A new experience

At our club we have been teaching a 4-step release procedure and two
years ago added the 5th step after a mid-air.

1 Clear left and right
2 Pull the release handle
3 Verify the rope is away
4 Turn to the right, avoiding the rope and metal ring

5 Come back to the left and keep an eye on the towplane to be sure it
gets away and below you.

Step 3 came in very handy for me one time flying my Libelle.
I had kept my hand "near" the yellow release handle during the entire
very bumpy tow.
When it was time to release I pulled hard and was about to turn but
noticed the rope had not released.
My hand had moved to the similar, close, pedal adjustment handle and I
had pulled it by mistake.

I like the 5-step procedure.
Jay

Interesting thread. When I was preparing for my practical, I had one
instructor tell me to climb above the tow plane before releasing for
some extra altitude. I didn't like that idea (is 20 feet really this
important?), but wasn't really sure why. I asked my regular
instructor about it a few days later and he advised against it. After
reading this thread it's pretty clear now why it is not such a good
idea.

On Jan 5, 12:56*pm, tstock wrote:

important?), but wasn't really sure why. *I asked my regular
instructor about it a few days later and he advised against it. *After
reading this thread it's pretty clear now why it is not such a good
idea.

The story that's been relayed to me was that the "soft release"
technique was spawned by commercial operators (and perhaps some clubs)
who wanted to save wear and tear on their Schweizer equipment. It has
nothing to do with improving safety or "proper" release technique or
gaining an advantage off tow. A well-done soft release is a nice
display of airmanship, but is not necessary (especially with Tost-type
releases) and - has been pointed out - can cause serious problems!

--Noel