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**Walt Connelly** · #38 March 1st 19, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathon May

At 13:50 28 February 2019, wrote:
As a former tow pilot with just short of 7000 tows I can say I
have
experie=
nced two very sudden and violent kiting incidents. One at 2K
feet and one
a=
t just above 300 feet. Not every kiting incident is a slowly
evolving type
=
giving the tow pilot time to reach for and actuate the release. I
was
flyin=
g with a Schweizer hook conventionally installed and a release
handle on
th=
e floor of the Pawnee. In both incidents I was unable to release
the rope.
=
The 2K incident resolved when the glider pilot realized what he
had done
an=
d release, in the 300 foot incident the rope broke...fortunately.

I understand the tow plane in this incident had a Tost system
and a
guillot=
ine. My question would be..where was the release? Was it down
on the floor
=
or up where the pilot could easily grab and actuate it? I could
reach the
h=
andle in both incidents but again, the pressure was too great to
effect a
r=
elease. This is acknowledged in the SSA literature in BRIGHT
RED LETTERS
an=
d yet these conditions persisted at the time of my incidents. My
understand=
ing of the guillotine system is that there is no pressure on the
handle.=20

The autopsy seems to conclude there was no heart attack. The
pilot was 5'
1=
1" tall and weighed 190 lbs giving him a BMI of 26.5, just at the
low end
o=
f overweight. He had some mild to moderate coronary artery
disease, this
di=
d not appear to contribute to the problem. In addition the last
view of
the=
elevator appears to show it in the up position indicating that
the pilot
w=
as trying to get his nose up....a futile attempt until the glider is
releas=
ed.=20

The report indicates that the glider was approximately 250' AGL
when the
RO=
PE BROKE under the strain. The tow plane was estimated to be
63 feet below
=
the glider at the time based on a tow rope length of 160 feet.
This would
p=
ut the tow plane below 200 feet. My low kiting experience
happened at just
=
over 300 feet. Had the rope not broken I would have been
another
statistic.=
As it was I recovered at tree top level, slightly below some of
the trees
=
off to the side. I had just enough room to recover, the
gentleman who died
=
in this incident did not.=20

How long should it take an instructor to react when he can't see
the tow
pl=
ane? The proper reaction is TO RELEASE IMMEDIATELY. In the
second video it
=
was at 9 seconds when a snapping sound was heard FOLLOWED
by the release
be=
ing pulled. The report indicates that the rope broke under the
strain
while=
the glider was still attached. The instructor pulled the release
AFTER
the=
rope broke as I interpret the report.=20

If we can't expect an instructor to keep his eyes on the tow
plane AND
when=
he realizes the towplane is no longer in his line of sight to
release
imme=
diately, how can we expect a 15 year old on her 3rd solo to
react
properly?=
=20

JMHO

Walt Connelly

I am not making excuses for anyone, but last summer I was
conducting a trail lesson in a DG1000 .The tow pilot found a good
thermal and we climbed well, near my release height the tug
levelled his wings, then just vanished below my view.
I of course released immediately .
Afterwards the tug pilot, who happened to be our chief flying
instructor, had a little chat with me.
We decided he flew out of the side of the thermal out of+5 into-5
and so were in different air. Suffice it to say the time period was
between 1&2 seconds from all being normal and the tug
vanishing.
Thankfully we were at 2000 ft.

I've experienced a kiting at 2K feet which was the fault of the glider pilot reaching for the release, slipping back in his seat and pulling back on the stick. It happens in the wink of an eye and as I have indicated with the Schweizer system it's near impossible to release. Interesting that my two severe kiting incidents were with the two ends of the age spectrum. An elderly individual with obvious physical difficulties whom I did not know hadn't taken a tow in over a year and a 15 year old student on her initial solos. Personally I don't like the idea of thermalling on tow unless the tow pilot and glider pilot discuss this and agree to do so.

Walt