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Record height for a winch launch?



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 17th 20, 07:15 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Nick Kennedy[_3_]
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Posts: 269
Default Record height for a winch launch?

New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T
  #2  
Old April 17th 20, 11:24 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Posts: 699
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 11:15:34 -0700, Nick Kennedy wrote:

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get
high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick T

On a reasonable day 1400 is enough and less good days typically just take
a bit longer to get going. Occasionally you get lucky too. A year or two
back I took a launch around lunchtime, which I abandoned at 1000 ft due
to a sudden overspeed. Thought it might be a thermal, so whipped the
wheel up, hung a 180 and came straight back down the middle of the
runway. Met it at 900ft - a very small tight thermal that immediately
showed 5-6 kts up. Got my Libelle nice and tight in it and noticed the
averager showing 13 kts as I went through 3500. Unfortunately I had to
leave at 4700 or so because we're under under the outer shelf of
Stanstead CTR and its base is 5500.

Dunno if you have the sort of odd conditions we sometimes get, but there
are times on a calm day when there's very little lift under 1800-2000, a
nasty trap if you'd towed to 2500 and didn't notice the dead lower
regions, but by starting from a winch launch to 1400 I'll certainly know
if its that sort of day.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

  #3  
Old April 17th 20, 11:53 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
AS
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Posts: 653
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T


I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching!

Uli
'AS'
  #4  
Old April 18th 20, 12:13 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Posts: 699
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:53:52 -0700, AS wrote:

On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant
question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency
through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy
doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to
get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick T


I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break
at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity
to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to
be associated with winching!

I'd do the same if in the right circumstances, as would any of our
pilots. Besides, high key for starting a circuit from the winch end of
our airfield is 700 ft, so on a good day the chance of sniffing out a
bump from 1000 ft is quite good.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

  #5  
Old April 18th 20, 03:22 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Posts: 317
Default Record height for a winch launch?

So not my story but one of our pilots was giving a winch ride to a elderly woman ( 86 or so) first flight ever, when we had a wire break at 800 feet. It was a resonable day with 4-5 knot thermals, and he says out loud "I think I can save it" and she says "do the best you can". Well he managed to do a climb to 3-4k agl and they had a hour flight before landing. She exclaimed after landing She was glad she didnt die after that! Its all about your mindset and syntax ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
  #6  
Old April 19th 20, 07:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Posts: 463
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T


I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching!

Uli
'AS'


Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our club tow pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you still hangin' on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'.
  #7  
Old April 19th 20, 10:53 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 148
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 11:00:52 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T


I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching!

Uli
'AS'


Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our club tow pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you still hangin' on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'.


  #8  
Old April 20th 20, 01:35 AM
Ventus_a Ventus_a is offline
Senior Member
 
First recorded activity by AviationBanter: May 2010
Posts: 202
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by AS View Post
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The more relevant question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain proficiency through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the guy doing pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring, you want to get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T


I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered a rope break at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the audacity to climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly known to be associated with winching!

Uli
'AS'
Hi Uli

Could you elaborate on the supposedly broken rules so we can learn more re winch launching?

TIA
Colin
  #9  
Old April 20th 20, 10:10 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dave Walsh[_2_]
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Posts: 52
Default Record height for a winch launch?

At 21:53 19 April 2020, wrote:
On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 11:00:52 AM UTC-7,

wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick

Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The

more relevant
question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain

proficiency
through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the

guy doing
pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very

important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring,

you want to
get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T

I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered

a rope break
at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the

audacity to
climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly

known to be
associated with winching!


I recall way back in history that, given enough wind, the pilot
would be winched to the maximum height then the winch driver
would very slowly let out cable with the glider still attached. With
the cable fully out the winch driver then applied power and a
"second" climb followed. Never witnessed this but was told it
happened in the UK back in the '60s. Anyone remember hearing
this tale? Wouldn't be difficult to get 3000'+ on a decent sized
airfield.


Uli
'AS'


Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our

club tow
pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you

still hangin'
on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'.



  #10  
Old April 20th 20, 02:50 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Record height for a winch launch?

On Monday, 20 April 2020 10:15:05 UTC+1, Dave Walsh wrote:
At 21:53 19 April 2020, wrote:
On Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 11:00:52 AM UTC-7,

wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 5:53:55 PM UTC-5, AS wrote:
On Friday, April 17, 2020 at 2:15:37 PM UTC-4, Nick

Kennedy wrote:
New people always ask about release altitudes. The

more relevant
question is the rate of launches. We learn to fly and gain

proficiency
through repetition, we gain altitude in thermals. Ever ask the

guy doing
pattern work in a 172 how high he got?

For most licensed pilots I think the release height is very

important.
If you go to all the trouble to get ready to go soaring,

you want to
get high enough to have a good chance to get away.
Nick
T

I beg to differ! Last weekend, one of our guys encountered

a rope break
at 1,000ft (an old splice let go) and not only did he have the

audacity to
climb away, he also went XC! He broke all the rules commonly

known to be
associated with winching!


I recall way back in history that, given enough wind, the pilot
would be winched to the maximum height then the winch driver
would very slowly let out cable with the glider still attached. With
the cable fully out the winch driver then applied power and a
"second" climb followed. Never witnessed this but was told it
happened in the UK back in the '60s. Anyone remember hearing
this tale? Wouldn't be difficult to get 3000'+ on a decent sized
airfield.


Uli
'AS'

Uli, you can do the same from an aero-tow, just go ask our

club tow
pilots. Sometimes I get questions from them like "Why are you

still hangin'
on, what's wrong with you - at 1,600'.



We used to do kiting regularly in the 1960s with T-21's and two lightweight pilots, took about 20 minutes to get to 3,400' which was the highest I ever got. Rules were very different then.
 




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