Winch Signals

At 21:00 09 April 2009, John Galloway wrote:


Nowadays the pilot does not call launch commands. When he has accepted a
cable attachment he is deemed to be ready to launch and the the wing
runner (or a designated other) is responsible for making the calls
properly.

When I first started gliding in the UK, the pilot used to control the
launch by holding up one finger, stationary, for 'up slack' and then two
fingers, waved in a sort of Churchillian Victory salute, for all out. The
problem was that student pilots often went on signalling all the way up
the launch and would then make a grab for the wrong knob when they got to
the top. I had students who tried to open the canopy, or pull the flap or
airbrake levers, when trying to release the cable!

When the arrangement outlined by John above came into force, there was
quite a lot of British resistance to it, as it was felt to be too
'French'. The French have a system where levelling the wings means 'all
out'. I always used to get shouted at in France for absent-mindedly
picking up wings before the glider was ready to launch, so you can see the
disadvantages of that system; at least when the 'Stupid Roast Beef
English' are around! They now normally back the signal up with a radio
call.

The current UK system also says that one person hooks the cable on and
then walks to the wingtip and picks it up, so less chance of launching
with somebody in front of the glider. The pilot should be holding the
release knob so that he/she can pull off immediately, if a problem such as
a wing drop occurs.

Derek Copeland