rope pulls out during retreival without getting tangled if it is pulled out the same way it fell into the heap. The fast fall without drag producing devices on the rope gives it less time to drift off to the side of the runway in a crosswind. Fortunately, we have a very wide runway with no lights or fences to worry about. A "strop", shich can be made out of 6 ft. of garden hose over the glider end of the rope is a good idea to help reduce the chance of the glider over-running the rope when the tow vehicle takes the slack out of the rope, jerking the glider forward slightly and then hits the, brakes and stops. This can result in the rope getting it tangled around the back end of the skid or in the wheel well, making it so the glider cannot release, and possibly making the back release mechanism inoperative as well.