In article ,
Ulrich Neumann wrote:
(Mark James Boyd) wrote in message news:405aa3e8$1@darkstar...
mat Redsell wrote:
My statement was very confusing... what I really meant was without the winch
I think that we will be in troubles down the road for affordable tows....

And in part I do think that we have taken a wrong road with high wing
loading. for example with the Monarch we are able to tow it aloft with 160
lbs of tension at a speed of about 15 mph with a wind down the runway of
about 10 mph. This requires a very small rope and small horsepower.

http://www.continuo.com/marske/
look under articles for : ultralight design parameters design parameters of
the ultralight glider

I'd love to see a winch design that uses a 100hp or less engine,
can be easily bolted on the back of an old pickup, and has engine
and parts that are low maintenance and (especially engine) easy
to acquire (either locally or via shipping).

Alternately, how about a "spare tire" that is really a winch drum.
a stable sturdy "jack" and some way to route the cable
to ensure it winds up nice.

Might not work (thoughts of side loads tipping my car
over come to mind!), but it sure is fun to play with the
thuoght!

Mark,

a 100HP or less winch? What are you trying to launch - kites or RC
gliders? The Europeans are replacing their winches powered
traditionally by Detroit's finest with big rig Diesels, because ...?
Lets get real here. As nice as it sounds to have your own personal
winch in the trunk, the reality looks more like you could haul your
car around with the winch.

But keep the ideas coming.

Ulrich Neumann

The previous post about the Marske stuff was my reference. Keep in mind
that yes, I AM talking about very lightweight gliders (either
ultralight or close to it). Not necessarily as interesting to the
"soaring enthusiasts" found here, but interesting to me as a
"soaring consumer."

If you wonder where this push comes from, it's from years
of having fellow pilots tell everyone how airplanes cost
"tens of thousands of dollars" and take $5000 to learn how to
fly. I own a $6000 airplane which one could learn to solo
in about 20 flights ($2000).

http://www.cse.ucsc.edu/~mjboyd/cfi/GHFCcharter

A lot of aviation is overkill. Garmin 430, lights, a starter,
flaps, oleo struts, a heater, blah blah blah. And
who needs a PPL? Solo is solo. There's no doubt who's
flying the thing...where did all this complexity come from?
Society, certainly not the aircraft itself...

Do we NEED a 245 hp winch? Is it POSSIBLE to launch
with something smaller and less hassle?

Do we NEED two 40# thrust turbines, or just one and a lighter
glider? ;P
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Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA