Winch Signals

On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:36:51 -0700, The Real Doctor wrote:

On 13 Apr, 22:11, Martin Gregorie
wrote:

Same goes for lights: you need them on the winch too. They provide a
back channel, let people on the field know when the cables are live,
and on some fields are needed to control airfield traffic.

I'd be MOST unhappy to be at a club that didn't have lights on the
winch.

It's a good idea. For safety, though, the rule should be "light OUT =
cable LIVE". Does anywhere do it this way?

That's equally problematic. How do you distinguish an actual live cable
from when the winch driver has gone for lunch leaving the winch stopped
with its main switch off?

We have a rotating yellow road repair type beacon that runs when the
winch is in gear. I'll grant you its been known to fail (and be rapidly
fixed), but an LED repeater in the cab that monitors current drawn by the
beacon should give warning of that.


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

On Apr 14, 6:38 am, The Real Doctor wrote:
Silly man. They're about six inches in diameter, and the rubber
coating stands out very well.

Ian

For someone who fancies himself "the real doctor" you're singularly
uninformed. What you describe is not a Lousiville slugger, and thus is
not a bat. You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

-John

On 14 Apr, 14:01, jcarlyle wrote:

You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

Oh, how often I have heard that. Mostly in the changing rooms at the
swimming pool.

Ian

On 14 Apr, 13:04, Martin Gregorie
wrote:
On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:36:51 -0700, The Real Doctor wrote:

It's a good idea. For safety, though, the rule should be "light OUT =
cable LIVE". Does anywhere do it this way?

That's equally problematic. How do you distinguish an actual live cable
from when the winch driver has gone for lunch leaving the winch stopped
with its main switch off?

Easy. For a start you shouldn't have cables out unless they are going
to be used, and if you must leave them out you have a battery powered
beacon on the winch flashing to let everyone - on the ground and in
the air - know.

We have a rotating yellow road repair type beacon that runs when the
winch is in gear. I'll grant you its been known to fail (and be rapidly
fixed), but an LED repeater in the cab that monitors current drawn by the
beacon should give warning of that.

The repeater idea is good.

Ian

On Apr 14, 10:14 am, The Real Doctor
wrote:
On 14 Apr, 14:01, jcarlyle wrote:



You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

Oh, how often I have heard that. Mostly in the changing rooms at the
swimming pool.

Ian

Since you brought it up, I must point out that we were talking about
things that people would have a difficult time seeing.

-John

On Apr 15, 2:14*am, The Real Doctor wrote:
On 14 Apr, 14:01, jcarlyle wrote:
You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

Oh, how often I have heard that. Mostly in the changing rooms at the
swimming pool.

Strange. Usually the equipment check isn't until 3rd base though
perhaps a real professional might check all equipment before the game
starts.

Well, the thread is dead; we got to 50 entries before it got turned into
jokes.

I started it, mainly to discover if there were alternate verbal signals to
"All Out," which to my mind does not say "full launch power." I
presumed this to be a Britishism. I'm not interested in creating a new
signal to be used only at my US club, but nothing else has turned up.

I found all the posts interesting.


At 20:25 14 April 2009, jcarlyle wrote:
On Apr 14, 10:14 am, The Real Doctor
wrote:
On 14 Apr, 14:01, jcarlyle wrote:



You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

Oh, how often I have heard that. Mostly in the changing rooms at the
swimming pool.

Ian

Since you brought it up, I must point out that we were talking about
things that people would have a difficult time seeing.

-John

On 14 Apr, 22:49, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Apr 15, 2:14*am, The Real Doctor wrote:

On 14 Apr, 14:01, jcarlyle wrote:
You'd never make it to first base using such an
abomination.

Oh, how often I have heard that. Mostly in the changing rooms at the
swimming pool.

Strange. Usually the equipment check isn't until 3rd base though
perhaps a real professional might check all equipment before the game
starts.

Daily inspection, old chap.

Ian

At 09:37 14 April 2009, Chris Reed wrote:

I've only winched launched at seven UK clubs, but all used either radio

(most common) or fixed line telephony, with lights as a backup system
only. None used bats.

When I drove the winch I always wanted to know who the pilot was,
something you can't signal with lights. The UK too fast (lower nose) and

too slow (wag tail) signals needed some intuitive interpretation in the
case of a student or inexperienced pilot, some of whom flew the entire
launch in a continuous state of mild pitch/yaw changes!


Was I the only one who picked this up?
The too fast signal is the rudder yawing the glider. The too slow is lower
nose. He has it round the wrong way
If you yaw the glider on the verge of the stall because you are too slow
that is asking for a spin which on the wire is potentially fatal.
Nigel

Nigel Pocock wrote:
Was I the only one who picked this up?
The too fast signal is the rudder yawing the glider. The too slow is lower
nose. He has it round the wrong way
If you yaw the glider on the verge of the stall because you are too slow
that is asking for a spin which on the wire is potentially fatal.
Nigel


Nigel, you are correct and may claim your gold star.

The brain seems to interpret what one reads so as to make sense (thus I
didn't notice I had typed these back to front). At least I fly these the
right way, even if I can't type them correctly.