Uncle Fuzzies take on Self Launchers

My take on self-launchers launchers

… is really pretty simple. A self launcher means you can launch whether there’s a tow plane or not. Period.
For me, that would mean I could launch from Jean, land somewhere, make camp (I love ‘ramp camping’), and launch the next day and fly back (conditions, skills, etc. permitting.)
Essentially equivalent to having a tug available for the next day at any field. If tugs were always available, I wouldn’t have any use for a self launcher.

While I’m feeling relatively coherent: FRONT LOAD FUN !!
Get the toys now, and play with them. I have been a renowned ‘cheap *******’ forever, and have managed to run myself up a great bank account, and no time to utilize it. I can’t fly any more, but I could damn well pay cash for a Stemme. I think I screwed up somehwere.
That said, my fun-meter has been pretty well pegged since joining the LVVSA IN 2001. Whether flying a 1-26, Speed Astir, or Janus, for me the result is pretty much a pegged fun-meter.
Hmmmm. Losing coherence. Hope this makes some sense to somebody

Cheers,
Uncle Fuzzy

On Tuesday, August 20, 2013 10:35:17 PM UTC-4, Uncle Fuzzy wrote:

While I’m feeling relatively coherent: FRONT LOAD FUN !!

Get the toys now, and play with them. I have been a renowned ‘cheap *******’ forever, and have managed to run myself up a great bank account, and no time to utilize it. I can’t fly any more, but I could damn well pay cash for a Stemme.

You're making good sense Uncle Fuzzy and some of us are taking notes.

Uncle Fuzzy wrote, On 8/20/2013 7:35 PM:
My take on self-launchers launchers

… is really pretty simple. A self launcher means you can launch
whether there’s a tow plane or not. Period. For me, that would mean
I could launch from Jean, land somewhere, make camp (I love ‘ramp
camping’), and launch the next day and fly back (conditions, skills,
etc. permitting.) Essentially equivalent to having a tug available
for the next day at any field. If tugs were always available, I
wouldn’t have any use for a self launcher.

You understand one half of the attraction of a self-launcher, but like
many people, miss the other half: you can take risks with the lift, and
if you guess wrong and the lift isn't there, you can start the motor,
get to the next lift, and continue the flight. The ability to explore
without the consequences of a landout and a potentially long retrieve
are just as valuable as avoiding the launch line or flying from an
airport that doesn't have a towplane.

I'm sorry you will have money left over at the end of your "final
glide", a fate I am trying to avoid. It's even harder to judge that
"glide" than one in a glider, and you don't get to practice it, either.

Possibly, you could use some of the money to start a partnership in a
DG1000 or other excellent two seater, like the DG1000 that operates at
Ephrata, WA. You will have partners to fly with, they will be introduced
to cross-country flying, and will pass that on as they become
proficient. It's well equipped, kept assembled and covered so it's ready
to in moments, and seems to be fulfilling the mission envisioned by the
original owner.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

This is an excellent idea. Jim, get a nice 2 seater and train pilots to fly cross country. You actually been doing it all along but you can do it in a much nicer glider. And hopefully for many more years than you think.
Eric, your take on the advantages of self launchers is exactly what I would do if I had one, explore as much as I could and fly from multiple places, but from some reason only a small percentage of motorglider pilots I know fly like this. The rest constrain themselves as if it was a pure glider. Or perhaps they are so good that they hardly need to relight anyway. hmm...

Ramy

Ramy wrote, On 8/20/2013 9:04 PM:
This is an excellent idea. Jim, get a nice 2 seater and train pilots
to fly cross country. You actually been doing it all along but you
can do it in a much nicer glider. And hopefully for many more years
than you think. Eric, your take on the advantages of self launchers
is exactly what I would do if I had one, explore as much as I could
and fly from multiple places, but from some reason only a small
percentage of motorglider pilots I know fly like this. The rest
constrain themselves as if it was a pure glider. Or perhaps they are
so good that they hardly need to relight anyway. hmm...

Your observations are the same as mine. I average about 10 restarts
during my 40 to 50 flights a year. That's about right, I think, for
someone of my experience. Most motorglider pilots don't get near that
20% rate, however. Mostly, I think, it's because so many of them flew
towed gliders for a long time, and flew in a culture that did not
respect landouts, but usually considered landing out as evidence the
pilot failed.

I can hardly wait for someone like Tony to get a motorglider. I'm
thinking we'll see a 50% restart rate, but the times he doesn't will be
magnificent flights!

My next glider will have "The road less traveled" written on the side of
it, and I expect my restart rate will climb to 30% or more.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

At 03:37 21 August 2013, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Uncle Fuzzy wrote, On 8/20/2013 7:35 PM:
My take on self-launchers launchers

� is really pretty simple. A self launcher means you can
launch
whether there�s a tow plane or not. Period. For me, that
would mean
I could launch from Jean, land somewhere, make camp (I love
�ramp
camping�), and launch the next day and fly back (conditions,
skills,
etc. permitting.) Essentially equivalent to having a tug
available
for the next day at any field. If tugs were always available, I
wouldn�t have any use for a self launcher.

You understand one half of the attraction of a self-launcher, but
like
many people, miss the other half: you can take risks with the
lift, and
if you guess wrong and the lift isn't there, you can start the
motor,
get to the next lift, and continue the flight. The ability to explore
without the consequences of a landout and a potentially long
retrieve
are just as valuable as avoiding the launch line or flying from an
airport that doesn't have a towplane.

I'm sorry you will have money left over at the end of your "final
glide", a fate I am trying to avoid. It's even harder to judge that
"glide" than one in a glider, and you don't get to practice it,
either.

Possibly, you could use some of the money to start a partnership
in a
DG1000 or other excellent two seater, like the DG1000 that
operates at
Ephrata, WA. You will have partners to fly with, they will be
introduced
to cross-country flying, and will pass that on as they become
proficient. It's well equipped, kept assembled and covered so it's
ready
to in moments, and seems to be fulfilling the mission envisioned
by the
original owner.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us"
to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS,
Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl


Talking about motor gliders with extending masts and gas
engines: all the advantages seem (at least partially) offset by
corresponding disadvantages, either physical or psychological. For
example, the major convenience of not needing a towplane is
partially offset by the usually-greater difficulty and risk of self
launching. When it comes to cross-country flying, a large fraction
(99%?) of field landings are eliminated with a motor glider, but the
"worry element" always remains (motors don't always start, and a
field landing in a motor glider will be more difficult and risky). Overall,
my experience is that I prefer my motor glider, however
the advantages are not as great as I had imagined.

A few years ago, I came across an Auxiliary Sailplane Association fly-in somewhere out west. The ramp was full of pilots working on engines - welding silencers, cleaning carburetors, fixing electronics, etc. One guy was replacing instruments in his panel that had fallen out through engine vibration!

It reminder me more of a rally of mid-century British sports cars than a glider meet. I think I'll stick with having the engine at the end of a 200-foot rope.

Mike

ALL the other crap aside, a self launcher allows me to fly when the tug needs an oil change, brakes, mags or whatever. That would mean I could fly more. period. No wing runner, no FOO, no tow pilot. Just go fly.
On Tuesday, August 20, 2013 7:35:17 PM UTC-7, Uncle Fuzzy wrote:
My take on self-launchers



… is really pretty simple. A self launcher means you can launch whether there’s a tow plane or not. Period.

For me, that would mean I could launch from Jean, land somewhere, make camp (I love ‘ramp camping’), and launch the next day and fly back (conditions, skills, etc. permitting.)

Essentially equivalent to having a tug available for the next day at any field. If tugs were always available, I wouldn’t have any use for a self launcher.



While I’m feeling relatively coherent: FRONT LOAD FUN !!

Get the toys now, and play with them. I have been a renowned ‘cheap *******’ forever, and have managed to run myself up a great bank account, and no time to utilize it. I can’t fly any more, but I could damn well pay cash for a Stemme. I think I screwed up somehwere.

That said, my fun-meter has been pretty well pegged since joining the LVVSA IN 2001. Whether flying a 1-26, Speed Astir, or Janus, for me the result is pretty much a pegged fun-meter.

Hmmmm. Losing coherence. Hope this makes some sense to somebody



Cheers,

Uncle Fuzzy

On Thursday, August 22, 2013 4:49:54 PM UTC-4, Uncle Fuzzy wrote:
ALL the other crap aside, a self launcher allows me to fly when the tug needs an oil change, brakes, mags or whatever. That would mean I could fly more. period. No wing runner, no FOO, no tow pilot. Just go fly.

But interacting with the people that it takes to launch a bunch of gliders on a good day is at least half of the fun of the sport.

On Thursday, August 22, 2013 12:10:46 PM UTC-4, Andrew wrote:
At 03:37 21 August 2013, Eric Greenwell wrote:

Uncle Fuzzy wrote, On 8/20/2013 7:35 PM:

My take on self-launchers launchers



� is really pretty simple. A self launcher means you can

launch

whether there�s a tow plane or not. Period. For me, that

would mean

I could launch from Jean, land somewhere, make camp (I love

�ramp

camping�), and launch the next day and fly back (conditions,

skills,

etc. permitting.) Essentially equivalent to having a tug

available

for the next day at any field. If tugs were always available, I

wouldn�t have any use for a self launcher.



You understand one half of the attraction of a self-launcher, but

like

many people, miss the other half: you can take risks with the

lift, and

if you guess wrong and the lift isn't there, you can start the

motor,

get to the next lift, and continue the flight. The ability to explore

without the consequences of a landout and a potentially long

retrieve

are just as valuable as avoiding the launch line or flying from an

airport that doesn't have a towplane.



I'm sorry you will have money left over at the end of your "final

glide", a fate I am trying to avoid. It's even harder to judge that

"glide" than one in a glider, and you don't get to practice it,

either.



Possibly, you could use some of the money to start a partnership

in a

DG1000 or other excellent two seater, like the DG1000 that

operates at

Ephrata, WA. You will have partners to fly with, they will be

introduced

to cross-country flying, and will pass that on as they become

proficient. It's well equipped, kept assembled and covered so it's

ready

to in moments, and seems to be fulfilling the mission envisioned

by the

original owner.



--

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us"

to

email me)

- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS,

Flarm

http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl





Talking about motor gliders with extending masts and gas

engines: all the advantages seem (at least partially) offset by

corresponding disadvantages, either physical or psychological. For

example, the major convenience of not needing a towplane is

partially offset by the usually-greater difficulty and risk of self

launching. When it comes to cross-country flying, a large fraction

(99%?) of field landings are eliminated with a motor glider, but the

"worry element" always remains (motors don't always start, and a

field landing in a motor glider will be more difficult and risky). Overall,

my experience is that I prefer my motor glider, however

the advantages are not as great as I had imagined.

I'm waiting for an electric sustainer that I can afford.