Methods of Launch

wrote:
Horse and cart (once, about 18th century)

Foot launch

Shoulder launch (as described by the late Ann Welch, I believe)

Reverse pulley (Lots of us have)

forward pulley (seen it once)

gas-turbine self launch? (think I saw a video)

Pulse jet self-launch? (was the Caproni jet version pulse rather than
gas turbine?)


(Can't see them in the list above)

And planned - dropping a weight (Colditz)

Chris N.

The Wright 1902 glider launched with the aid of a weight and rail catapault.

Wonder if a flame out on launch off an aircraft carrier would qualify as a
glider launch...

GM wrote:
Has anybody ever tried to launch a glider purely by gravity without the
aid of any other means? Ok - pushing it over a cliff would be one way.
I am more thinking of a steep incline, which a glider could just roll
down, i.e. a slow glider flying and a steep straight mountain road.

Uli Neumann


Cloyd Artman - mid 1930's. Washington state in (on) a primary
(built/modified from plans in a magazine [common stuff in the U.S. back
then]) from a greased tilting board atop a (working from memory from
older "Soaring" magazines) cut down pickup truck. Amazing young man
who lost his life ca. 1937 when a wing fitting failed on the
university-designed 2-seater he and a college classmate were flying as
undergraduates. Perhaps a photo of his greased board rig might be the
one alluded to in a previous post.

Regards,
Bob W.

Robert Gaines wrote:
How many ways can a glider-sailplane be launched?
Winch
Autotow
Towplane
Gasoline engine self launch
Electric self launch
Off Back of 747
Belly of B-29
Bungee

How many more ways?

Motor-bunjee - favoured by some South Walians in the late 1960s - not
always successful.

There is space in my log book for launching by helicopter...presum
ably taken vertically to a safe height and then 'dropped'?I
dont know anyone who has done this but I am sure someone
will have!?
At 00:06 18 November 2006,
wrote:

Robert Gaines wrote:
How many ways can a glider-sailplane be launched?
Winch
Autotow
Towplane
Gasoline engine self launch
Electric self launch
Off Back of 747
Belly of B-29
Bungee

How many more ways?

Motor-bunjee - favoured by some South Walians in the
late 1960s - not
always successful.

Andy Melville wrote:
There is space in my log book for launching by helicopter...presum
ably taken vertically to a safe height and then 'dropped'?I
dont know anyone who has done this but I am sure someone
will have!?
Was done at the Worlds in 1995 in NZ IIRC, plus other places, both as a
lift and a tow.

Robert Gaines wrote:
How many ways can a glider-sailplane be launched?
Winch
Autotow
Towplane
Gasoline engine self launch
Electric self launch
Off Back of 747
Belly of B-29
Bungee

How many more ways?

I've seen video of a Russia being lifted and released from a hot air
balloon. To top this off he did a vertical climb at the gondola until
he stopped and fell back in a tail slide.

Randy "AV8"
Zuni II ser #24