Blue Sky Scooter Towing

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Blue Sky Scooter Towing Method
Equipment & Practices
by Steve Wendt and Mike Meier
Copyright 2007/03 by Sport Kites, Inc. dba Wills Wing, Inc.

High time to start doing a proper hatchet job on this manual. Already kicked it around a little over the course of seven posts (to date) starting at:

http://www.kitestrings.org/post1560.html#p1560
so pardon any redundancy.

Introduction

What follows is an outline of the equipment and practices used in the Blue Sky Method of Scooter Towing. A companion video illustrates this material. The manual and video are based on methods developed and used by Steve Wendt of Blue Sky Hang Gliding in Penn Laird, Virginia, USA.

Oh yeah, STEVE WENDT. Only 1.5 of his students needlessly killed - for reasons obvious in this text and the companion video - within about four months of him receiving his 2004 USHGA Instructor of the Year Award. Hard to imagine anybody being able to develop better practices than that.

Steve's methods have gained wide recognition among instructors in the United States as representing the current, best practices in scooter towing.

Of course they have. Just about all instructors in the United States are corrupt incompetent assholes operating deep inside the limits of their mediocre intellects and far outside of some of the most fundamental and critical of USHGA regulations and - for that matter - principles of common sense.

(For brevity, we will refer to these specific methods using the generic term "Scooter Towing" - by which we will mean the Blue Sky Method of Scooter Towing. Many different methods and practices have been used for many years under the general term of "scooter towing," and not all of these have proven to be safe or effective.)

- Wow. WE are pronouncing OUR method of scooter towing safe and effective. Who'da thunk?

- Exactly how did we PROVE the Blue Sky Method of Scooter Towing to be safe and effective? Did we look at post training crashes and demonstrated competence? Or are we just assuming that if nobody gets slammed in skimming the strip at Manquin we're producing safe and competent pilots?

- Were Holly Korzilius and Bill Priday properly trained? When the product of someone's instruction and program gets half or fully killed is it always entirely a matter of individual pilot error - or does the instructor get to share in some of the credit? It seems they're never particularly shy about pointing to their students who go out and win XC competitions six months after they've scored their Threes.

- How 'bout when there's indisputable proof that the instructor was operating in clear violation of clearly stated USHGA regulations?

- Have any other methods been "proven" to be - or shown some obvious indication that they are - safer and/or more effective than the Blue Sky Method of Scooter Towing?

- Have you looked for any obvious holes in Steve's program and made any effort to patch them? Or is this as good as things are ever gonna get?

This manual does not teach instruction; the material herein is intended for use by trained and qualified hang gliding instructors, and assumes in the user a thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of teaching hang gliding.

Yeah, good certified USHGA instructors.
http://www.kitestrings.org/post15.html#p15

Zack C - 2010/12/13 04:58:15 UTC

I had a very different mindset too back then and trusted the people that made my equipment. Since then I've realized (largely due to this discussion) that while I can certainly consider the advice of others, I can't trust anyone in this sport but myself (and maybe the people at Wills Wing).

That way you KNOW you have top notch professionals - people to whom you can trust your life.

Instructors wishing to use scooter towing as a training tool must also have significant experience as pilots in at least one method of ground based towing...

- Why does it hafta be ground based towing? You're using aerotow equipment and, for initial stages of training, you're pulling the glider straight forward at a constant zero degree tow angle. This is a lot more akin to aero than static or platform.

- How much significant tow experience does the instructor need to operate a throttle and skim trainer gliders five feet off the ground?

- Does a ten year old kid need to have gone up on a kite to be really skilled at flying one and diagnosing and remedying problems with its performance?

- There are some really skilled Hang Fives who totally suck as tow drivers and some really excellent tow drivers who've never once clipped into a glider.

- So please explain to me why a scooter tow instructor actually needs to be a pilot.

...and have a thorough understanding of the general principles of towing.

Would you guys be on board with all of these?

Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
by Daniel F. Poynter
1974

"A bad flyer won't hurt a pin man but a bad pin man can kill a flyer." - Bill Bennett
"Never take your hands off the bar." - Tom Peghiny
"The greatest dangers are a rope break or a premature release." - Richard Johnson

If not can you please explain why you're incorporating equipment which forces the student to take his hands off the bar and deliberately introduces a strong possibility of rope break and using a pin man who's perfectly OK with violating those general principles of towing.

A suggested reference book on towing is Towing Aloft by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden - available from:
http://www.Amazon.com
or direct from the author at:
http://users.lazerlink.net/~pagenbks

- Yeah...

Peter Birren

The excellent book, Towing Aloft, by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden...

The EXCELLENT book, Towing Aloft, by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden.

- *A* suggested reference book? What the fuck does that mean? Who's suggesting it? On what basis? Is this kinda like:

Quest Air

Weak Link

A good rule of thumb for the optimum strength is one G, or in other words, equal to the total wing load of the glider.

We're just supposed to accept something 'cause it's SUGGESTED or A GOOD RULE OF THUMB?

- Have you bothered to read it? Does it bother you that there are flat contradictions between what it's saying and what you're presenting in this manual and video? Hell, does it bother you that it flat out contradicts ITSELF every third page?

- *THE* author? There are actually (supposed to be) TWO authors.

Finally, since much of the equipment typically used for scooter towing is not available "off the shelf" in the form or configuration in which it will be used, some practical knowledge of the basics of mechanical engineering and some mechanical and fabrication skills are required of, or need to be available to, anyone who wants to set up a scooter tow operation.

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

Holger Selover-Stephan - 2010/05/28 22:16:33 UTC
Portland, Oregon

I ordered and received a few barrel releases from Blue Sky. They have straight pins, not the curved ones I'm used to. Steve at Blue Sky tells me this:

...they [the curved pins] don't release with as little tension on them as the straight pins. Otherwise, there is no difference. It makes it hard to put just a rope on the barrel end, which encourages a weak link. Just a good idea. That's why we've been shifting that way, as are many other manufacturers of these releases.

And if you don't care about the bent pins releasing with as little tension on them as the straight pins, Steve can set you up. There's really no difference. And you can still put a weak link on the other end too. Just a good idea but not really all that important.

Continuing efforts are underway to establish and provide convenient sources and additional technical support for the equipment required - and these will be listed as they are developed at:

http://www.willswing.com/learn/scooterTow

Quallaby primary releases, bent pin backup releases, 130 pound Greenspot, hook knives... All good, certified, quality stuff guaranteed to get you off tow, one way or another, sooner or later.

The intent of this document is to summarize a recognized set of best practices for scooter towing.

Are the people who recognize this set as the best practices for scooter towing the same ones who...

Mike Meier - 2005/08

If the main is properly maintained, and periodically replaced, it is never going to fail anyway, so the backup is sort of pointless. Years ago we didn't even put backup hang loops on our gliders (there's no other component on your glider that is backed up, and there are plenty of other components that are more likely to fail, and where the failure would be just as serious), but for some reason the whole backup hang loop thing is a big psychological need for most pilots.

...insist on the installation of a backup loop as an essential safety element of glider design?

The methods described herein have been used to conduct thousands of safe scooter tows, they have been taught and demonstrated to a large number of experienced instructors during scooter tow clinics, and they have been widely recognized as producing a safe and productive training experience for the student.

And Quallaby, Lockout, and Bailey releases have been used by virtually all aerotow instructors to conduct hundreds of thousands of "safe" aerotows - and handful of predictably deadly ones - and are still widely recognized as safe towing equipment. So who the fuck cares?

As such, instructors new to scooter towing are emphatically advised to adopt and follow the specific methods and recommendations provided here...

That's OK - I got a few WAY better ideas, thank you very much.

...and to be very cautious and conservative about any deviations from these prescribed procedures.

The assumption being that these prescribed procedures were very cautiously and conservatively thought out and developed.

There is no progress in any endeavor without experimentation and innovation, and scooter towing itself would not exist if instructors had not ventured outside of the previously established practices for hang glider training.

Show me:
- something in this system and approach that's particularly innovative and/or required experimentation to verify
- ANYTHING in hang gliding that required much in the way of in flight experimentation to get into circulation

Today, however, the specific methods and practices of scooter towing as described here are at a highly advanced stage of development, and it is thus now possible to specify a standardized set of proven practices that incorporate the lessons learned from years of development and experimentation.

Yeah. The technology and methodology is described here is absolutely mind boggling. Hard to believe it all came about without divine inspiration.

Any decision to deviate from these methods should be very carefully weighed. In no case, should any experimentation be carried out on actual students.

What if we let them take off and land prone and on wheels. What catastrophic consequences might be expected from those deviations?

Instructors being trained in scooter tow methodology should, whenever possible, learn the skills involved under the supervision of a highly qualified scooter tow instructor experienced in these specific practices, and should practice and develop their skills using other instructors or experienced pilots as "students" until they have developed a high degree of proficiency.

Yeah. Looks real challenging.

Actually I'm a bit curious as to how someone differentiates scooter tow operators with low and high degrees of proficiency. Kinda like tug drivers. After about two or three tows and a comprehension of the principles of fast/slow, up/down, and left/right there's not much in the way of advancement that anyone's gonna be able to achieve.

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

There should be no obstacles, obstructions, or natural terrain features out in front of the student that could cause an injury in the event the student flew into it, nor should there be any holes or ruts in the field that could cause an injury if stepped on or into.

Shouldn't it have a few woodchuck burrows to condition the student to real life tow operations like...
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=5089
The Good-The Bad-The Ugly....

Socrates Zayas - 2008/01/14 05:22:38 UTC
Fort Lauderdale

Yesterday was a very emotional day for me and my household. My better half did something that I really didn't expect from a medical student/mother/busy no time to waste...

This would be the final flight of the day, just in front of her was a student tandem flight about to launch, so I was headed back to the car to finalize the packing up when I heard the tug make the familiar sound it does when a weak link breaks. I looked back to see the tug circle around and saw a wing turned up in a WHACK configuration. I was like "wow". Then I noticed it wasn't the tandem but Sherb-Air's Falcon 170.

When I got there her nose was lacerated and her lip was bleeding (yeah, she had a full face helmet) and the dolly's left wheel was missing.

The radiography showed acute multiple fractures around the top and head of the humerus. Her nose didn't break but she may have hairline fractures to the septum. She had a hard time remembering the date, day, names of her kids, number of kids, and other basic things...

The dolly had hit a huge hole and she went left shoulder into the ground at 25+ mph.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=8719
Bad Aerotow Launch

Axel Banchero - 2008/09/30 19:44:01 UTC

I almost got hurt. And I heard stories of people getting hurt at the same place for the same reason.

I was getting ready in the dolly and took a look ahead. I saw a bump in my runway but didn't care much about it. While my friend assisted me to get ready to launch, I asked him "Is that some taller grass in front of me or is it a bump?" He replied "It's a bump so grab yourself tight on the base bar".

I hit it with the left wheel and the rope in my left hand just snapped off from my fingers. It actually hurt.

Somehow I managed to control the glider and take off without hitting the ground with one of my wingtips.

After I landed, my friend told me the tip of my wing passed about five inches off the ground.

Scott C. Wise - 2008/09/30 23:29:30 UTC

I've still got a problem with that "bump".

This is an active flight park. Don't they do anything to maintain their grounds? I've been at any number of small airports with grass strips and they are flat and level with no holes and no bumps. Somebody actually spends time "grooming" the area - for obvious and serious safety reasons.

How the heck does an aerotow park get off NOT doing a similar or better job? !!!!!

Axel Banchero - 2008/10/01 04:04:47 UTC

Yes, this is the Florida Ridge. Where Doc's wife got hurt after hitting a bump or something like that. I also heard another story with broken bones at the same place in a situation pretty much like mine.

Jim Rooney - 2008/10/02 02:26:20 UTC

Wingspan... what's with the rant?

A) This way over the top stuff does no good
B) You're kinda off base anyway

You got a personal beef with the ridge or something? Cuz that's the vibe I'm getting here. I really can't fathom an other reason for the hyperbolic ravings.

Sheesh

...Florida Ridge?

Any comment on...

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.

...your douchebag protege's shit comments and shit attitude?

The tow line runs from the scooter, out to and around the pulley, and back to the student and glider. The instructor applies tension to the tow line, and controls the tension with the scooter throttle. The student responds to the tow line tension by moving smoothly into a walk - jog - and then run.

- I normally hear that what the driver applies to the towline is PRESSURE. As in:

The reel drag can be carefully regulated to control tow pressure and thus help assure tow safety.

from the suggested reference book, "Towing Aloft" by Dennis Pagen and Bill Bryden. Are you sure TENSION is the proper term?

- If so, why are you recommending a reference book by two authors too fuckin' stupid to understand the difference between tension and pressure?

- Is the student taught anything and does the instructor require anything to comply with the USHGA regulation which states, for every rating:

With each flight, demonstrates a method of establishing that the pilot is hooked in just prior to launch.

or doesn't this matter 'cause it's just a fuckin' scooter tow, it's only going five feet off the deck, he just did a hang check five minutes ago anyway ferchrisake, and it's been a whole seventeen months since one of your students ran off a cliff without his glider - motherfucker?

- Did you even bother reading the article:

Master's Tips
Pre-Flight, Distractions and Hooking In
By Rob Kells
Photos by Mike Meier

published in the magazine two months after you got Bill killed? Or are you just so superior to everyone else in the sport that there's absolutely nothing they could possibly be doing doing that you're not doing better?

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Initially, the glider should be at a relatively nose-high attitude, (angle of the keel relative to the horizon), and the student should allow the glider to plane out to a trim angle of attack as he moves into his run and the glider lifts off of his shoulders. To achieve the proper angle of attack, the glider's initial attitude and the glider's attitude in towed flight need to be higher than that for a normal slope launch or free flight, because of the fact that the launch area is not sloped downwards and the direction of the "thrust" force on the glider has a forward component from the tow line instead of being only downwards from gravity.

In addition, it is better to have the glider's nose initially a little too high than to have it a little too low, because if the fore and aft location of the attachment of the tow bridle to the keel is correct, the glider will naturally adjust its angle of attack as the tow begins, and the tow line tension will overcome any initial excess drag. You don't want to get into the situation of the glider flying out ahead of the student, and the student having to run hard to chase it. The student should accelerate in response to the tow line tension, and not try to run faster than the tow line is trying to pull him, as this would slack the tow line.

So why does the student need to learn to foot launch?

There are huge numbers of people who will only by flying from launch dollies and platforms.

If the student IS gearing for:

- a foot launch environment why does he need to start learning to foot launch on his first flights?

- dolly or platform launch why don't you start him off on a dolly? Tow him on the dolly a couple of times with instructions not to release the hold-downs, but get him up to wheelie speed. Then tell him to lose the cart and give him a couple of skims and wheel landings.

- a foot launch environment why does he need to learning to foot launch on tow? Why not just let him do a bunch of easy launch runs on flat ground after he's had a little airtime on the string?

If everything is done correctly on the part of the student, the glider and student will be pulled slowly into the air as the glider gains flying speed. During a student's first flights, if the student is flying the glider properly at trim, or just a little faster than trim, the instructor should moderate the tow line tension to keep the student within no more than three to six feet above the ground. The thrust provided by the scooter gives the instructor the ability to correct for student mistakes, but the temptation to do this should generally be avoided.

For example, if the student is pulling in too far on the control bar, causing the glider to fly too fast to become airborne or to climb, the instructor should not add power to force the glider into the air. (One obvious danger in doing so is that if the student then lets the bar out, or pushes out, he could climb quickly to an unsafe altitude.) It is better in this case to simply reduce power smoothly and let the flight attempt come to an end, and then de-brief with the student to discuss his mistakes in technique. The idea is to reward proper technique with flying (the way the natural world will do), and to avoid rewarding mistakes in technique. Both the student and the instructor need patience in this regard - there is nothing wrong with a failed attempt to fly, so long as something is learned.

The instructor should also terminate the flight attempt by smoothly reducing power if the student is having directional control problems. The idea is that the instructor controls the situation, and gently ends the flight anytime the student is headed for trouble, and does so before the trouble can become in any way serious or threatening to the student's safety. The instructor should not suddenly chop the throttle, but only gently reduce power to smoothly reduce line tension.

- You mean like...

http://www.ozreport.com/9.133
Lesson from an aerotow accident report

USHGA Accident Report Summary
Pilot: Holly Korzilius
Reporter: Steve Wendt, USHGA Instructor # 19528
Date : 5/29/05

Summary: I observed the accident from a few hundred yards away, but could clearly see launch and the aero tow was coming towards my area so that I had a full view of the flight. I was at the wreckage in a few seconds and afterwards gathered the information that helps understand the results of some unfortunate poor decisions of the injured pilot.

The pilot launched at 12:15 while conditions were just starting to become thermally, with just a slight crosswind of maybe 20 degrees with winds of 8 to 12 mph NNW. The pilot had flown here via AT more than 50 times.

Holly immediately had control problems right off the dolly and completed 3 oscilations before it took her 90 degrees from the tow vehicle upon when the tug pilot hit the release and Holly continued turning away from the tow in a fairly violent exchange of force . Holly pulled in to have control speed and then began rounding out , but there was not enough altitude and she hit the ground before she could do so. She was barely 100 feet when she was locked out in a left hand turn. At that time, she was banked up over 60 degrees.

The basebar hit the ground first, nose wires failed from the impact, and at the same time she was hitting face first.

...Tex did to Holly about twenty-one months ago?

- Oh. So you would tend to disagree with this:

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

Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01

Whatever's going on back there, I can fix it by giving you the rope.

It's more of this crappy argument that being on tow is somehow safer than being off tow.

total fucking asshole that I frequently got stuck towing behind?

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.

- So how come that total fucking asshole is making a totally fucking moronic statement like this five months after this training manual and video come out?

If the student is flying properly, and under good directional control, the instructor can continue to pull the student along at a low altitude for a while and then gradually reduce power, gently bringing the student down to the ground.

Shouldn't you start gearing him up for what happens in the real world when you motherfuckers start putting him up behind real tugs in real air...

0:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR_4jKLqrus


...on standard aerotow weak links?

The eventual goal is to have the student land on his feet, but if he doesn't achieve this right away and rolls in on the wheels instead, it's not a problem.

- WHY is this the eventual goal?

- Exactly when is it EVER a problem?

- At what point in training do you generally become totally confident...

Gil Dodgen - 1995/01

All of this reminds me of a comment Mike Meier made when he was learning to fly sailplanes. He mentioned how easy it was to land a sailplane (with spoilers for glide-path control and wheels), and then said, "If other aircraft were as difficult to land as hang gliders no one would fly them."

...in his ability to safely land on his feet?

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Because of the complexity of the situation the student is dealing with at this stage, and the prospect of sensory and cognitive overload, any instructions you give the student have to be fairly simple.

Oh. You have him:

- foot launching on tow - which is something nobody does 'cause it's difficult, dangerous, and stupid.

- flying upright on the downtubes - which is something good pilots either keep to an absolute minimum or eliminate altogether 'cause it's difficult, ineffective, dangerous, and stupid.

- landing on his feet...

Gil Dodgen - 1995/01

All of this reminds me of a comment Mike Meier made when he was learning to fly sailplanes. He mentioned how easy it was to land a sailplane (with spoilers for glide-path control and wheels), and then said, "If other aircraft were as difficult to land as hang gliders no one would fly them."

- which is totally unnecessary, so difficult that if other aircraft were as difficult to land no one would fly them, dangerous, and stupid.

And ya think he just might be having issues with sensory and cognitive overload? No shit.

So why don't you just leave him alone and let him fly the fuckin' glider the way it's designed and certified to be flown and let him launch and land the way all the tandems do at all tow operations? 'Cause if you keep him overloaded with enough useless, difficult, dangerous crap you'll substantially prolong the lucrative dependency period?

You can give a few simple rules for in-flight control, such as "ground coming up, ease the bar out," and "ground falling away, let the bar in." This will get the student started on the process of rounding out and flaring for landing, which will eventually allow him to land on his feet...

GREAT! Then he'll be able to safely land in narrow dry riverbeds with large rocks strewn all over the place - and that's the only reason he got into hang gliding in the first place.

...and train him to let the bar come back to trim as he gains altitude, so he's not flying at altitude in a mush. "Pull yourself gently towards the target," could be a rule for directional control - getting across the idea that moving his body in the direction he wants to go while also looking towards his target will help keep him flying in the right direction. (You may want to replace "pull" with "bump" - after you've explained what bump means in this context. What you're trying to convey here is that there is a lag in the glider's response, and the student does not want to hold a directional control input until the glider has reached the desired heading, because it will then overshoot.)

There is no need at this stage for the student to release the tow line...

Yeah? There's also no need at this stage for the student to:
- check that he's connected to his glider just before he starts running with it
- foot launch
- fly with his hands on the downtubes;
- foot land

But these are TRAINING exercises. And on:

- 2005/05/29 one of your students got half killed 'cause you sent her up with some crap she couldn't use to release herself when she needed to.

- 2005/10/01 another of your students got fully killed 'cause you never taught him to check that he's connected to his glider just before he starts running with it.

- 2006/02/21 the asshole whose instructor ticket you signed dove his tandem glider and passenger into the powerlines, injured her, and damn near killed himself 'cause you never taught him to check that he's connected to his glider just before he starts running with it.

So sometimes in aviation training you REALLY NEED to IMMEDIATELY start teaching (and equipping) people to respond to situations they are very unlikely to encounter in the training environment but HIGHLY LIKELY to encounter at some point in their flying careers. And in my humble humble opinion it's a helluva lot more important to teach someone to NEVER start running with a glider under the assumption that he's connected to it and to teach (and equip) him to release in a heartbeat without control compromise than it is to teach him to foot launch, fly with his hands on the downtubes, and foot land - asshole.

...nor should this be attempted.

ATTEMPTED???

Joe Gregor - 2004/09

Highly experienced mountain pilot aerotowing a newly-purchased glider experienced a lockout at low altitude. The weak link broke after the glider entered a lockout attitude. Once free, the glider was reportedly too low (50-65' AGL, estimated) to recover and impacted the ground in a steep dive. There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release.

Why don't you use some fuckin' brains and set the fuckin' student up with a fuckin' release that he can actually fuckin' use whenever he wants or - more to the point - NEEDS to instead of programming him from Square One to think of a release as something that takes Hang Five skill and a lot of luck to get to fuckin' work AT ALL?

On subsequent training days, as the student builds skill and consistency over multiple flights, altitude can be gradually increased (up to about twenty feet) and the length of the flight can be extended, until the student is flying all the way to the marker at the two thirds point between the scooter and the pulley, and beginning to practice releasing the tow line.

How come when we stick five year old kids on bicycles we don't hafta discuss long training periods in which they can practice learning to use the brakes? You guys are totally full of shit.

The student should not be attempting to transition from holding the downtubes to holding the basetube at this stage...

- Why not? 'Cause you fuckin' say so?

- ATTEMPTING to transition to the basetube? Sorry, I'm having a real hard time recalling anyone at any stage of a flying career attempting to transition to the basetube and failing.

- Do we have something in the way of crash data that indicates that transitioning to or being on the basetube in a training environment is problematic?

- We have plenty of x-rays that indicate that transitioning to or being on the downtubes is problematic.

...that skill is better taught...

That's a SKILL that needs to be TAUGHT? Why didn't you include that on the video so we could all learn the proper technique for explaining to a student how to learn and perfect it?

...considerably later in the student's training...

How many dollars later?

...after the student has mastered all of the basic skills of flying.

Yeah, right. After he's MASTERED all the basic skills of flying we'll give him the secret code which allows him to CONTROL the glider with his hands on the CONTROL bar.

OK Billy, after you've mastered riding the bicycle with your hands together near the stem I'll teach you how to put your hands on the grips out at the ends of the handlebars. That'll happen in about a month. Still using the same credit card?

It's absolutely astounding that anybody survives or even tolerates the idiotic crap you quacks throw at these poor bastards.

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Some More Detailed Notes On Equipment

Student Harness

A suitable training harness is required which allows the student to run without restriction and to fly comfortably in a mostly upright position without the need to hold himself upright by hanging from the downtubes.

And we need to have him flying in a mostly upright position because?

Oh, right.

The student should not be attempting to transition from holding the downtubes to holding the basetube at this stage...

We've already established that the student should not be flying from the basetube at this stage. It says so right in the text. Sorry I brought up the issue.

There should be attachment points for the tow bridle at the hips, and a horizontal back strap at approximately the same vertical location on the harness to keep it from being pulled away from the pilot's body while on tow.

How 'bout we have attachment points at chest level for a Koch two stage?

Oh, right. Neither Steve, Wills Wing, nor anybody else in the US markets Koch two stages. Forget I mentioned it.

Safety Equipment

The basetube of the glider should be equipped with large diameter wheels that will roll freely on the terrain being used.

- SHOULD or...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=21465
Wish it had been the downtubes

Boy Oyng - 2011/04/09 22:06:36 UTC

I was a student attempting a footlaunch tow on a winch system. I had wheels on the control bar.

The protocol for this towing system is to signal that one is ready for the tow, to resist being pulled by the line until that's no longer possible, then to walk, jog, and run until becoming airborne.

I signaled my readiness to begin the tow, the motor revved, the line became taut, and I began the walk, jog, run. On this occasion, I seemed to gain no altitude after becoming airborne. I estimate that I was never more than a few feet off the ground, and did not have the altitude to attempt to land on my feet.

The tow was aborted and I came in for a wheel landing. Instead of rolling, however, the wheels grabbed into the ground.

The glider stopped instantly, but I kept going, with both arms outstretched in anticipation of the rollout. After the impact, it was immediately obvious that my right humerus was broken, and I also had significant pain in my left elbow. It turned out later that my humerus had basically exploded and that part of my left elbow joint was pulverized (the medical term, I learned, is "comminuted.")

...MUST?

- And...

The student should not be attempting to transition from holding the downtubes to holding the basetube at this stage, that skill is better taught considerably later in the student's training after the student has mastered all of the basic skills of flying.

...is it OK to dispense with the wheels - if any - later in the student's training after the student has mastered all of the basic skills of flying?

A suitable helmet, eye protection, and knee pads should be used.

How 'bout a release he can blow with both hands on the control bar?

Oh, right. That's not really safety equipment. And, besides, he has a suitable helmet, eye protection, and knee pads - so he shouldn't really need one.

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

V-Bridle and Release System

An aero-tow type V-bridle and release system works well for scooter towing.

Oh. It works "WELL". What the fuck does that mean? Has it undergone some kind of testing and certification process? Like the gliders, towline, and scooters you're using?

Let's see what one of the authors of the "suggested reference book on towing" has to say about it...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/4049
Towing errata

Bill Bryden - 2004/04/01 16:20:18 UTC

Some aerotow releases, including a few models from prominent schools, have had problems releasing under high tensions. You must VERIFY through tests that a release will work for the tensions that could possibly be encountered. You better figure at least three hundred pounds to be modestly confident.

Maybe eight to ten years ago I got several comments from people saying a popular aerotow release (with a bicycle type brake lever) would fail to release at higher tensions. I called and talked to the producer sharing the people's experiences and concerns. I inquired to what tension their releases were tested but he refused to say, just aggressively stated they never had any problems with their releases, they were fine, goodbye, click. Another person tested one and found it started getting really hard to actuate in the range of only eighty to a hundred pounds as I vaguely recall. I noticed they did modify their design but I don't know if they ever really did any engineering tests on it. You should test the release yourself or have someone you trust do it. There is only one aerotow release manufacturer whose product I'd have reasonable confidence in without verifying it myself, the Wallaby release is not it.

Oh, what the hell... It probably works "well" enough for scooter towing. And that way they can start getting acclimated to flying the crap equipment you're gonna sell them for aerotowing.

This system uses a short V-bridle attached to the harness...

What does "short" mean? Any particular length? If so, why? If not, why not?

...with a barrel type release at the right side attachment point.

Why? What's it for? Don't we already have a release that works "WELL"? How "WELL" does this one work? Why the right side? Why not the left side? Why not both sides?

Gregg B. McNamee - 1996/12

Primary Release Criteria

To actuate the primary release the pilot does not have to give up any control of the glider. (Common sense tells us that the last thing we want to do in an emergency situation is give up control of the glider in order to terminate the tow.)

If your system requires you to take your hand off the control bar to actuate the release it is not suitable.

Would there be any point in choosing a suitable aerotow release in lieu of using one that works "WELL"?

This bridle is passed through a loop at the lower end of a longer V-bridle...

- I take it that, since you're putting a barrel type release at the right side attachment point, you're expecting that bridle to pass back out through the loop at the lower end of the longer V-bridle in a critical situation. Is that a safe assumption? Is there anything you can do to boost the reliability of that action?

- How much longer is the longer V-bridle? English longer or metric longer?

...which passes through the ring or carabiner on the tow rope...

Any chance it won't pass back through the ring or carabiner on the tow rope? I couldn't find any mention of that issue in the "suggested reference book on towing" so I'm guessing not.

...and is then attached, via a weak link...

What's a weak link?

The "suggested reference book on towing" says it's "the focal point of a safe towing system" and "very clearly will provide protection from excessive angles of attack, high bank turns and the like" for the speed controlled form of towing you're doing here. So how come this is the sole reference to this vital and incredibly versatile safety device?

How come you're using two releases but just one weak link?

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

Holger Selover-Stephan - 2010/05/28 22:16:33 UTC
Portland, Oregon

I ordered and received a few barrel releases from Blue Sky. They have straight pins, not the curved ones I'm used to. Steve at Blue Sky tells me this:

...they [the curved pins] don't release with as little tension on them as the straight pins. Otherwise, there is no difference. It makes it hard to put just a rope on the barrel end, which encourages a weak link. Just a good idea. That's why we've been shifting that way, as are many other manufacturers of these releases.

Why are you trying to encourage other people to use weak links on barrel releases but flying all of your students without them and training all of your students to fly without them?

Do we need to know anything about its strength? If not how come you're using and telling us you're using a twelve hundred pound towline?

Can it be too strong? Can it be too weak?

Oh well...

Always use an appropriate weak link with a finished length of 1.5 inches or less. Longer weak links are more likely to get tangled on the tow ring upon release.

I guess anything with a finished length of 1.5 inches or less will work just fine. Forget I mentioned it.

...to the top release mounted on the keel of the glider. The activation handle for the top release is attached on the downtube, near the location where the student will be holding the downtube in flight.

Yeah...

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Technical Manual - 2003/04

On tow the Pilot in Command must have his hand actually on the release at all times. 'Near' the release is not close enough! When you have two hands completely full of locked-out glider, taking one off to go looking for the release guarantees that your situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

...near the location where the student will be holding the downtube in flight.

Joe Gregor - 2004/09

The weak link broke after the glider entered a lockout attitude. Once free, the glider was reportedly too low (50-65' AGL, estimated) to recover from the unusual attitude and impacted the ground in a steep dive. The pilot suffered fatal injuries due to blunt trauma. There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release.

That should be close enough. And he'll start getting comfortable flying like that after a few tows when he sees that his flights are staying safe.

(Note that neither release will be used by the student during his initial flights.)

- Yeah. We also noted that neither release was used by Mike Haas during his last flight. Maybe there's some kind of pattern going on here.

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3391
More on Zapata and weak link

Paul Tjaden - 2008/07/22 04:32:22 UTC

I have never had a lockout situation happen so quickly and dramatically and had no chance to release as I have always thought I could do.

Those things are mostly just there for placebo effect anyway.

- So would it be fair to say...

"Never take your hands off the bar." - Tom Peghiny

...y'all are pretty much on board with Tom Peghiny on this issue? At least until you get this guy his Two and start putting him up on aero in thermal conditions?

Because the student will be both launching and flying in an upright position during his initial training, the V-bridle attached to the harness is best attached at the hips, as shown.

Why will the student will be both launching and flying in an upright position during his initial training? There's a real good chance his next step in training will be aerotow, you're putting him up on aerotow equipment, and you're towing him in a manner similar to what what will happen on aerotow.

If the goes to aero, or, for that matter, platform, BOTH of which you do on the coastal plain at Manquin he has ZERO need to launch, fly, or land upright.

And if you hook him up at the shoulders and launch him off a dolly somebody other than you sleazy bastards can set him up with a release he can actually use when he needs to and he can start focusing on how critical that is and stop focusing on the stupid useless fucking standup landings you're shoving down his throat above all other considerations.

And lemme tell ya sumpin' Steve...

http://www.ozreport.com/9.133
Lesson from an aerotow accident report

USHGA Accident Report Summary
Pilot: Holly Korzilius
Reporter: Steve Wendt, USHGA Instructor # 19528
Date : 5/29/05

Summary: I observed the accident from a few hundred yards away, but could clearly see launch and the aero tow was coming towards my area so that I had a full view of the flight. I was at the wreckage in a few seconds and afterwards gathered the information that helps understand the results of some unfortunate poor decisions of the injured pilot.

The pilot launched at 12:15 while conditions were just starting to become thermally, with just a slight crosswind of maybe 20 degrees with winds of 8 to 12 mph NNW. The pilot had flown here via AT more than 50 times.

Holly immediately had control problems right off the dolly and completed 3 oscilations before it took her 90 degrees from the tow vehicle upon when the tug pilot hit the release and Holly continued turning away from the tow in a fairly violent exchange of force . Holly pulled in to have control speed and then began rounding out , but there was not enough altitude and she hit the ground before she could do so. She was barely 100 feet when she was locked out in a left hand turn. At that time, she was banked up over 60 degrees.

The basebar hit the ground first, nose wires failed from the impact, and at the same time she was hitting face first.

There was no point in that exercise in which Holly would've benefited by being upright and she didn't slam in on her face 'cause her stupid useless fucking standup landings weren't up to snuff.

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Tow Rope

A recommended tow rope is Samson Amsteel Spectron 12, 7/64 inch diameter. This is a 100 percent Spectra 12-strand hollow braided rope with a Teflon coating to reduce abrasion and low stretch. It is fast and easy to splice. The approximate breaking strength is 1200 pounds. Approximately 2500 feet of line is appropriate for use on the smaller scooter that will be used for tows up to 75 feet in altitude, and 3500 feet of line is appropriate for the larger scooter, for tows up to 300 feet in altitude.

Well yeah, twelve hundred pounds fer sure.

The instructor should also terminate the flight attempt by smoothly reducing power if the student is having directional control problems. The idea is that the instructor controls the situation, and gently ends the flight anytime the student is headed for trouble, and does so before the trouble can become in any way serious or threatening to the student's safety. The instructor should not suddenly chop the throttle, but only gently reduce power to smoothly reduce line tension.

You sure don't want that towline failing when the student is headed for trouble...

Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
Daniel F. Poynter
1974

"The greatest dangers are a rope break or a premature release." - Richard Johnson

Pretty fuckin' obvious what could happen if the glider suddenly gets its power chopped and the instructor loses any ability to influence the flight from that point on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjncKQ02FJ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYe3YmdIQTM


Total no brainer.

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

Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01

Whatever's going on back there, I can fix it by giving you the rope.

It's more of this crappy argument that being on tow is somehow safer than being off tow.

Why do even really need to discuss this?

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Steve's methods have gained wide recognition among instructors in the United States as representing the current, best practices in scooter towing. (For brevity, we will refer to these specific methods using the generic term "Scooter Towing" - by which we will mean the Blue Sky Method of Scooter Towing. Many different methods and practices have been used for many years under the general term of "scooter towing," and not all of these have proven to be safe or effective.)

Instructors wishing to use scooter towing as a training tool must also have significant experience as pilots in at least one method of ground based towing, and have a thorough understanding of the general principles of towing.

The intent of this document is to summarize a recognized set of best practices for scooter towing. The methods described herein have been used to conduct thousands of safe scooter tows, they have been taught and demonstrated to a large number of experienced instructors during scooter tow clinics, and they have been widely recognized as producing a safe and productive training experience for the student. As such, instructors new to scooter towing are emphatically advised to adopt and follow the specific methods and recommendations provided here, and to be very cautious and conservative about any deviations from these prescribed procedures.

Today, however, the specific methods and practices of scooter towing as described here are at a highly advanced stage of development, and it is thus now possible to specify a standardized set of proven practices that incorporate the lessons learned from years of development and experimentation. Any decision to deviate from these methods should be very carefully weighed. In no case, should any experimentation be carried out on actual students.

In the last few years, however, a number of developments in equipment and technique have brought scooter towing to a highly refined state of development and made it an exceptionally useful tool for training.

So we have Steve's highly advanced and refined scooter towing methods that incorporate the lessons learned from years of development and experimentation and have gained wide recognition among instructors in the United States as representing the current, best practices, and have proven to be safe and effective.

And scooter tow instructors must be experienced in ground based towing, have a thorough understanding of the general principles of towing, and are emphatically advised to adopt and follow the specific methods and recommendations provided here and be very cautious and conservative about any deviations from these prescribed procedures.

And the very first part of the program is to...

On the initial flights, when there is no plan for the student to release from the tow rope...

...put the student up with no plan for him to release himself from the towline.

Yep... No surprises there. Start getting everyone's brains turned to total mush from Square One and keep working your way down. I'll bet you guys could take somebody with an IQ in the high double digits and get him down to Rooney level in three or four weekends if you really put some effort into it.

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

On the initial flights, when there is no plan for the student to release from the tow rope, the instructor will ease the student back down to the ground before he reaches the marker by gently reducing tension on the tow line. On later flights where the student has been instructed to release, if he fails to do so the instructor will again gently reduce power to ease the student back to the ground before reaching the marker. In either situation, the instructor should never cut the power suddenly, but rather gradually reduce power to reduce the tension on the rope and make the glider descend, without stopping the rope entirely. Enough power should be maintained on the scooter to continue to take up the rope onto the winch reel as the glider flies forward, until the landing occurs.

Students at more advanced levels will, of necessity, be achieving altitudes that would allow them to overfly the return pulley. For this reason, a reliable means of cutting the rope at the scooter must be available to the instructor, and, once again, it is fundamentally necessary that it not be possible for the rope to be snagged or fouled by the pulley or the pulley anchor. Also, no student who has not clearly demonstrated the ability to release properly and reliably, using both the standard and the back up releases, should be allowed to attain an altitude or position from which he could overfly the return pulley.

Additionally, when students are making higher flights, it is of paramount importance for the instructor to be aware, at all times, of the relationship of the tow line to the basetube - the angle of inclination of the student's location above that of the turn around pulley must never be allowed to approach the point where the tow rope would contact and impinge on the basetube, as this could cause the rope to impart a nose down pitching moment to the glider and create a very dangerous situation.

Other ground markers can be set out as targets or points of focus for the student for use in various tasks, but it is important that the two thirds limit marker be clearly distinguishable to both the students and the instructor and that everyone clearly understand the significance of it.

Sorry, I'm a little confused here...

An aero-tow type V-bridle and release system works well for scooter towing. This system uses a short V-bridle attached to the harness, with a barrel type release at the right side attachment point. The activation handle for the top release is attached on the downtube, near the location where the student will be holding the downtube in flight.

- You have an aerotow type V-bridle and release system which works well for scooter towing.

- And the activation handle for the top release is attached on the downtube, near the location where the student will be holding the downtube in flight.

So...

- Why does it seem to be such a big fucking deal for even an advanced student to be able to release himself from tow?

- How do you differentiate a release system which works well for scooter towing from a release system which totally sucks for scooter towing?

Steve Kinsley - 1996/05/09 15:50

Personal opinion. While I don't know the circumstances of Frank's death and I am not an awesome tow type dude, I think tow releases, all of them, stink on ice. Reason: You need two hands to drive a hang glider. You 'specially need two hands if it starts to turn on tow. If you let go to release, the glider can almost instantly assume a radical attitude.

In the last few years, however, a number of developments in equipment and technique have brought scooter towing to a highly refined state of development and made it an exceptionally useful tool for training.

- How come with all this work you've been doing to bring this system to such a highly refined state of development you're still using this idiot piece of crap "release" that Wallaby welded together over twenty years ago?

[Tad Eareckson]

Blue Sky Scooter Towing

Outline Of A First Day Through Novice Training Program

This part of the document will focus on those aspects of the training program that relate specifically to the scooter tow methods and practices. You may decide to include additional teaching materials in your training syllabus beyond what is covered here. Keep in mind, however, that even at its barest essentials, the initial training experience involves a tremendous amount of new information for a student to absorb. It can be very helpful in this regard to keep theory and lecturing to a minimum during the on site training, and focus on demonstration and practical experience as a means of conveying needed information.

Yeah.

- Skip any mention of hook-in checks. Lotsa people get along just fine for hundreds, sometimes thousands of launches without them.

- No need to get into all that controversial weak link theory business. Just give everybody a standard aerotow weak link and tell him that its purpose is to increase the safety of the towing operation. PERIOD.

- Lockouts? Hell, you've given everybody a standard aerotow weak link. Why do we need to worry about lockouts? And besides, in some absolutely unimaginable set of circumstances in which the standard aerotow weak WOULDN'T increase the safety of the towing operation there's an aerotow type V-bridle and release system which works well for scooter towing. The activation handle for the top release is attached on the downtube, near the location where the student will be holding the downtube in flight, and there's a barrel type release at the right side attachment point. Discussing lockout danger on a system like this would be like talking avalanche survival to a bunch of Puerto Ricans.

- Bridle wrap? What's bridle wrap?

- Wheel landings? We're trying to make PILOTS out of these people ferchrisake. Wheel landings are what we're trying to teach them to avoid at all costs.

- Flying prone on the basetube? They can figure that out AFTER they've gotten their Twos and start flying the mountains.