Accepting cable/rope at start.

Bill Daniels wrote:

This is in contrast to winch launch where the runway is always available.

I think this needs a little qualification. Where the winch is on the end
of the airfield I'm sure this is true, but when the winch is out in the
boonies it may not be the case.

I believe there are several clubs in Germany (and one, Jury Hill, in NZ)
with essentially just a landing area and the launch line at one side of
it. It seems to me that at these sites either a very low break or one
high enough to allow a fairly full circuit to be flown should present no
problems.

However, what about the middle region between 50 and 500 feet? On our
field (and yours at a guess) you can land ahead, do a 360 and land ahead
or fly an abbreviated circuit. Those options may well be absent with an
remotely placed winch.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

On 5 Sep, 18:50, Martin Gregorie wrote:
Bill Daniels wrote:

This is in contrast to winch launch where the runway is always available.

I think this needs a little qualification. Where the winch is on the end
of the airfield I'm sure this is true, but when the winch is out in the
boonies it may not be the case.

I believe there are several clubs in Germany (and one, Jury Hill, in NZ)
with essentially just a landing area and the launch line at one side of
it. It seems to me that at these sites either a very low break or one
high enough to allow a fairly full circuit to be flown should present no
problems.

The east-west run at Falgunzeon is like that. It is landable, sort of,
between the launch point and winch, but the retrieve is a tractor job
and may take hours. I think I have only seen it used once ...
crosswinds are much nicer!

Ian

On Sep 5, 6:50 pm, Martin Gregorie wrote:
Bill Daniels wrote:

This is in contrast to winch launch where the runway is always available.

I think this needs a little qualification. Where the winch is on the end
of the airfield I'm sure this is true, but when the winch is out in the
boonies it may not be the case.

I believe there are several clubs in Germany (and one, Jury Hill, in NZ)
with essentially just a landing area and the launch line at one side of
it. It seems to me that at these sites either a very low break or one
high enough to allow a fairly full circuit to be flown should present no
problems.

However, what about the middle region between 50 and 500 feet? On our
field (and yours at a guess) you can land ahead, do a 360 and land ahead
or fly an abbreviated circuit. Those options may well be absent with an
remotely placed winch.

I'd question whether it's safe to operate from such a site. Certainly,
I'd never launch from one.

Such sites sound very much the rarity though - at any normal glider
site, a safe landing is perfectly possible from a winch launch failure
at any height.


Dan