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SAFE Winch Launching



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 5th 09, 12:15 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Derek Copeland[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 146
Default SAFE Winch Launching

To all my friends in the United States of America.

You may have got the impression from some recent correspondence on this
site that winch launchings is about as risky as bungey jumping or joining
a Kamikaze squadron!

In fact we do many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of
winch launches in Europe with only the very occasional accident. Even the
ones we do have are largely avoidable.

Most of the serious winch launching accidents come into the following
categories:

1) Ground loop or cartwheel after catching a wingtip on the ground.
2) Flick spin due to over-rotating after lift off.
3) Stall/spin after a cable break or other launch failure.

These can be avoided respectively by:

a) Pulling the cable release knob if a wing drops.
b) Monitoring the airspeed and controlling the rate of rotation to not
more than 10 degrees/second.
c) Lowering the nose to the recovery attitude and regaining a safe
airspeed before attempting any further manoeuvres. Also learning the most
suitable options for landing safely from various heights.

Things happen much more quickly during a winch launch than they do during
an aerotow, so you do need to engage your brain before you start moving,
not halfway up the launch.

There is starting to be more interest in winch launching in the States,
due to rising fuel and maintenance costs for tug aircraft. However I have
found it somewhat disappointing that some of the leading US protagonists
seem to want to ignore any advice from European clubs and winch builders,
who have a wealth of experience in this method. It's the 'good ol' US
of A always knows best' syndrome. As a result you have already suffered a
fatality and two serious injuries this year from a fraction of the number
of launches that we would do in Europe in the same period.

You already have the most of the basics for winch launching in the US. You
have many vehicles fitted with large and powerful V8 engines and good
automatic gearboxes that can be cannibalised to make decent winches.
Please note that you must disable any kick down arrangement on the
automatic gearboxes. If you join a Yahoo group called 'Winch Design' you
will find a document written by the BGA winching advisor called 'Proven UK
specification' which gives you most of the information needed to build a
good winch. You don't need very fancy and expensive, but as yet unproven,
diesel-hydraulic or electric winches that the above protagonists seem to
think are essential.

Derek Copeland


  #2  
Old July 5th 09, 02:38 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
bildan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 646
Default SAFE Winch Launching

On Jul 4, 5:15*pm, Derek Copeland wrote:
To all my friends in the United States of America.

You may have got the impression from some recent correspondence on this
site that winch launchings is about as risky as bungey jumping or joining
a Kamikaze squadron!

In fact we do many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of
winch launches in Europe with only the very occasional accident. Even the
ones we do have are largely avoidable.

Most of the serious winch launching accidents come into the following
categories:

1) Ground loop or cartwheel after catching a wingtip on the ground.
2) Flick spin due to over-rotating after lift off.
3) Stall/spin after a cable break or other launch failure.

These can be avoided respectively by:

a) Pulling the cable release knob if a wing drops.
b) Monitoring the airspeed and controlling the rate of rotation to not
more than 10 degrees/second.
c) Lowering the nose to the recovery attitude and regaining a safe
airspeed before attempting any further manoeuvres. Also learning the most
suitable options for landing safely from various heights.

Things happen much more quickly during a winch launch than they do during
an aerotow, so you do need to engage your brain before you start moving,
not halfway up the launch.

There is starting to be more interest in winch launching in the States,
due to rising fuel and maintenance costs for tug aircraft. However I have
found it somewhat disappointing that some of the leading US protagonists
seem to want to ignore any advice from European clubs and winch builders,
who have a wealth of experience in this method. It's the 'good ol' US
of A always knows best' syndrome. As a result you have already suffered a
fatality and two serious injuries this year from a fraction of the number
of launches that we would do in Europe in the same period.

You already have the most of the basics for winch launching in the US. You
have many vehicles fitted with large and powerful V8 engines and good
automatic gearboxes that can be cannibalised to make decent winches.
Please note that you must disable any kick down arrangement on the
automatic gearboxes. If you join a Yahoo group called 'Winch Design' you
will find a document written by the BGA winching advisor called 'Proven UK
specification' which gives you most of the information needed to build a
good winch. You don't need very fancy and expensive, but as yet unproven,
diesel-hydraulic or electric winches that the above protagonists seem to
think are essential.

Derek Copeland


Written by someone who thinks British automobiles with Lucas electrics
are reliable transportation.
  #3  
Old July 5th 09, 03:00 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Brian Goodspeed
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default SAFE Winch Launching


Written by someone who thinks British automobiles with Lucas electrics
are reliable transportation.


Written by someone who always claims to know everything about everything -
except that Lucas no longer exist. They were taken over and bankrupted by
a U.S. company!
  #4  
Old July 5th 09, 03:06 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
rlovinggood
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 268
Default SAFE Winch Launching

Not mentioned here is winch launching is fun! What a ride!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

PS: LUCAS: Prince of Darkness

Also, why do Brits drink warm beer? They have Lucas refrigerators...

  #5  
Old July 5th 09, 04:26 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
vic20owner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 40
Default SAFE Winch Launching

On Jul 4, 7:15*pm, Derek Copeland wrote:
To all my friends in the United States of America.

You may have got the impression from some recent correspondence on this
site that winch launchings is about as risky as bungey jumping or joining
a Kamikaze squadron!

In fact we do many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of
winch launches in Europe with only the very occasional accident. Even the
ones we do have are largely avoidable.

Most of the serious winch launching accidents come into the following
categories:

1) Ground loop or cartwheel after catching a wingtip on the ground.
2) Flick spin due to over-rotating after lift off.
3) Stall/spin after a cable break or other launch failure.

These can be avoided respectively by:

a) Pulling the cable release knob if a wing drops.
b) Monitoring the airspeed and controlling the rate of rotation to not
more than 10 degrees/second.
c) Lowering the nose to the recovery attitude and regaining a safe
airspeed before attempting any further manoeuvres. Also learning the most
suitable options for landing safely from various heights.

Things happen much more quickly during a winch launch than they do during
an aerotow, so you do need to engage your brain before you start moving,
not halfway up the launch.

There is starting to be more interest in winch launching in the States,
due to rising fuel and maintenance costs for tug aircraft. However I have
found it somewhat disappointing that some of the leading US protagonists
seem to want to ignore any advice from European clubs and winch builders,
who have a wealth of experience in this method. It's the 'good ol' US
of A always knows best' syndrome. As a result you have already suffered a
fatality and two serious injuries this year from a fraction of the number
of launches that we would do in Europe in the same period.

You already have the most of the basics for winch launching in the US. You
have many vehicles fitted with large and powerful V8 engines and good
automatic gearboxes that can be cannibalised to make decent winches.
Please note that you must disable any kick down arrangement on the
automatic gearboxes. If you join a Yahoo group called 'Winch Design' you
will find a document written by the BGA winching advisor called 'Proven UK
specification' which gives you most of the information needed to build a
good winch. You don't need very fancy and expensive, but as yet unproven,
diesel-hydraulic or electric winches that the above protagonists seem to
think are essential.

Derek Copeland


while I have never winch launched and only just recently soloed I have
been a member of that group for a while now simply because I knew I
would learn a thing or two about winch launching by just lurking and
paying attention.



  #6  
Old July 5th 09, 07:30 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Derek Copeland[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 146
Default SAFE Winch Launching

At 01:38 05 July 2009, bildan wrote:


Written by someone who thinks British automobiles with Lucas electrics

are reliable transportation.

Having in the past owned several rather unreliable Ford cars, which is an
American Corporation, I have for the last 15 years or so bought
British/French Peugeots and Citroens, most of which have been totally
reliable over big annual mileages. Fords seem to last for 60,000 miles and
then everything goes wrong with them!

A number of my friends have British Rover cars (probably with some Lucas
components), and they also seem to be much more reliable than Fords.
Unfortunately that company went into liquidation and was eventually bought
by the Chinese.

Derek Copeland


  #7  
Old July 5th 09, 09:17 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Surfer!
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 81
Default SAFE Winch Launching

In message
,
rlovinggood writes
snip

Also, why do Brits drink warm beer?


It's not warm, it's cellar temperature - about 55F - and it tastes best
at that temperature if it's kept properly. Other beers / lagers have to
be chilled to kill the 'taste'.

--
Surfer!
Email to: ramwater at uk2 dot net
  #8  
Old July 5th 09, 09:21 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Surfer!
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 81
Default SAFE Winch Launching

In message , Derek Copeland
writes
snip

Most of the serious winch launching accidents come into the following
categories:

1) Ground loop or cartwheel after catching a wingtip on the ground.
2) Flick spin due to over-rotating after lift off.
3) Stall/spin after a cable break or other launch failure.

These can be avoided respectively by:

a) Pulling the cable release knob if a wing drops.
b) Monitoring the airspeed and controlling the rate of rotation to not
more than 10 degrees/second.


And not starting to rotate unless the winch is managing to accelerate
the glider. When that happens, pull off, and aviate back to the ground.
The issues I know of in that situation are lowering the nose to far and
slamming into the ground, and pulling the airbrakes too early (before
the glider is at a normal approach speed) and again slamming into the
ground.

c) Lowering the nose to the recovery attitude and regaining a safe
airspeed before attempting any further manoeuvres. Also learning the most
suitable options for landing safely from various heights.


Snip

--
Surfer!
Email to: ramwater at uk2 dot net
  #9  
Old July 5th 09, 11:00 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dave Martin[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 24
Default SAFE Winch Launching

Ray

Warm beer......

It is a fairly simple process we drink our beer warm so we can taste it.

The residue, is pumped from the urinal into large vats and frozen, it is
then resold as lager or American beer to people with no taste

Dave


At 02:06 05 July 2009, rlovinggood wrote:
Not mentioned here is winch launching is fun! What a ride!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

PS: LUCAS: Prince of Darkness

Also, why do Brits drink warm beer? They have Lucas refrigerators...


  #10  
Old July 5th 09, 11:42 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bruce
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 113
Default SAFE Winch Launching

Dave Martin wrote:
Ray

Warm beer......

It is a fairly simple process we drink our beer warm so we can taste it.

The residue, is pumped from the urinal into large vats and frozen, it is
then resold as lager or American beer to people with no taste

Dave


At 02:06 05 July 2009, rlovinggood wrote:
Not mentioned here is winch launching is fun! What a ride!

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

PS: LUCAS: Prince of Darkness

Also, why do Brits drink warm beer? They have Lucas refrigerators...


Now now children...

As an aside it is perhaps ironic that much of the world's beer
production comes from a South African company (SAB Miller)

Can't say whether it is better or worse than average, warm or cold since
I never got past the "this all tastes like cat pee" stage. ;-)
 




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