Keep your hand off the release handle during aero tows!

At 21:07 15 October 2013, Del Copeland wrote:
Bill D has gone remarkably quiet!

Damn! The rest of us were hoping you had gone into hibernation too.

At 08:12 16 October 2013, Z Goudie wrote:
At 21:07 15 October 2013, Del Copeland wrote:
Bill D has gone remarkably quiet!

Damn! The rest of us were hoping you had gone into hibernation too.


Well it is raining

I've just read the latest BGA pamphlet on safer aerotowing.
They do recommend holding the release knob in case of lateral
upsets due to wing drops during the ground run, and vertical
upsets once in the air.

BTW, I did £5.5k of damage to my glider a few years ago after
dropping a wing and ground-looping it during an aerotow
retrieve. The fact that the glider ended up being dragged
sideways by the tug with the rope still attached probably didn't
help. An immediate release might done, but my glider is one of
those with the release knob behind the stick and I couldn't
immediately get to it with the stick hard over. I fitted an
extended cable to the release knob after that.

Derek C

At 16:36 04 October 2013, wrote:
I have seen several videos on youtube lately where the glider
pilot holds
t=
he tow release handle during all parts tow. I've been told it is
taught
th=
is way by some in the UK. Sorry to pick on you folks on the
other side of
=
the pond as I love your country and can't wait to come over
and glide with
=
you in the next few years. =20

It seems to me that holding the handle during aero tow is a
recipe for
disa=
ster eventually.

We have all hit big bumps and turbulence down low on tow.
Why risk
accident=
ally pulling the release at 50ft or 100ft in the air? If you are
saying
it=
is so that you can immediately pull the handle if something
goes bad on
to=
w, it might not be a good enough reason due to the risks of a
accidental
re=
lease. Keep your hand on your knee or the flaps handle right
next to the
r=
elease and I bet you can pull it just as quickly and you don't
have to
worr=
y about messing up a perfectly good tow down low. Am I
missing something
he=
re?

Your thoughts? This just seems like a big safety mistake and I
would hate
f=
or people who see these videos and then think it is the right
and correct
t=
hing to do.

Have fun and fly safe,
Bruno - B4
www.youtube.com/bviv

On Friday, October 4, 2013 11:36:19 AM UTC-5, wrote:
I have seen several videos on youtube lately where the glider pilot holds the tow release handle during all parts tow. I've been told it is taught this way by some in the UK. Sorry to pick on you folks on the other side of the pond as I love your country and can't wait to come over and glide with you in the next few years.



It seems to me that holding the handle during aero tow is a recipe for disaster eventually.



We have all hit big bumps and turbulence down low on tow. Why risk accidentally pulling the release at 50ft or 100ft in the air? If you are saying it is so that you can immediately pull the handle if something goes bad on tow, it might not be a good enough reason due to the risks of a accidental release. Keep your hand on your knee or the flaps handle right next to the release and I bet you can pull it just as quickly and you don't have to worry about messing up a perfectly good tow down low. Am I missing something here?



Your thoughts? This just seems like a big safety mistake and I would hate for people who see these videos and then think it is the right and correct thing to do.



Have fun and fly safe,

Bruno - B4

www.youtube.com/bviv

I teach holding the tow release during the ground run portion of takeoff based on actual experience of pilots being unable to tear their attention away from the problem out the window. The assumption that having your hand "near" the tow release is adequate has not proven useful in multiple incident scenarios that my students* have demonstrated during actual flying. All humans exhibit significant narrowing of focus in a crises. Locating the tow release in an actual emergency can be a lengthy process. Pilots enjoy thinking they are "sharp," have rapid responses, and are capable of logical thinking. This is somewhat true when they are not under stress and severely compromised when they are.
There is no downside to a premature or inadvertent release during the ground run. Even on a short field the towplane merely does a lonely pattern and lands. Runways are narrow or have lights and other obstructions on the sides, and a takeoff gone wrong happens so fast as to often be unrecoverable. The speed with which you can make the action stop can make the difference between a conversation and an accident. Pilot induced oscillation during takeoff is another scenario where quick release can help stop that action.
Every field will have a length that determines when your hand should be removed to avoid the possibility of inadvertent release. This is not hard to determine in practice. But generally, once the glider is just airborne in stable level flight and the tow is proceeding normally, your hand can be removed.

*These situations happen to experienced pilots so don't assume that "student" means an ab-initio trainee. We are all students.