On Monday, June 1, 2020 at 5:31:40 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Neal,
This accident occurred when the Glider pilot was distracted by a canopy that swung open. He probably tried to grab it and didn’t maintain proper tow position! Even if he intended to fly low tow, the canopy distraction would result in the same (too high) tow position! I’d bet 90 % of ballooning accident happen on or shortly after takeoff where there is insufficient altitude to attempt low tow maneuvering. I wouldn’t want to attempt going into low tow below 1000 feet ...........an this altitude, 90% of the “ballooning” accidents have already occurred!

I hesitate to even bring this up, but my club had a ballooning accident last year involving a brand new tow pilot making his first tow and an instructor Glider pilot making his first flight the year. The Glider ballooned on takeoff and the tow pilot toggled him off, immediately............some said “too soon”? I didn’t see it and take no position on the issue, but I did see the broken Sailplane sitting in the sagebrush! Our club has no way to give dual tow pilot instruction . A new tow pilot is really making his “first tow”, with no dual instruction on towing whatsoever!
Food for thought,
JJ

The whole issue of high tow vs low tow assumes that the glider pilot is in actual control of his/her glider. In a kiting glider accident, the glider is out of control because the pilot is distracted and has effectively stopped flying the glider. All of the training, procedures and haranguing at this point goes out of the window because the pilot has become a passenger. A friend of mine stopped flying tow after being subjected to BOTH an extreme low tow followed by a kiting. He dumped the glider and recovered at the sagebrush level, followed by flying underneath power lines.

As I have said before, I am a firm believer in the KISS principle until it has been proven to me that another approach needs to be taken. And, then, that approach should use only the least complex solution available. I earned my living as a design engineer for over 40 years, so this is not my first rodeo.

Tom