Breaking USHPA's Monopoly Control of Flying Sites

[Tad Eareckson]

Not any hang gliding that any quarter way sane individual would wanna return to - or send his or her precious little person of a varying age into.

And...

- We all know how magnificently u$hPa - and Bob Show - operators are able to neutralize decades of engineering evolution and fatally splatter trusting victims in the most benign of environments and circumstances.

- Even at the advent of HGMA certified gliders and for a good many years thereafter the global collective "intelligence" of the sport wasn't able to understand the fundamental aeronautical principles of our birds well enough to realize that tow tension needed to be transmitted through the pilot and to the glider's hang point and not to the bottom of the control bar.

But go ahead. Knock yourselves out.
- Fly seated.
- Lose the reflex bridles, washout tips, sprogs, and parachutes.
- Get your glide ratios back down to four-to-one for better spot landing capability.
- Take advantage of the long track record we had towing with control frame attachments.
- Show up at Glacier Point with fifty dollar standards picked up at garage sales.

Just make sure y'all do it solo only. That's one thing that was being done right for some of that era.

Got anything else about which you wish to quibble?

[Tad Eareckson]

I'm gonna waste the bandwidth - for the time being anyway - and duplicate the Bill Cummings material from two posts ago to provide the reference on the same page as this discussion continues.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2618
Static towing ground based.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmsiOr5vOrs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6IFmX3t2vg

0:02 - Static Tow near I-10, Exit 116, NM - Oct. 27, 2016
0:08 - Skyting Tow. - Pilot, Bill Cummings. - Tow Driver, Robin Hastings. - 1,600' of towline.
0:20 - Only one vehicle came by while we were here.
0:29 - The whole tow I will be on constant transmit.
1:02 - Short tow road so only about 500' of towing.
1:10 - This is the 4th flight. The first three were sled rides and we forgot to start the GoPro3 white.
1:21 - Bill found a thermal this flight and totaled up 37 minutes of air time, tow and free flight. (one min. tow)
1:34 - Getting ready to release the towline.
1:48 - Hey! Released in a thermal!
2:09 - < Exit 116
2:24 - Next, gather up the bridle for landing. Stepping on it will trip a pilot while running.
2:49 - This tow road is 25 miles from home.
3:40 - Heading south right now. The road is SE & NW. - Flying a Falcon 195'
4:24 - Made it to 3,650' AGL. Now test hands off speed and for turns.
4:44 - Well -Huh! Pilot is crooked. But the glider flies straight
4:51 - The hands off airspeed is 22 mph, Mike.
4:57 - Mike owns the left wing.
5:01 - I own the right wing.
5:05 - Spot a Red tail hawk thermaling.
5:15 - He will show me the best place to thermal up.
5:27 - Now he's right off Mike's wing tip. He's trying to get behind me for attack mode.
5:35 - Not gonna happen fella -- I'll get behind you!
5:48 - It Happened! He got behind and above me. That was fast!
8:59 - Waiting for the impact! I'll tighten all my muscles so he has a tough time getting a big bite!
6:11 - The suspense is killing me! Where is he?
6:24 - Okay! You can have the thermal -- I'm outta here.
6:32 - We have jumped ahead for the landing.
6:38 - The landing zone is back of my toes
6:49 - Robin radio's up that it is light but this is a big 195' Falcon. I should be okay.
7:02 - I hope!
8:11 - Not too shabby for 67 year old pilot huh?

00:02 - Reel of 1,600' of tow line > - for static towing. (ST)
00:10 - Robin will pull ahead, stop, and hook up to the tow line.
00:58 - It will take a few minutes to lay out the tow line.
01:07 - If Robin can't hear me for any more than three seconds he will stop.
01:26 - Robin stops at the crosswind stake that is pounded into the ground. He will drape the tow line on the up wind side of the stake.
01:34 - There is a left crosswind to the tow road. I'll take of toward the stake, into the wind.
01:44 - The stake is near the flag. As I leave the ground the rope will slip up and off the crosswind stake.
03:02 - I hooked up the weak link (220 lbs) and next the release that is on the tow bridle.
03:16 - Next release the nose tie down.
03:29 - It's tough with only a two person operation and not near as safe as a three person.
04:14 - Check behind for traffic.
05:12 - The driver will stop if no commands are heard within three seconds.
05:44 - The crosswind blew the line into a bush. It stripped clear so I won't release.
05:56 - The site is Exit 116, I-10 New Mexico (USA)
06:05 - We only have 0.5 mile to tow on this section of the road. Good for 500' Alt.
06:16 - Average time on the tow line is 57 sec.
06:27 - This is a practice day and not an XC (Cross country) day.
06:37 - Not using a pressure gauge only, - PILOT IN COMMAND.
06:46 - This is not a method for students but only experienced tow pilots.
07:44 - Robin will bring my end of the tow line and hook my tow bridle to it.
07:58 - Pilot is ready except for the tie down on the nose of the glider.
10:51 - 560'
11:15 - Hey! There is a little bit of lift somewhere. Did you hear the vairo tweeting?
11:26 - Let's search it out while Robin is tending to the tow line recovery.
11:49 - The chirping vario is on the GoPro. The lower pitched vario you will only hear when I am transmitting on the radio.
12:32 - I've drifted back over the take off point.
12:49 - Flight time for this 2nd tow is 6 minutes.
12:58 - I was only able to gain 130' more after releasing from the tow line.
13:11 - Oh well, the plan is to practice locally.
14:24 - LZ
14:44 - < Robin is back with the tow line.
16:11 - All hooked up for flight #3 but due to problems this flight will only be 16 seconds long.
16:32 - I'll choke up on the release cord again incase the tire picks up the tow line so it will not drag me.
17:52 - The crosswind blew the tow to the right and the tow line snagged a bush.
18:00 - Still snagged it won't come lose.
18:33 - I'm letting the wind push the glider back to the starting point by dropping. the nose. of the glider.
18:44 - STRONG WIND HUH?
19:19 - This time I'm going to steer, left after launching, to keep the tow line out of the mesquite bush on the right side of the road.
19:55 - There that should do it.
20:20 - I always stop the tow 3/10 mile short of the end of the tow road incase I would have release problems -
20:20 - and so the end I drop can be drawn back onto the road.
20:42 - Released with too much line tension.
20:56 - I'll have to check for a short in my PTT finger switch.
22:20 - With this 195' Falcon, my weight, and at a ground elevation of 4,500' msl, I want 32 mph airspeed for take off.
22:20 - I subtract the wind speed from 32 and ask the driver for the difference for the desired vehicle speed.
22:20 - (Example: 32 - 10 windspeed = 22 mph vehicle speed.)
22:43 - LZ
22:56 - The practice flights totaled just under 13 minutes.
23:47 - Must be getting rusty!
23:58 - NEED MORE PRACTICE!

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1186
D. Straub's Politics=Gun Grabbing, Constitution/Baby Killing

Bill Cummings - 2013/02/19 02:43:00 UTC

No one should confuse me with someone that has been exposed to higher education. I avoided that style of incarceration like the plague.

And if you look at the spelling, punctuation, grammar, consistency, accuracy of the text you'll note that Bill's concept of "higher education" is obviously the third grade of elementary school and the Dr. Trisa Tilletti magazine articles on aerotowing.

16:32 - I'll choke up on the release cord again incase the tire picks up the tow line so it will not drag me.

Bill... "incase" is two words, "tow line" is one - as you have it in the second caption of the first video.

Generally you wanna stay clear of people of this caliber of literacy, quality of writing, care for getting things right. There ARE plenty of exceptions out in the real world but:
- in aviation it's STUPID to take the chance
- this is definitely nothing of an exception to the rule.

0:08 - Skyting Tow

Total fucking insanity. Rube Goldberg CRAP that pretends to distribute tow tension to the pilot and glider in rough proportion to their relative masses. Makes the glider autocorrecting in roll - or would if it weren't for that damnable "adverse yaw" anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVwcZGoE5iA


Everything going to the pilot's shoulders and nowhere else. And a release that can be used when one NEEDS TO. Granted, this should be a two-stage and there's some minor interference with the bar as the tow angle increases, but that's completely irrelevant to the discussion. Can somebody watch a tow from a distance and tell whether the bridle's a Skyting/Hewett/Two-To-One/Center-Of-Mass or one point? Has anybody watched a glider start to lock out and be pulled back in line by a Center-Of-Mass Bridle?

2:24 - Next, gather up the bridle for landing. Stepping on it will trip a pilot while running.

I wonder how many of these Hewett Era inbred idiots are still hanging around.

[Tad Eareckson]

0:20 - Only one vehicle came by while we were here.

Well lucky you.

1:02 - Short tow road so only about 500' of towing.
2:49 - This tow road is 25 miles from home.

OK, people of varying ages, raise your hand if you have a short tow road 25 miles from your home not lined with powerlines, trees, intersections on which only one vehicle (not a cop) will come by while you're there fucking around with your cheap shoddy antique Rube Goldberg tow equipment.

01:34 - There is a left crosswind to the tow road. I'll take of toward the stake, into the wind.

And reasonably well lined up with the wind early Saturday afternoon.

06:05 - We only have 0.5 mile to tow on this section of the road. Good for 500' Alt.
06:16 - Average time on the tow line is 57 sec.
19:19 - This time I'm going to steer, left after launching, to keep the tow line out of the mesquite bush on the right side of the road.
20:20 - I always stop the tow 3/10 mile short of the end of the tow road incase I would have release problems...

Make that 0.8 miles. You've gotta throw away 38 percent of it to allow for the shortcummings of your shitrigged equipment.

Bill lives in Las Cruces - which is a speck out in the middle of nowhere. Which is why he has access to this pathetic little strip of bandit runway out in the uninhabited desert wastelands to try to exploit for mostly short sleds once a year with...

4:57 - Mike owns the left wing.
5:01 - I own the right wing.

...one of the only two other individuals interested in hang gliding within the next three hundred miles.

This doesn't work in the real world with real people, Bob. It doesn't even work worth getting outta bed for where Bill and Robin are.

[bobk]

OK, people of varying ages, raise your hand if you have a short tow road 25 miles from your home not lined with powerlines, trees, intersections on which only one vehicle (not a cop) will come by while you're there...

You live near Annapolis right? That's a short ride across the Bay Bridge from what we always called the "eastern shore". There are thousands of square miles of mostly farm land out there with straight dirt roads running any direction the wind might blow.

For example, in a few seconds on Google maps, I found a little field with an east-west dirt road running through the middle of it just east of Browntown Road and north of Morgnec Road off of Route 298. Here's the approximate lat/lon: 39.2862, -75.94408. If that one's not suitable for any reason, just look around. There are plenty just like it.

If you really wanted to stay in the flying game, you'd find a way ... just as I have. But I suspect you're far more interested in your keyboard crusade than in actually flying. That's just another thing your groupies should know about you.

[Tad Eareckson]

You live near Annapolis right?

I live about halfway between Annapolis and BWI.

That's a short ride across the Bay Bridge...

Depends a lot on what your definition of "short" is.

...from what we always called the "eastern shore".

We still call it the Eastern Shore - 'cept we've always capitalized it.

There are thousands of square miles of mostly farm land out there with straight dirt roads running any direction the wind might blow.

Wow. Sounds like really great surface tow country. Hard to imagine why in all these decades there's never been any surface tow activity worth mentioning.

For example, in a few seconds on Google maps, I found a little field with an east-west dirt road running through the middle of it just east of Browntown Road and north of Morgnec Road off of Route 298. Here's the approximate lat/lon: 39.2862, -75.94408.

And if you go SW of there to Chestertown and then a wee bit SW of Chestertown you arrive on my Quaker Neck Lower Kent County Audubon Christmas Bird Count territory. And that's a LONG FUCKING WAY as far as I'm concerned. And it's an even longer fucking way coming back.

If that one's not suitable for any reason, just look around. There are plenty just like it.

If any of it was suitable and viable something would've been up and running from the beginning of time through now.

If you really wanted to stay in the flying game, you'd find a way ...

How many times do I hafta explain to you that I really DON'T wanna stay in the flying game? And that if I WERE in the flying game I'd be finding my way out of it as quickly as possible?

...just as I have.

Congratulations. Knock yourself out. Keep at it and you might even reach the point at which you'll be able to prone out for four or five seconds. And if you do please get it on video so's we can document a historic Dockweiler Beach first.

But I suspect you're far more interested in your keyboard crusade than in actually flying.

When have I ever given the slightest indication of anything to the contrary?

That's just another thing your groupies should know about you.

- Whoa! And on top of being an unrepentant child molester. If that doesn't break the camel's back nothing will.

- My "groupies"...

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=877
Discuss Tad here

Bob Kuczewski - 2017/05/07 20:06:24 UTC

In short order Tad's gang was on the attack.

In under six months my vicious gang has devolved into groupies. Must be doing something wrong. The only thing I can think of is giving pretty much everybody Moderator privileges.

What you seem to be NOT GETTING is that there's a whole shitload of things that need to be going REALLY RIGHT on a major scale for a flatland operation to stay viable. And even bumpy soaring sites tend not to be walks in the park. They need ramps, clearing, mowing parking, access road maintenance, LZs, launch crews, shuttle and retrieval drivers, medevac choppers.

Highland Aerosports had the DREAM setup. They got handed the keys to Ridgely Airpark, had major population centers - Washington, Baltimore, Philly - from which to pull in an endless stream of bucket listers and the odd legitimate student here and there, and two well established clubs of us paying muppets lined up all weekend long getting the safety of our towing operation increased by nonstop standard aerotow weak link pops.

And they had scooter tow training where Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney worked tirelessly to get all their students solid on the fundamental 36 techniques for executing perfectly timed flares on the old Frisbee in the middle of the training field.

They killed two tug pilots (one a founder) - totaling two 914 Dragonflies in the process, broke the neck of one of our long established Fours, massively and permanently vegged one of their student products, broke the usual number of arms on failed stunt landing attempts, pumped some major dickheads into Flight Park Mafia circulation, got their rocks off by bullying and harrassing Yours Truly and orchestrated his three month and nine year suspension from his old club's forum.

Oh. And there was a fatal crash of some kind of aircraft that appeared to be for recreational purposes just across the road from the Ridgely Airpark. But it's highly unlikely that it had anything to do with the hang gliding operation.

And they IMPLODED. And their infrastructure became really expensive scrap metal. So how come you're not telling Sunny Venesky, what's left of the Elchin clan, Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney how easy it would be to get something going on a farm road with a 2010 Toyota pickup and a couple thousand feet of polypro tied to the trailer hitch?

You have no fuckin' clue what's required in the way of critical mass to get a couple dozen gliders up off a runway in the space of a soaring window and sustain the operation. But of course Highland Aerosports really didn't either which is a good chunk of the reason they went extinct two years plus a week ago. See if you can take a lesson from their experience and understand that your back-of-the-envelope sketch idea for sustainable towing in this neck of the woods north of Blue Sky is every bit as viable and outstanding as the revolutionary aerotow release design Paul Hurless assured us all he'd thought of.

But I think you actually do have a clue and are just reacting the way you always do when you sense you've painted yourself into a corner.

Speaking of which... Still waiting for the Official Bob Show definition of a hang glider. But whatever it turns out to be I have every confidence that you'll be able to safely tow it by tying one end of a rope to the trailer hitch, the other to the middle of the basetube, and using your easily reachable razor-sharp cutting tool to slice through the line in an instant. You sure don't wanna put that guy's vote outta reach.

P.S. Bob...

In the last years of my active flying career I wouldn't fly more than half a dozen days a season. Light wind, good thermal outlook, roll up to the setup area, get in line, stay up a couple hours, land next to the setup/breakdown area, go home and recover for a couple days. Fuck anything south of that. And fuck that too 'cause the only place I wanna see douchebags like my old buddies are squirming in my sights - where I have them now.
---
P.P.S. - 2017/10/24 09:50:00 UTC

But I suspect you're far more interested in your keyboard crusade than in actually flying.

http://www.kitestrings.org/member53.html
Viewing profile - Tad Eareckson

Administrator
2010/11/25 03:48:55 UTC - Joined
2017/10/24 09:29:38 UTC - Last visited
Total posts: 7890 (74.47% of all posts / 3.12 posts per day)

No shit, Sherlock. NOTHING gets by you, Bob.

That's just another thing your groupies should know about you.

Keep 'em coming, Bob. There may yet be two or three details of my nefarious agenda, motivations, personal life that you haven't ferreted out and used to enlighten my groupies - and, of course, seeing how this is a totally public forum, the public at large. And there's a limit to the speed at which I can delete your posts and repeatedly pull your plug.

Pretty tough for someone like you imagining anybody who doesn't think, plot, maneuver like you, isn't it Bob? I can certainly relate to that 'cause I have the same problem from my end of the spectrum. But after years of experience ya start seeing the clear patterns from which ironclad predictions can be made.

[bobk]

for a flatland operation to stay viable.
sustain the operation
sustainable towing in this neck of the woods
every bit as viable
And they IMPLODED. And their infrastructure became really expensive scrap metal.

Your themes of "viability" and "sustainability" are implicitly referring to "economic viability" and "economic sustainability". Some worthwhile recreational activities do not generate enough money to survive on a profit motive. Trying to wring a profit from sports like hang gliding (or paragliding) often leads to the abusive model we've seen at Torrey.

I think Bill has a much smaller population to pull from in Las Cruces and El Paso than you do in Baltimore and Washington. But Bill's operation is still completely "viable" because he's not requiring it to be "economically viable". Bill does it for recreation, and that's a sustainable model. You could do the same if you wanted to, and you could do it to meet whatever standards you wanted. Your track record "doing it your way" would give you the credibility that you don't have ranting on this forum.

And that brings me back to the original purpose of this topic - to actually DO things to improve the sport of hang gliding. So far, you're all talk and no action.

[Tad Eareckson]

Your themes of "viability" and "sustainability" are implicitly referring to "economic viability" and "economic sustainability".

Well then, allow me to remove any doubt on the issue. My themes of "viability" and "sustainability" are referring in no uncertain terms to "economic viability" and "economic sustainability". About the first thing I learned in the FAA General Aviation ground school course I took in the early Eighties concerning what's required for getting a plane off the ground. Two things - airspeed and money. And that's times three for a hang glider.

Some worthwhile recreational activities do not generate enough money to survive on a profit motive.

Who said anything about a profit motive?

Trying to wring a profit from sports like hang gliding (or paragliding)...

Or both.

...often...

ALWAYS.

...leads to the abusive model we've seen at Torrey.

And Ridgely and any other hang/paragliding commercial enterprise you wanna name. It's as ironclad and immutable as two plus two equals four.

I think Bill has a much smaller population to pull from in Las Cruces and El Paso than you do in Baltimore and Washington.

Duh.

But Bill's operation is still completely "viable" because he's not requiring it to be "economically viable".

- A major plus for dangerous incompetent fringe activity.
- It's completely viable 'cause Bill's pouring his pocket money into it.

Bill does it for recreation...

We seem to have radically different concepts concerning the definition of "recreation".

...and that's a sustainable model.

Sure...

8:11 - Not too shabby for 67 year old pilot huh?

Bill's only 68 now. I see no end in sight for this annual funfest at Exit 116. And as long is it's going there's no danger whatsoever of a national collapse of the sport.

You could do the same if you wanted to...

Read my lips: I DON'T WANT TO.

I want some ultra lethal plague to sweep through the planet and bring agonizing but reasonably brief deaths to all the motherfuckers who ever had any parts in enabling Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney in all the flavors of aviation he tainted and then another one to come through and remove all the motherfuckers who stood by and did NOTHING.

...and you could do it to meet whatever standards you wanted.

Don't need to. I'm doing that here. And it seems I've got the only working definition of a hang glider in the English speaking sport aviation world - unchallenged to date, most notably by u$hPa and The Bob Show.

Your track record "doing it your way"...

Which, by some happy but inexplicable coincidence also happens to be the Wilbur and Orville / competent aeronautics way.

...would give you the credibility that you don't have ranting on this forum.

If my credibility is as nonexistent as you're characterizing it then please explain why u$hPa - EN MASSE - went so hysterical about the possibility of me choosing to make derogatory and false statements about USHPA to the FAA that I couldn't back up. And if that wasn't a solid enough endorsement then what would be? (Oops, painted into another corner, best totally ignore this and move on with some more abusive drivel.)

And that brings me back to the original purpose of this topic - to actually DO things to improve the sport of hang gliding. So far, you're all talk and no action.

Really having a hard time understanding why you're putting so much time, effort, focus into this one zilch credibility, ranting, all-talk-and-no-action individual then.

What the fuck is wrong with Peter Birren? Global hero for solving all the world's towing problems with the combination of his u$hPa award winning Linknife and Donnell's Infallible Weak Link, extremely civil and impeccably moderated forum (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/), always on top of the technology and quick to step in when and where ever he perceives injustice.

And you keep referring to what I'm doing on and with this forum as "ranting" - motherfucker - and you're gonna NEED to be looking at other options.

P.S. Was working on another P.S. for my previous post when you got in ahead of me.
---
P.P.P.S. - 2017/10/24 13:10:00 UTC

My keyboard crusade is a million times more important than any dumb glider jock's actual flying - with arguable exceptions of the attempts made at it on 2013/02/02 by Zack Marzec at Quest and on 2015/03/27 by Kelly Harrison at Jean Lake. The sociopaths in your league ALL want me actually flying...

http://www.shga.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3840
[TIL] About Tad Eareckson

Orion Price - 2013/03/10 05:57:24 UTC

(Today I learned) There is a guy who reads our forum every and does detailed analysis on all our comments. This guy has Rafferty amounts of extra time to just be an idiot and not fly/work/live.

In place of adding to our discourse he bought a website in which he makes comments about our comments. That's just weird. Apparently we are all we are all suicidal idiots and destroying the sport. Also he apparently really doesn't like NME_RIDER/LA Glide. JD to him is apparently Satan with a glider and a youtube account.

Look at this shit. He literaly goes through every comment and makes his own comment on his own webside: http://www.kitestrings.org/topic10-310.html

I know that haters' gonna hate. But what is with weird antisocial behavior? Who has the time to not go flying, but to sit around and organize and edit weird videos (rafferty)? Who has the time to register websites and make their own PHPBB dedicated to every comment on the SHGA? Weirdos, Y U NO JUST FLY?

I ain't even mad. This is just FYI

...instead of ranting on my own webside.

[Tad Eareckson]

0:29 - The whole tow I will be on constant transmit.
1:34 - Getting ready to release the towline.

00:02 - Reel of 1,600' of tow line > - for static towing. (ST)
00:10 - Robin will pull ahead, stop, and hook up to the tow line.
00:58 - It will take a few minutes to lay out the tow line.
01:07 - If Robin can't hear me for any more than three seconds he will stop.
01:26 - Robin stops at the crosswind stake that is pounded into the ground. He will drape the tow line on the up wind side of the stake.
01:34 - There is a left crosswind to the tow road. I'll take of toward the stake, into the wind.
01:44 - The stake is near the flag. As I leave the ground the rope will slip up and off the crosswind stake.
05:44 - The crosswind blew the line into a bush. It stripped clear so I won't release.
07:44 - Robin will bring my end of the tow line and hook my tow bridle to it.
07:58 - Pilot is ready except for the tie down on the nose of the glider.
11:26 - Let's search it out while Robin is tending to the tow line recovery.
12:49 - Flight time for this 2nd tow is 6 minutes.
14:44 - < Robin is back with the tow line.
16:11 - All hooked up for flight #3 but due to problems this flight will only be 16 seconds long.
16:32 - I'll choke up on the release cord again incase the tire picks up the tow line so it will not drag me.
17:52 - The crosswind blew the tow to the right and the tow line snagged a bush.
18:00 - Still snagged it won't come lose.
19:19 - This time I'm going to steer, left after launching, to keep the tow line out of the mesquite bush on the right side of the road.
19:55 - There that should do it.
20:56 - I'll have to check for a short in my PTT finger switch.
22:20 - With this 195' Falcon, my weight, and at a ground elevation of 4,500' msl, I want 32 mph airspeed for take off.
22:20 - I subtract the wind speed from 32 and ask the driver for the difference for the desired vehicle speed.
22:20 - (Example: 32 - 10 windspeed = 22 mph vehicle speed.)

This is why God created payout winch / platform launch towing about a half hour after sliced bread. And in the time this asshole has spent describing how they need to conduct their shitrigged static towing "system" and procedures he could've designed and built a pretty good platform launch system.

This is all early Eighties Hewett Cult crap. How to dispense with all the expense and engineering involved in safe, robust, efficient, high volume / rapid turnaround operations and get away with under fifteen bucks worth of crap from the local hardware store three blocks to the south. Bill Cummings and Peter Birren are virtual clones. 'Cept Bill HAS done halfway competent platform which makes all this a bit baffling.

Wanna make glider towing REALLY expensive? Try to do it as cheaply as possible. Just look at all the hoops they gotta jump through to set up, execute, recover from, restage each tow while being massively careful not to slip up on any detail and kill somebody.

Don't have a winch capable of tension control. No problem. Get your speedometer at about the right place and use a nice stretchy quarter mile of polypro. That'll do the trick.

With a half decent platform rig they could be accelerating to a solid launch speed from behind their foot launch starting point; not worrying about line getting run over, crosswinds, stakes, mesquite, constant transmit; fully utilizing the wasted 38 percent of their runway upwind; hitting the five horsepower rewind motor when the glider's off; levelwinding the spectra back on the reel while the retrieval chute keeps everything off of and away from all the nasty surface stuff. Driving back down the runway, hooking up the next glider...

22:56 - The practice flights totaled just under 13 minutes.

A fuckin' encyclopedia's worth of shoddy dangerous Rube Goldberg equipment and procedures. And those combined four flights - all with their dangerous marginal foot launches - are pretty much exactly what you get from one standard 2.5 grand total sled 914 Dragonfly tow at Ridgely (assuming you've doubled your Standard Aerotow Weak Link without anyone noticing).
- Plop your glider onto a launch cart.
- Move it out to the launch point on the runway after the Dragonfly rolls by.
- Snap the carabiner tow ring onto your bridle.
- Prone out, engage your release, grab the hold downs.
- Signal, lose the dolly, follow the tug.
- Jerk your left hand inboard a couple inches.
- Fly and roll to a stop back near the staging area.

THE END

And that wasn't long term viable for a commercial operation and the collective powers, resources, competence of all the flatlanders from the Washington/Baltimore/Philly areas weren't enough to revive anything to the extent of so much as a low power solo only trike tug.

And note that seven years prior to the end of the Highland Aerosports / Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney Reign of Terror that "pilot" population had collectively CRUCIFIED the only...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=12403
weak link table

ian9toes - 2009/06/14 15:18:37 UTC

I strongly disagree with banning the one guy who has the most knowledge about safety issues involving what I believe is the most dangerous part of our sport. I hear someone dies every year from towing. I hope SG bites his tongue in the interest of public safety.

...fully competent individual in their miserable can of worms.

And as far as I know and am concerned I was the only fully competent hang glider AT individual on the planet before Zack founded Kite Strings and I was able to bring others up to full speed and make myself redundant.

Yeah Bob, I know. Bullshit. What delusional arrogance.

OK. Name somebody else. Maybe John Heiney who definately knows towing but has never done jack shit about anything 'cause everything's always been fine except for that one time when Tad tried to mandate use of his particular system and stifle all the enormous innovation that's always been going on. (Which seems a bit weird because if there's still room for innovation then things can't have ever been all that fine.)

[bobk]

And as far as I know and am concerned I was the only fully competent hang glider AT individual on the planet before Zack founded Kite Strings and I was able to bring others up to full speed and make myself redundant.

What delusional arrogance.

[Tad Eareckson]

You seem to have missed the part about naming somebody else. Here, lemme give you some material with which to start working...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/4633
Weaklinks and aerotowing (ONLY)

Steve Kroop - 2005/02/10 04:50:59 UTC

Davis,
Your weak link comments are dead on.

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2467
weak links

Marc Fink - 2007/05/18 14:16:20 UTC

Tad--I've said it in the past--I really admire anyone that seeks to improve safety in towing (becuase it is necessary)--but I really don't have the slightest idea what the frig you are talking about!

Please get in touch with Peter Birren and get some info on development and implementation of safety systems. When you have a safe system based on meaningful quantitative test results--then present it in a positive way. I promise I'll be the first to adapt when and if it passes muster.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/7067
AT SOPs - proposed revisions

Subj: Re: [Tow] AT SOPs - proposed revisions
Date: 2009/05/10 02:08:52 UTC
From: cloud9sa@aol.com
To: skysailingtowing@yahoogroups.com
cc: GreggLudwig@aol.com, lisa@lisatateglass.com

Hi Tad.

I'm Tracy Tillman, on the USHPA BOD, on the Tow Committe, and I am an Aviation Safety Counselor on the FAA Safety Team (FAAST) for the Detroit FSDO area. As a rep of both the USHPA and FAA, I would like to help you, USHPA, and the FAA improve safety in flying, towing, and hang gliding.

The FAA gets a lot of letters of complaint from a lot of yahoos. For best effect, I suggest that you describe in your letter (and also post to the skysailingtowing group and share with the USHPA Tow Committee) your areas of expertise (if any) related to this issue, and list your qualifiications, logged hours, and currency in certain categories, such as...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=12443
AT regs

Mark G. Forbes - 2009/06/13 04:27:43 UTC

Action comes more swiftly when there's a clear threat to safety. I'm not seeing evidence (in the form of accidents or fatalities) that demonstrate that there's a major problem. There may be room for improvement, and that's certainly worth considering as we review and update our procedures, but I don't see the urgency of adopting these changes without careful consideration and the input of lots of other people involved in aerotowing. I'd want to hear what Steve Wendt, Jim Rooney, Malcolm Jones, Bobby Bailey, Steve Kroop, Dave Glover, John Kemmeries, Hungary Joe and others have to say as well. As your proposed language stands today, I would vote against it based on my concerns. That's not to say that you're wrong, but I haven't bought into your proposal yet myself, and I haven't heard other viewpoints sufficient to form an opinion that's favorable.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=16265
weaklinks

Kinsley Sykes - 2010/03/18 19:42:19 UTC

In the old threads there was a lot of info from a guy named Tad. Tad had a very strong opinion on weak link strength and it was a lot higher than most folks care for. I'd focus carefully on what folks who tow a lot have to say. Or Jim Rooney who is an excellent tug pilot. I tow with the "park provided" weak links. I think they are 130 pound Greenspot.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=17404
Aerotow barrel release - straight or curved pin?

Jim Rooney - 2010/05/31 01:53:13 UTC

BTW, Steve Wendt is exceptionally knowledgeable. Hell, he's the one that signed off my instructor rating.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22660
What can be learned from this "scooter" towing accident?

Mitch Shipley - 2011/01/31 15:22:59 UTC

Enjoy your posts, as always, and find your comments solid, based on hundreds of hours / tows of experience and backed up by a keen intellect/knowledge of the issues when it comes to most things in general and hang gliding AT/Towing in particular. Wanted to go on record in case anyone reading wanted to know one persons comments they should give weight to.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Kinsley Sykes - 2011/08/25 04:12:33 UTC

An eminently qualified tandem pilot reported a random incident that we all could learn from

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 08:24:31 UTC

I don't advocate anything.
Did I miss any?
Is it clear what I mean by "We"?
I didn't make the system up.
And I'm not so arrogant to think that my precious little ideas are going to magically revolutionise the industry.
There are far smarter people than me working this out.
I know, I've worked with them.
(Bobby's a fucking genius when it comes to this shit... for example.)

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Davis Straub - 2011/08/26 14:04:52 UTC

We had six weaklink breaks in a row at Zapata this year. Russell Brown (tug pilot, tug owner, Quest Air owner) said go ahead and double up (four strands of Cortland Greenspot). He knows I used his Zapata weaklink in Big Spring (pilots were asked to tell the tug pilot if they were doing that).

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 17:34:33 UTC

Do NOT skip this little bit...

pilots were asked to tell the tug pilot if they were doing thatpilots were asked to tell the tug pilot if they were doing that

See, Russel knows what's up.
He knows that you're changing the equation and because of this, you need to ask the tug pilot.
Some people I'll tow like this. Some I won't. Most that do this are the type I won't. At the end of the day, it's my call, not yours.

Dr. Trisa Tilletti - 2012/06

This article was peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the USHPA Towing Committee.

Lisa is the Associate Dean and Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, and is past chair of the USHPA Towing committee. Tracy is a retired university professor, current chair of the Towing committee, and regional director for USHPA Regions 7 & 13. He is also a FAAST Team Safety Counselor for the FAA Detroit FSDO area. They are both very active multi-engine commercial airplane and glider pilots, tug pilots, and tandem hang gliding instructors for the Dragon Fly Soaring Club at Cloud 9 Field (46MI), Michigan. Please feel free to contact them about towing related issues at cloud9sa@aol.com.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/15 06:48:18 UTC

Naw.
Davis has been at an around all this plenty long enough to understand what's what and who's who.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31052
Poll on weaklinks

Jim Rooney - 2013/03/04 19:31:36 UTC

We all play by the same rules, or we don't play.
Morningside decided that they were happy with 200lb weaklink. They changed their tug's link and they don't just pass the stuff out either. If you'd like to know more about it... go ask them.
The law of the land at comps was 130lb greenspot or you don't tow. Seriously. It was announced before the comp that this would be the policy. Some guys went and made their case to the safety committee and were shut down. So yeah, sorry... suck it up.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1638
Basement Bob

Bob Kuczewski - 2014/11/19 19:22:40 UTC

It's hard for me to imagine the kind of human being who would write something like that on a public forum to someone as experienced and thoughtful as Bill Cummings.

http://ozreport.com/20.226
The accident report on the flying with the dolly

Richard Thorp - 2016/11/10 22:45:35 UTC

Following is a summary of the incident last Sunday where a launch dolly caught my Wills Wing Z5 harness and was taken aloft. No injuries - in no small part to the fantastic flying of Tiki who saw the situation and carefully pulled me to a safe height where I could deal with it.

Bob Kuczewski - 2017/08/06 04:36:50 UTC

The pilot who I asked about towing was John Heiney and he definately knows towing.

http://www.birrendesign.com/rhgpa_criteria.html
RHGPA: Hewett skying criteria - Tungsten Rings

These are Donnell Hewett's original 12 elements of a good tow system. They are as viable today as they were in the early 80's when he wrote them.

http://www.birrendesign.com/LKOpinions.html
Linknife - alternate setup as automatic release

In all of towing there is a potential for the dreaded LOCKOUT. This occurs when the pilot or conditions allow the glider to get so far off the towing direction that weight shift alone will not work to bring the glider back. The excellent book, Towing Aloft, by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden, goes into great depth on the causes and cures. Please read it as there's a wealth of information within the covers.

http://www.wallaby.com/aerotow_primer.php
Aerotow Primer for Experienced Pilots

The Wallaby Ranch Aerotowing Primer for Experienced Pilots - 2017/10/25

Welcome to Wallaby Ranch, the first and largest Aerotow Hang Gliding Flight Park in the World! We're the aerotowing (or "AT") professionals; no-one knows AT like we do; it's all we do, and we do it everyday, year-round.

C'mon Bob. Just ONE name. That shouldn't be too difficult when you're characterizing Yours Truly as a delusional arrogant egomaniacal dictator.

Then after you do that cite one thing on which he's up to speed on which nobody else is. And then tell me what's so complex about it and in need of doctoral level expertise for proper understanding that everyone and his dog shouldn't be able to handle in their sleep.

And I'm gonna submit to you that if there IS anything that can't be adequately comprehended by any Joe Hang Two then Joe Hang Two has no fuckin' business getting on a launch cart and any motherfucker who fires up a Dragonfly and pulls him into the air needs upon landing to be escorted from the airfield in handcuffs.

And lemme cite you some forum rules:

Zack C - 2010/11/23 05:23:34 UTC

The purpose of Kite Strings is to foster serious discussion regarding the practices and technologies of modern hang gliding. This is a forum ruled by science, truth, facts, reason, and logic. Anyone with a respect for these principles and a willingness to learn and engage in rational discussion is welcome to participate.

You're not even on thin ice here, Bob. Maybe get a community college class on Rational Discussion so's you'll at least know how to put up a pretense of engaging in it.
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