No wing runner?

OK, you just landed at a deserted strip and called for an aero-
retrieve, but there's nobody around to run your wing.
Been there, done that, and it wasn't pretty! I put the right wing down
and aimed the fuselage 30 degrees left of runway heading, hooked up
the rope, climbed in and crossed my fingers! As expected, the drag
from the down wing swung the nose to the right, but I almost nailed a
runway light before aileron control kicked in and I was able to get
the right wing up. There's got to be a better way!

For several years, now I have carried a wing tip wheel that I use for
wing-runner-less, aero-retrieves. It consists of a padded aluminum
glove that slips over the leadind edge and is held in place with duct-
tape. The wing tip is raised about 6" off the ground which is high
enough to avoid gravel and low weeds. I once used it at strip that was
only 40 feet wide. I placed the main gear 7 feet from the runway
lights on the right and my tip wheel 7 feet from the lights on the
left. She rolled straight as an arrow!

Several pilots have asked me to make them one of my tip wheels, so I
finally ordered the parts and made a batch of 10 units. Assembled, it
measures 8" X 8" X 6". Remove the hinge pins and slip the 5" wheel
inside the glove and the height is reduced to only 2" for easy
storage. E-mail me for photos, price is set at $125 and I'll pay the
shipping (US).
JJ Sinclair

In article . com,
JJ Sinclair wrote:

OK, you just landed at a deserted strip and called for an aero-
retrieve, but there's nobody around to run your wing.
Been there, done that, and it wasn't pretty! I put the right wing down
and aimed the fuselage 30 degrees left of runway heading, hooked up
the rope, climbed in and crossed my fingers! As expected, the drag
from the down wing swung the nose to the right, but I almost nailed a
runway light before aileron control kicked in and I was able to get
the right wing up. There's got to be a better way!

A solution that I've seen used a bit is to carry a large rubber sucker,
nearly the size of a plumbing plunger, and a piece of dowel/bambo/PVC pipe
of the appropriate length for your glider. When you need it you stick
the sucker under the wingtip and poke the support in. As you take off
the support either falls out (wood or bamboo are bio degradable) or
just dangles there till you get home.

This saves scouring the area for a suitable support for the wing. It has
its drawbacks though. The retrieve stories are much less interesting
than the ones that involve creative use of local resources.

We have this in the clubs Duo, but I've never used it. I get the student
to run the wing and leave them behind.

--
Philip Plane _____
|
---------------( )---------------
Glider pilots have no visible means of support

On Aug 23, 7:21 am, JJ Sinclair wrote:
OK, you just landed at a deserted strip and called for an aero-
retrieve, but there's nobody around to run your wing.
Been there, done that, and it wasn't pretty!

Me too and decided never again. I built a compact tip wheel from a
rectangle of sheet aluminum, 2 short length of aluminum angle section,
and a roller blade wheel. It took about an hour to make form scrap I
had on hand. It's pre-prepared with double sided carpet tape and
wrapped with enought tape to fair it. It can be stuck under either
wing tip in a minute or so. It tested ok on a paved runway but may
not stand up to a rough strip. The adavantage of the flat plate
design over a shaped leading edge cuff if that it fits both wings.
Disadvantage more likely to get knocked off.

Andy

On Aug 23, 2:59 pm, Andy wrote:
On Aug 23, 7:21 am, JJ Sinclair wrote:

OK, you just landed at a deserted strip and called for an aero-
retrieve, but there's nobody around to run your wing.
Been there, done that, and it wasn't pretty!

Me too and decided never again. I built a compact tip wheel from a
rectangle of sheet aluminum, 2 short length of aluminum angle section,
and a roller blade wheel. It took about an hour to make form scrap I
had on hand. It's pre-prepared with double sided carpet tape and
wrapped with enought tape to fair it. It can be stuck under either
wing tip in a minute or so. It tested ok on a paved runway but may
not stand up to a rough strip. The adavantage of the flat plate
design over a shaped leading edge cuff if that it fits both wings.
Disadvantage more likely to get knocked off.

Andy

I use any handy local vegetation (commonly called "a stick")

Prop up the wing with that.

Get in...

Ask Tow plane to hang on the brakes and do a full power run up before
releasing brakes.

Hold onto your brake as the tension comes on.
Release brake and your off..

The "stick" is bio de-gradable too.

Regards

Al

I am working on a set of small, throttleable rocket
motors at each wingtip, controlled by a computer tied
into a gyroscopic inertial platform in the luggage
area - but the stick seems like a good idea too.

9B



At 17:00 24 August 2007, wrote:
On Aug 23, 2:59 pm, Andy wrote:
On Aug 23, 7:21 am, JJ Sinclair wrote:

OK, you just landed at a deserted strip and called
for an aero-
retrieve, but there's nobody around to run your wing.
Been there, done that, and it wasn't pretty!

Me too and decided never again. I built a compact
tip wheel from a
rectangle of sheet aluminum, 2 short length of aluminum
angle section,
and a roller blade wheel. It took about an hour to
make form scrap I
had on hand. It's pre-prepared with double sided
carpet tape and
wrapped with enought tape to fair it. It can be stuck
under either
wing tip in a minute or so. It tested ok on a paved
runway but may
not stand up to a rough strip. The adavantage of
the flat plate
design over a shaped leading edge cuff if that it
fits both wings.
Disadvantage more likely to get knocked off.

Andy

I use any handy local vegetation (commonly called 'a
stick')

Prop up the wing with that.

Get in...

Ask Tow plane to hang on the brakes and do a full power
run up before
releasing brakes.

Hold onto your brake as the tension comes on.
Release brake and your off..

The 'stick' is bio de-gradable too.

Regards

Al

Last year a couple of local pilots landed at a very dusty strip
(little more than a road in the middle of a pasture) and called for
areo-retrieves. Using the first-to land; first-to-tow rule; No. 1 gets
no. 2 to run his wing. No. 1 goes IFR in dust, but is able to keep his
wings level by looking sideways (down the wing).

No. 2 tried it without a wing runner, went IFR and didn't realize he
was into a full blown ground loop, until it was too late. No. 2's ship
spent the Winter in the repair shop!

Guess who just ordered one of my wing tip wheels?
JJ

JJ Sinclair wrote:
Last year a couple of local pilots landed at a very dusty strip
(little more than a road in the middle of a pasture) and called for
areo-retrieves. Using the first-to land; first-to-tow rule; No. 1 gets
no. 2 to run his wing. No. 1 goes IFR in dust, but is able to keep his
wings level by looking sideways (down the wing).

No. 2 tried it without a wing runner, went IFR and didn't realize he
was into a full blown ground loop, until it was too late. No. 2's ship
spent the Winter in the repair shop!

Guess who just ordered one of my wing tip wheels?

I say No. 1! Next time he lands out with another pilot, he talks No. 2
into running his wing by loaning him the wing tip wheel.

Did anyone consider shortening the tow rope, so the dust is kicked up
behind the glider? I know, it might be only 60' long, but I'm told the
Poles use short ropes for field retrieves.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

Did anyone consider shortening the tow rope, so the dust is kicked up
behind the glider? I know, it might be only 60' long, but I'm told the
Poles use short ropes for field retrieves.

Maybe the Poles just use long poles?
(sorry....couldn't resist)
Uri
4X-GGG

I remember well using the stick technique with my Jantar-1. As the
glider starting moving, the wing fell onto the ground with a thud,
pulled me off the runway and I only just managed to avoid a ground-
loop by aggressively using full rudder and aileron.

A later similar attempt in my ASW-20 wasn't much better. I now refuse
to try a field retrieve with my present ship without a wing runner and
think the stick-on wheels are a great idea.

Mike

On Aug 24, 9:58 am, "
wrote:

I use any handy local vegetation (commonly called "a stick")

I have also use the stick method. One time there was a suitable
source, the stick stayed in place, and I did a perfect takeoff. The
only other time I tried it the wing dropped immediately and I had to
abort. Then a farm worker showed up and, even though we had no
language in common, I was able to show him how to be more reliable
than the stick.

It's often hard to find suitable sticks in Arizona, creosote bush is
about the only source in many places. I had thought of carrying
suitable lengths of dowel in the glider but decided the stick on tip
wheel would be better, at least for paved runways. So carry a tip
wheel for paved runways and dowels for unprepared surfaces?

Andy