We do some auto towing at Sunflower in Kansas. Ex Military base, 7000 foot long runway. Surface is roughly the equivalent of The Great Barrier Reef as far as the rope is concerned. The majority of the wear seems to happen when dragging the rope back after the launch, as it does not take too long for all 2000 or so feet to be off the ground. We have cracks in the pavement that has some grass growing up through them, so you can reduce the wear some by pulling the rope back with it in/on that grass. We do not put a chute on the rope, but just let it fall. The fun comes in turning the car around, and trying to be within 50 feet of the end of the rope when it hits the ground. Yep, I have done it. With a full size Chevy G-20 van!

Another option that has been used is a wind up winch on the tow vehicle. Once the vehicle is stopped, the crew goes to the back, operates the wind up winch (have seen both gas and electric version), then drive back, and lay out the rope again.

Pay Out winch probably works better for hang gliders than for our sailplanes, as the car has to go faster than the glider in order to pay out any line.. And in light winds, the glider may need the car to run 60 MPH or more for straight towing, so even faster for pay-out towing. Faster yet for higher elevations (Sunflower is 1500 feet MSL). Gary Boggs has used a pay-out system quite successfully, so it is not impossible to do. Just maybe not so good for the planes that need a bit more speed, unless operating from a drive lakebed.

Fixed pulley at the upwind end opens up lots of possibilities. Especially since the glider can no longer pick up the tow car! Bring on the Z06 Corvettes if you have got pavement! You wanted winch acceleration, now you have got it!

As to wear and tear on the vehicle and its drive train, do an auto tow with a vehicle with an auto transmission that also has a tachometer. Then, drive in the same gear (count shifts from start) at the same speed without the load of the glider. You will probably discover that the torque converter is not locked up when launching the glider (much higher RPM during the glider tow). So, you are generating a lot of extra heat in the transmission on each tow. Best bet for auto tow would be a big block with a manual transmission, and ability to start out in second gear, so you don't have to shift..

It is fun. Get a new car. Get the extended drive train warranty. When the tranny goes out, don't mention you have been launching gliders. :-)

Steve Leonard