C'mon guys, the problem isn't that he dragged a tip. That's a side effect of him killing himself by not being hooked in.
We first see our hero lifting the glider onto the back of the ramp with a foot and a half of slack in his suspension and it stays that way for thirty seconds until he runs to and beyond the red line then bungee jumps from the keel into his control frame and plops his tip on the concrete.
Paul Hurless - 2011/10/17 03:49:42 UTC
Reno
Having your hang strap taut will help you avoid that kind of problem. When it's loose you don't have that direct connection to the glider, which limits the control you'll have over it.
Brandon Russell - 2011/10/17 04:03:43 UTC
Ringgold, Georgia
Come to think of it, I usually make a conscious effort to pick the glider up high enough to tighten my hang strap. I didn't do that here.
gluesniffer - 2011/10/17 04:30:19 UTC
I like to start with my straps tight too if the air is strong enough and smooth enough that the glider will rise off my shoulders.
Robert Seckold - 2011/10/17 04:42:20 UTC
Australia
In high winds is it possible to do a base bar launch on that or any ramp? That way you are flying the wing with a tight hang strap before you launch.
Robert Seckold - 2011/10/17 05:11:24 UTC
To me I love the solid feeling of launching with my feet still on the ground but flying my wing with virtually full control through a tight hangstrap.
Nic Welbourn - 2011/10/17 05:40:09
Canberra
Maybe a tight hang strap would have alerted you to the dropping wing a nano-second earlier...
Ryan Voight - 2011/10/17 06:49:47 UTC
Tight vs loose hang strap. Someone nailed it when they said tight hang strap is better if the conditions are smooth enough to let the glider fly...
Walt Conklin - 2011/10/17 18:12:16 UTC
Montana
Just launching with a loose hang strap started the reaction.
And, of course, NOT ONE of these eight individuals commenting on tight suspension - including UberInstructor Ryan Voight - nor the other nineteen people participating in this 59 post thread appears to recognize that tight suspension JUST PRIOR TO LAUNCH may offer another advantage or be least bit troubled that there's absolutely nothing going on in the way of connection confirmation.
Jaime Perry - 2010/04/26 22:46:43 UTC
Trenton, Georgia
Yes always check your leg loops, I use the aussie method and hang my harness on the glider and just recently got to the ramp and did my hang check and found out I wasn't in the leg loops. Good thing I had a hang check, I always tug on each loop as part of the hang check as I was taught by my wonderful instructers at LMFP.
Oh well, he's got Lookout's lead wonderful instructor on his right wing so that should be plenty good enough.
Steve Corbin - 2011/10/17 04:13:27 UTC
Crestline
Get as far forward on the ramp as possible, this will help ensure that both wings are in "clean" air. It will also reduce the chances of a ramp strike if one wing does go down.
Brandon Russell - 2011/10/17 04:35:16 UTC
This is the main thing I was hoping someone would point out. In my preflight with the wire crew I even said "I will go all the way to the red line" ... the problem is that I didn't.
All good suggestions as well. In this case, Gordon (right wire) is an instructor at Lookout and has wired for me many times. Rob (left wire) I have flown with quite a few times and I have seen him wire crew a lot as well. Same with Johnathan on my keel. I talked with my crew before hand and gave everyone intstructions. They all did exactly what I asked of them.
As far as my experience; I am a H3 pilot with "almost exactly" 100 launches from this ramp within the last 2 1/2 years. I have a very good understanding of the dynamics to launch from this ramp, which is why I'm kicking myself for not moving far enough out into the "real" airflow. I knew thats what I was suppossed to do. I had even told two or three pilots before me, "keep your nose down, and get all the way to the red line" ... why I didn't do the same ... there lies the problem. I don't know.
Brandon Russell - 2011/10/17 05:47:41 UTC
Agreed ... My wire crew did absolutley nothing wrong.
NMERider - 2011/10/17 05:48:32 UTC
I also agree that getting a little farther out into the airflow would have helped avoid the incident.
Just launch as far out into the airflow as you can safely get in high winds.
Ryan Voight - 2011/10/17 06:49:47 UTC
Ok, first and foremost- major props for having the brass to post this here... it's one thing for pilots to hear about walking up to the red line... it's another thing to SEE what can happen when you don't.
Yes, I agree walking up to (or past) the red line would be a good idea. If it's strong and you only need a few steps, not just moving to the start of the slope of the ramp, but actually starting ON the slope can further help. Picture that the wind is probably bending around that bend in the terrain... even walking up to the edge, you're still in bending air.
Keith Skiles - 2011/10/17 16:13:47 UTC
Soddy Daisy, Tennessee
Secondly, you should have for sure been at the red line.
Matt Pericles - 2011/10/18 02:25:05 UTC
Roswell, Georgia
I think Keith pretty much nailed the first issue, that you should have started with your toes on the red line. Every time I see one of Lookout's instructors coaching someone on a wire assist, they're always getting the pilot out farther than the pilot thinks he needs to go.
And less than two years prior - 2009/11/27 - at the other big northwest ramp about thirty-two and a half miles to the NNE...
I did not see Chris Thale launch but talked to almost everyone who did. I was told his nose was too high and that he was six feet behind the red line when he yelled clear and began his launch. I was also told he was instructed to lower his nose several times. Immediately after clearing his wire crew, his left wing began to drop and right wing raised, this continued as he went down the ramp. When he hit the vertical airflow at the edge of the ramp where the red line is, his nose popped up even higher and the glider entered into a 180 degree turn to the left back toward the cliff face. He impacted the rock cliff face straight on, then the glider dropped nose-down to the ledge about 75 feet below.
And WHO announces it on The Jack Show?
Brandon Russell - 2009/11/28 04:14:06 UTC
It seems this year has been really bad statistically.
My prayers are with family and friends.
And he's got three people on his wires - including Lookout's lead wonderful instructor on his right - and NOBODY sees to it that the glider starts from the red line?
Group intelligence.
gluesniffer - 2011/10/17 04:30:19 UTC
Brandon, looks like your wire crew did a solid job.
Yeah, sure they did.
Move up to the red line, let the glider get into up and into the airflow and do what it wants to - fly, you're feeling the suspension at the only time it matters, there's a lot more air between all parts of the glider and the concrete, and with a thrust of a foot and a little nose up you fly - instead of fall - off the ramp.
Are you kidding me? Bob's not interested in anything "getting through a little". If he wants to embarrass himself on a public forum, so be it.
Besides, hammering on Bob isn't going to help Al much.
Do you have reason to believe Al's instructor is incompetent?
Yeah, I'm afraid I had been reluctantly reaching that conclusion for some time. And as of last night, it seems, we're on the brink of war. Oh well, whatever the case, he can still be beaten up just for fun. And he's given us so much really good ammunition.
I have a long list of hang gliding people who have proven over the course of a couple of posts or a couple of decades that they should never again be allowed to participate in and derail and sabotage discussions. And I'll tell y'all right now that Sam Kellner is pretty solidly on it.
Damn, I just NEVER get tired of people proving me right.
Al... The right attitude but I AM having a bit more trouble with the "just prior" concept than I had hoped.
Al's instructor...
How can one read ANYTHING on the forums without reaching the conclusion that they all are - massively. Maybe one or two doing things mostly right but we've got zilch in the way of critical mass.
Al's in particular...
I'm not a whole lot happier about Al's first couple of flights off Packsaddle than I am about John Seward's last. But maybe Zack can give us something on the plus side worth considering.
True story. I was showing a workmate how to use a dial indicator. He couldn't figure out how it worked so he came to the ONLY logical conclusion "this tool must be broken".
I've wanted to fly for many years and recently attempted to take the first step. I found a instructer somewhat local, got my H1 and bought a freedom 170. My flying is very limited(scooter tow) because wind conditions were not right at the training hill(about 3 hours away). Well, on my ninth scooter tow(less than 10 feet on previous tows, I screwed up. During my run I reached "my" top speed and was *still* on the ground. This hadnt happended on any previous runs. Sooo, I sort of fell/dove/pushed out on the glider all in one futile motion. The glider instantly went up to maybe 20 feet with me almost prone and fully extended. Paniced, I held that postion and fell *almost* straight back down. Somehow I hyperextended both elbows(never let go of downtubes) resulting in completely torn triceps(both) and completely torn medial collateral ligamants(both elbows). I'm about 2 weeks out of surgery and helpless/ but thankfull for what I still have. I want to continue my lessons but am having second thoughts. Any input would be appreciated...
I am deeply saddened by this news these are the heroes I grew up watching, nothing is more patriotic in the UK than seeing these guys do their thing and to lose two in a year is criminal, especially when it involves a safety device.
bisleybob - 2011/11/09 07:47:06 UTC
Early reports seem to indicate it was Red 5 Sean Cunningham 35, but we still await full confirmation.
Ejector seat malfunctioned on the ground sending him through the glass then chute not opened.
Tad, have you ever been dragged on a blown foot launch with too strong of a weaklink? I have, sideways. It ain't fun. Some years later when more had been learned and things changed, I messed up again in similar fashion, the .8G weaklink broke and kept me from being dragged as before. As well, one of our newer pilots on his first day out static towing, had a wimpy, wallowing takeoff from "running into" the line. The observer called for the car to stop, pilot slid in on his belly and the weaklink broke allowing him to stop quickly without the glider doing a ground tumble. Had the weaklink been stronger...
But I guess empiric evidence like this doesn't count for anything in your world.
Tad Eareckson - 2011/11/27 01:49:22 UTC
Tad, have you ever been dragged on a blown foot launch with too strong of a weaklink?
1. No. The chances of blowing a foot launch tow are about ten thousand times higher than the chances of blowing a dolly or platform launch so I avoid foot launch tows like the plague.
The weak link broke from the tow plane side. The towline was found underneath the wreck, and attached to the glider by the weaklink. The glider basically fell on the towline.
You wanna comment on THAT empirical evidence? Or do the conditions of your USHGA Safety Award preclude you from saying anything negative about understrength weak links?
Peter Birren - 2011/11/27 02:13:08 UTC
No, I'm not going to comment on Arlan's accident and you really ought to quit as well because neither you nor I were there. The difference is that you have no trouble talking out your ass about that which you know nothing about. I could, however, speculate on several scenarios from having spoken at great length with the tug pilot and eyewitnesses. How many of those at the site did you speak with?
Tad Eareckson - 2011/11/27 04:47:34 UTC
No, I'm not going to comment on Arlan's accident and you really ought to quit as well because neither you nor I were there.
1. And yet ANOTHER never fails indicator that you're dealing with someone with a brain half the size of a walnut.
"If you weren't looking up through a telescope while the Columbia broke and burned up during reentry you couldn't POSSIBLY have any idea what went wrong and why."
2. ARLAN didn't have an ACCIDENT. Arlan ran a dangerous operation using dangerous equipment out of compliance with USHGA/FAA regulations and got his student (Jeremiah Thompson) killed in the course of a NOTHING, ROUTINE, tandem training flight. The fact that Arlan got killed too was incidental to the real tragedy.
The difference is that you have no trouble talking out your ass about that which you know nothing about.
Yeah dickhead? Then why don't you start telling me what I've got wrong, disgrace me in front of my cult members, and start bringing them back to The True Path of USHGA Righteousness?
I could, however, speculate on several scenarios from having spoken at great length with the tug pilot and eyewitnesses.
Why bother? You weren't there so getting eyewitness accounts could serve no possible purpose in enhancing your understanding of the situation.
How many of those at the site did you speak with?
1. Those at the site at the time? NONE.
2. So how did what they told you off the record differ from what they put in print?
3. In other words, when were they telling the truth and when were they lying?
4. What were their reasons for lying and/or suppressing accurate information about the crash?
5. What are your reasons for not having publicized your conclusions about why this double killing took place? Did the eyewitnesses swear you to secrecy before whispering their true accounts? Or does USHGA recall your Safety Award if you don't go along with the whitewashes and coverups?
6. Ya wanna start by explaining why the front end weak link blew before the glider's - when neither aircraft was in immediate danger - when the Standard Operating Procedures state that it should be a hundred pounds over?
P.S. Bob, you wanna help him out a bit here? Tell that he should just ignore the questions to which the answers will be inconvenient? Show him how to break through walls to extract himself from the corners he's painted himself into? I'm certain he'll be eternally grateful.
Bob Kuczewski - 2011/11/27 14:49:31 UTC
Peter, I do think you should pretty much ignore Tad at this point. Tad doesn't really want to make progress in this sport. If he did, then he'd be doing what I've suggested above. Furthermore, I believe Tad is motivated more by some sort of twisted revenge than by any desire to actually improve the sport. So you cannot have a calm and rational discussion with him if you're one of his chosen targets for that revenge.
Warren Narron - 2011/11/27 16:52:45 UTC
I've already said that Peter doesn't need any encouragement to ignore uncomfortable questioning.
Now that Birren has argued his way into a corner, he is given a free pass to skip merrily down the road past the very bodies he can now refuse to talk about?
I'm no psychiatrist and I don't think you are one either, Bob. Personally I think that field is mostly witchcraft.
Let Peter Birren answer the questions. He came here looking for a fight, let him fight.
If he knows something in contrast to the politically expedient story that we have heard, then he needs to say it. Come out of the box Peter, and answer the questions.
Tad Eareckson - 2011/11/29 06:48:33 UTC
Peter, I do think you should pretty much ignore Tad at this point.
I KNEW Peter could count on you! He was really getting beat up bad and guys like you need to stick together and stay on the same page if you have any hope of staying on top.
Furthermore, I believe Tad is motivated more by some sort of twisted revenge than by any desire to actually improve the sport.
I just never can figure out why you keep assuming that these are mutually exclusive hobbies and that one should be denied the joy of doing both.
Peter Birren - 2011/12/01 01:19:21 UTC
...So after your having denigrated for the last time my good friends Don Hewett and Rob Richardson, twisting the words and experiences of both to suit your own agenda, and the impossibility of carrying on a rational discussion with you, I'm done.
Tad Eareckson - 2011/12/01 06:09:03 UTC
Sorry, I missed the parts where I denigrated either of your good friends. Can you quote me something?
I'm not denigrating Donnell - just sayin' he majorly screwed the pooch. He got the assumptions and the physics wrong and IF you could understand high school physics you would be capable of understanding that.
If you REALLY were a good friend to Donnell you'd work to understand what he got wrong and try to fix it - but that's WAY above your pay grade. All you've got is "It must be OK 'cause he's a physics professor and lotsa people are doing it that way."
...twisting the words and experiences of both to suit your own agenda...
Uh, yeah. So exactly what is my agenda? I keep forgetting.
...and the impossibility of carrying on a rational discussion with you...
Yeah, I'd say that it IS impossible for you to carry on a rational discussion with me.
...I'm done.
1. Hell, you were done fifteen years ago five minutes after you put two X-Acto knife blades in a plastic tube and declared all hang glider towing problems history.
2. OK. But you might wanna keep watching your six - 'CAUSE I'M NOT. And you've given me A LOT of really great material to work with.
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc.
Standard Operating Procedure
12. Rating System
02. Pilot Proficiency System
12. USHPA Hang Gliding Aerotow Ratings
-A. Aerotow Rating (AT)
The aerotow skill is a demonstration of the pilot's ability to launch and tow successfully and safely behind a flying tow vehicle. This rating is available to Novice and above rated pilots, and may be demonstrated through "dolly" launch or other launch procedures.
Just how successfully and safely can a pilot demonstrate his ability to launch behind a flying tow vehicle if he's using OTHER launch procedures?
Pilots participating in aerotowing are required to have the aerotow rating or be under the supervision of an Aerotow Official.
- Does this supervision allow the Aerotow Official to:
-- specify the weak link to be far under the 0.8 Gs that the FAA specifies as a minimum allowable rating for sailplanes?
-- mandate that the student fly with towing equipment that he sells and in no way conforms to the requirements given in these SOPs?
- Does said Aerotow Official hafta be capable of passing a forth grade arithmetic test?
In order to receive the rating, a pilot must pass the AT written exam and demonstrate the following to an Aerotow Official:
1. Demonstrates the assembly and preflight of the system, including inspection of the tow line...
- What are we supposed to be inspecting the towline for? You don't have any specifications or requirements for it.
- Any strength or condition requirements? Or can we just forget about those 'cause no tug was ever worse off after a towline failure? OK, let's assume weak points - abrasion, knots...
- You don't specify a minimum weak link for the glider, you allow all the tow operations to force everybody up on 130 pound Greenspot...
We had six weaklink breaks in a row at Zapata this year.
...which blows at random so you're not the least bit worried about us popping off at ANY altitude under ANY circumstances.
- You're not worried about us getting stuck with any length of the rope because you don't mandate that the front end weak link be heavier than the glider's - and it frequently isn't.
- Wouldn't the glider be better off with a crappy towline when the crappy tug driver is using a crappy front end weak link?
- When was the last time you heard about an aero towline failing anyway?
- When was the last time you saw a glider pilot walking up and back the length of a 250 foot towline in his harness while the Dragonfly idling before hooking in and taking off?
- Do you think that if a glider pilot found a weak spot in the course of such a stroll the tug driver or flight park operator would do anything about it?
- How come we have to inspect the towline but we don't hafta fly with wheels.
Obviously one of the dangers of an elastic towline is that when it breaks, it can spring back and hit the pilot with much force--I've heard of a (nylon?) towline actually breaking its way through the canopy and into the cockpit of a sailplane after it broke under a heavy load.
Rodney Nicholson - 1986/11
Ontario Hang Gliding Association
In the third and most recent incident, the weak link broke shortly after launch and the end of the tow rope, with metal ring attached, whiplashed back and hit the spotter/winch operator in the eye. At present the chances appear 90 percent that he will lose the eye completely.
- Can we use polypro - or nylon?
- Is twisted just as good as braided?
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
- How 'bout length? Does that matter?
- After successfully demonstrating this towline inspection skill, when will the student next apply it? When he gets through the launch line and into position on the runway is he supposed to walk in his harness 250 feet to the downwind end of the idling Dragonfly and back to his glider before hooking back in, proning out and giving the thumb's up?
- Oh! You're having us inspect the towline because it could be dangerous if we blow off at the right time?
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
Typically pilots continue using a line until it begins to break on a regular basis at normal tow tensions. Given the general tendency by pilots to save money, it is probable that you will experience a line failure during a towing career.
- If we find a weak spot is the tug driver required to make a repair or replace the line?
- So how come you don't specify a minimum rating for the glider's weak link?
- How 'bout the tug's weak link? What's the point of inspecting the towline if you don't inspect the front end weak link?
- When was the last time you heard about an aero towline failing?
- If the pilot finds the tug's weak link to be noncompliant with the recommendation that it be a hundred pounds over his, what strategy is he supposed to use to get the driver to get his stuff up to snuff?
- How many people in USHGA controlled aerotowing have the slightest clue as to the strength of a tug end weak link?
- How 'bout the breakaway in the tow mast?
- What's the point in preflighting a crappy towline for defects...
The top one is the Spectra, the bottom, the Vectran. The bridle is thin and gets out of your way right away. Easily stored. Also creates less drag if you don't put it away. Much stronger than your weaklink. I change my bridle once a year after about fifty tows.
Or is the crap Davis peddles to his clueless constituency OK?
- Does the bottom eye of the primary bridle need a thimble so the primary and secondary don't saw themselves apart and the secondary will feed through reliably in the event the pilot has to deal with a wrap?
- Can the secondary bridle be twenty times longer than in needs to be?
- If we find a weak spot in the primary bridle do we have to replace it?
- If yes, why? You don't specify a minimum weak link.
...and releases.
What are we checking?
- That we can get to it in an emergency without killing ourselves? Or is it OK to velcro the lever to a downtube?
- How much bend in the barrel release pin are we allowed to have?
- If we have an assistant put a thirty pound strain on the towline and the release works are we good to go?
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
A weak link is the focal point of a safe towing system.
Don't we hafta preflight the FOCAL POINT of our safe towing system? Shouldn't we all make sure that the loop of 130 pound Greenspot doesn't have any more than ten tows on it?
2. Demonstrates understanding of signals between tow vehicle pilot and glider pilot.
01. Foot launch - hooked in and ready.
Kick leg to the side or nod head.
02. Foot launch - not hooked in after all.
Raise glider high while running behind glider, slam nose into asphalt, and shove head through lower and upper sail surfaces immediately to the left of the keel.
03. Foot launch - have concussion and need medical attention.
Lie motionless with head protruding through upper surface until someone calls 911.
04. Foot launch - unable to accelerate to flying speed, no wheels on basetube, inaccessible release.
Flatten control frame, shout "Stop!!! Stop!!! Stop!!!" while glider disintegrates around you, plow seventy-five meter furrow down center of runway.
05. Dolly launch - ready and using Lookout Release.
Remove hook knife from sheath, make hacking motion at bottom end of primary bridle, and place in teeth.
06. Dolly launch - hole found in Florida Ridge runway.
Snap off dolly wheel, slam into runway on shoulder, remain motionless, bleed.
07. Need another loop of 130 pound Greenspot.
Pop off tow at three feet and break downtube.
08. Tug weak link insufficient.
Pull towline off and trail over basetube.
09. Excessive speed.
Oscillate until sufficient reduction is made.
10. Insufficient speed - level mush.
Hold bar out until tug comes back down and accelerates or front end weak link fails.
11. Insufficient speed - tip stall.
Hold bar out with stalled wing low until tug comes back down and over to the direction of the stalled wing and accelerates or front end weak link fails.
Dive steeply until glider breaks negative, deploy parachute if altitude, time, and spinning wreckage allow.
13. Low level lockout, Wallaby Release lever on downtube and/or Bailey Release on shoulder.
Roll to seventy degree bank angle, break weak link if altitude allows, dive into runway head first.
Must demonstrate system set up and pre-flight, including a complete discussion of all those factors which are particular to the specific aerotow system used and those factors which are relevant to aerotowing in general.
- Carefully inspect your backup loop so you don't have to look at your primary - ever.
- If you're connecting your primary release to your locking steel carabiner turn the carabiner around backwards so that the force transmitted by your 130 pound Greenspot doesn't tear the gate open from the inside. Don't worry what would happen to your parachute bridle if it tried to rip past the locking mechanism - you probably won't need your parachute anyway.
- If you're flying with a Lookout Release make sure your hook knife blades are still sufficiently sharp.
- Wheels are recommended for any pilot who has not yet completed his spot landing requirement for his Hang Two and thus demonstrated the ability to safely and unerringly stop the glider on his feet under any set of circumstances which might present itself.
- Beyond the Hang Two level wheels are strongly discouraged as they are known to cause landing skills to deteriorate.
- A solo glider with a flying weight from 165 to 265 pounds must use a single loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot at the top of a two or either end of a one point bridle to put him at the recommended weak link rating of 1.0 Gs.
- A solo glider with a flying weight from 265 to 360 pounds must use a single loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot at the top of a two or either end of a one point bridle to put him at the recommended weak link rating of 1.0 Gs.
- A solo glider with a flying weight of exactly 265 pounds may, at the discretion of the tug pilot, use either a single loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot or a single loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot at the top of a two or either end of a one point bridle.
- A tandem glider of any flying weight must use a DOUBLE loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot to put it at the recommended weak link rating of 1.0 Gs.
- Under NO circumstances may a solo glider use a DOUBLE loop of 130 pound Cortland Greenspot as this overrides the tug's weak link and SEVERELY endangers the pilot.
- Use only equipment sold by the park at which you're flying - it's got a long track record and anything else is unproven.
- Bent pin barrel releases are preferable to straight pins because they allow pilots to connect directly to extremely heavy bridle lines without having to install weak links.
- The secondary / one point bridle should be two to four feet long because it says so in Towing Aloft.
- Velcro the release lever to the right downtube and give it a test swat - being careful not to spin it to the side before the spinnaker shackle is opened.
- If the spinnaker shackle fails to open the pilot should gear himself to actuate the Bailey Release.
Must demonstrate complete understanding of both normal and emergency procedures, including checklists for normal procedures, indications of possible impending emergencies...
It's agreed that Mike hit a strong thermal shortly after launching. Placing streamers on both sides of the runway, at regular intervals, would help detect if a thermal is coming through the takeoff area. If all the streamers are pointing the same way, it's safe to launch. If some of the streamers start moving other directions or reversing, it's obvious some kind of turbulence is coming through. This is not a new idea, it's not expensive (wood stakes and surveyor's tape) yet I've never seen anyone do this. Maybe it's time we start.
- When the streamers along the runway start moving in other directions or reversing.
Davis Straub - 2003/01/05
Deniliquin, New South Wales
Hikobe Junko was killed today in the tow paddock after locking out during a car tow. She smashed into the ground next to our lane and could not be revived.
Hitting a dust devil low has happened and I've witnessed the carnage that that can create. Pilots need to put small flags down the tow strip to check the wind.
Pilots must use weaklinks provided by the meet organizers and in a manner approved by the meet organizers. All weaklinks will be checked and use of inappropriate weaklinks will require the pilot to go to the end of the launch line to change the weaklink.
Weaklinks will consist of a single loop of Cortland 130 lb Greenspot braided Dacron Tolling line and should be placed at one end of a shoulder bridle.
- When your flying weight is 320 pounds and you notice the 200 pound little girl glider in front of you is using the exact same weak link you are.
- When you've just popped off tow straight and level in smooth air five feet off the cart, crashed, and returned to the flight line and the meet officials hand you a weak link loop identical to the one that just dumped you.
- When you've just popped off tow straight and level in smooth air five feet off the cart, crashed, and returned to the flight line, the meet officials hand you weak link loop identical to the one that just dumped you, and no one participating in the meet has the slightest clue that there's anything wrong with the weak link standard.
Davis Straub - 2011/08/26 14:04:52 UTC
We had six weaklink breaks in a row at Zapata this year.
- When you're using the exact same weak link as the one the six people who just went down in front of you were.
Davis Straub - 2011/08/25 13:58:48 UTC
We have the Cortland line in bulk, as does Quest Air.
- When there's a big spool of 130 pound Greenspot at the head of the flight line.
I got clobbered and rolled hard right in a split second. There was a very large noise and jerk as the relatively heavy weak link at the tug broke giving me the rope.
- When your flight park operator refers to a tug end weak link as being "relatively heavy" 'cause he's got no more freakin' clue as to what its breaking strength is than he does about the one he's using.
Quest Air
When attaching the weak link to the bridle, position the knot so that it's hidden from the main tension in the link and excluded altogether from the equation.
- When a flight park operator tells you to, when attaching the weak link to the bridle, position the knot so that it's hidden from the main tension in the link and excluded altogether from the equation.
When I retrieved the rope and bridle after the flight, I was shocked at how profoundly the line had wrapped around the 'biner. I have heard about the line being able to wrap, but in thousands of aerotows I have never experienced it.
Apparently the longer the weak link the greater its propensity to wrap.
- When the flight park that's been involved in perfecting aerotowing for nearly twenty years is only now beginning to understand that the longer the weak link the greater its propensity to wrap.
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
A weak link is the focal point of a safe towing system.
Speed controlled towing is when the speed of the device doing the towing is maintained at a reasonably constant value. Controls, such as throttle, are used to keep the speed of the tow vehicle or tow winch operating at a constant speed. Towline tension can vary dramatically in response to thermals, sink, pilot corrections, etc. Aerotowing is clearly in this category as the tug needs to maintain a minimum speed to prevent stalling. Many of the early towing efforts of the '70s where the vehicle drove at a fixed speed would also fall into this category. Weak links very clearly will provide protection from excessive angles of attack, high bank turns and the like for this form of towing.
- When there are copies of Towing Aloft for sale at the flight park.
Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01 13:47:23 UTC
Whatever's going on back there, I can fix it by giving you the rope.
- When you've centerpunched a thermal just off the cart and have the bar to your knees and some asshole on the other end of the string who's previously announced his intention to make a good decision in the interest of your safety.
GT Manufacturing Inc. and Lookout Mountain Flight Park Inc. make no claim of serviceability of this tow equipment. There is no product liability insurance covering this gear and we do not warrant this gear as suitable for towing anything. We make no claim of serviceability in any way and recommend that you do not use this aerotow gear if you are unwilling to assume the risk.
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If you are uncomfortable with the risk of using this tow gear you will need to get gear that you are comfortable with or do not tow.
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Learn and understand the risk and the use of this gear.
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The new GT aerotow release is designed to be used with a 130-pound green stripe Dacron tournament fishing line weak link. At this time it is not recommended to use this release with a higher value weak link. We are confident that with an ultimate load of 130 pounds at the release point, the new GT aerotow release works better than all cable releases that we have experience with.
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Basically, if you notice a trend of increasing release pull-pressures under similar load conditions then your release needs to be inspected.
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The primary release may fail at any time; this is why a secondary release must be used on all tows.
- When two thirds of the owner's manual of your release is dedicated to telling you that it won't work.
Oz Report's Useful Goodies - 2011/02/09
Pro tow Mini Barrel Release and Bridle, $40.
This release won't accidently open by hitting your base tube, if you connect it to your chest tabs. It is small and easily stored. If you can't store it during flight, it is the most aerodynamic one available. The bridle is thin and gets out of your way right away. Easily stored. Also creates less drag if you don't put it away. Much stronger than your weaklink. I change bridles about once a year after about fifty tows. I've never had one break.
- When the advertising for your tow equipment bubbles over with claims of how small, easily stored, aerodynamic, strong, and durable it is but makes no mention whatsoever of it actually working as a release.
But I've had it once where the pin had bent inside the barrel from excessive tow force. My weaklink was still intact. The tug pilot's weaklink broke so I had the rope. I had to use two hands to get the pin out of the barrel.
No stress because I was high.
- When your release pin is bent before it leaves the display case.
Have you never pondered what you would do in a situation where you CAN'T LET GO to release? I'd purposefully break the weaklink, as described above. Instant hands free release
On June of 2008 (2008/06/02) during a fast tow, I noticed I was getting out of alignment, but I was able to come back to it. The second time it happen I saw the tug line 45 deg off to the left and was not able to align the glider again I tried to release but my body was off centered and could not reach the release. I kept trying and was close to 90 deg. All these happen very quickly, as anyone that has experienced a lock out would tell you. I heard a snap, and then just like the sound of a WWII plane just shut down hurdling to the ground, only the ball of fire was missing. The tug weak link broke off at 1000ft, in less than a second the glider was at 500ft.
- When you're relying on an instant hands free release which has a minimum safe operating altitude of five hundred feet.
Jim Rooney - 2009/11/02 18:58:13 UTC
Oh yeah... an other fun fact for ya... ya know when it's far more likely to happen? During a lockout. When we're doing lockout training, the odds go from 1 in 1,000 to over 50/50.
- When you're getting equipment from flight park shitheads that has a greater than fifty percent failure rate in emergency drills.
Jim Rooney - 2009/11/02 18:58:13 UTC
Oh yeah... an other fun fact for ya... ya know when it's far more likely to happen? During a lockout. When we're doing lockout training, the odds go from 1 in 1,000 to over 50/50.
- When you're using shitrigged equipment from equipment from flight park shitheads that has a greater than fifty percent failure rate in emergency drills because it's Industry Standard and has a long track record.
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC
Oh how many times I have to hear this stuff.
I've had these exact same arguments for years and years and years.
Nothing about them changes except the new faces spouting them.
It's the same as arguing with the rookie suffering from intermediate syndrome.
They've already made up their mind and only hear that which supports their opinion.
Only later, when we're visiting them in the hospital can they begin to hear what we've told them all along.
But you see... I'm the guy you've got to convince.
(or whoever your tug pilot may be... but we all tend to have a similar opinion about this)
- When the parameters under which you're flying are governed by completely unqualified brain dead assholes operating far beyond their mandates based solely on their alleged similar OPINIONS - and not under anything resembling any official regulations, guidelines, or SOPs.
Like Jim said, theyve gone a decade with no fatalities at their tow park. Pretty damn good I say.
- When you're flying at the mercy of a culture in which at which a death every three or four years at a towpark is considered to be par for the course.
HHPA ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of the Club shall be The Houston Hanggliding, Paragliding Association (HHPA).
ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVES
1. To promote a feeling of fellowship and establish closer relations and communication among people interested in hang gliding, paragliding and other non-powered, foot-launched flight, including mountain flying and towing.
- When the primary objective of your local club is to promote a feeling of fellowship.
Accident report is sent to Tim to maintain legal privilege. Tim reviews the report and determines whether there's significant legal risk associated with it. He may redact certain parts (personally identifiable information, etc.) if in his opinion exposure of that information poses a risk to us. If the report is very risky, he may decide that it can't be shared further, and will notify the ED about it. He may also notify our insurers if he sees a potential for a claim, as is normal practice for any incident where we are aware of such a potential.
- When your national organization's lawyer gets to decide whether or not the pilots are entitled to see crash information.
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...
- When the asshole running the flight park is also in a position in the national organization responsible for regulating the flight park and is also in a position in the government agency responsible for regulating the national organization.
...and how to properly execute emergency procedures.
When Jim got me locked out to the right, I couldn't keep the pitch of the glider with one hand for more than a second (the pressure was a zillion pounds, more or less), but the F'ing release slid around when I tried to hit it. The barrel release wouldn't work because we had too much pressure on it.
Anyhow, the tandem can indeed perform big wingovers, as I demonstrated when I finally got separated from the tug.
- Start with plenty of altitude.
- Surrender what control you have left to go for the primary release lever on the downtube.
- When that doesn't work go for the backup (and ignore what might happen if you're able to get it open).
- When that doesn't work go back and work on the primary again.
- When you finally get separated have fun doing big wingovers - as long as you still have enough altitude.
3. Gives a complete discussion of the dangers to the glider pilot and tow vehicle pilot of improper positioning of the glider pilot during tow in both straight and turning flight; being high or low and left or right of the proper center position in straight flight, being too high or low on the inside of a turn, and being too high or low on the outside of a turn.
The Wallaby Ranch Aerotowing Primer for Experienced Pilots - 1998/02
If you fail to maintain the correct tow position (centered, with the wheels of the tug on the horizon), the weak link will break before you can get into too much trouble.
What dangers? If you fail to maintain the correct tow position (centered, with the wheels of the tug on the horizon), the weak link will break before you can get into too much trouble.
4. Must convince the evaluator of the understanding of the correct use of airspeed to achieve maximum distance over the ground in various conditions of wind, lift, sink, etc. The pilot must also convince the evaluator of the understanding of the likely presence of wind, lift, and sink over various types of terrain.
5. Demonstrates successful, confident, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude with a tandem pilot, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight. Must demonstrate proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropriate maintenance of proper tow line tension and airspeed. Must perform and demonstrate proper technique for at least one normal and one crosswind takeoff (actual or simulated) with a tandem pilot. Must demonstrate the ability to control the glider position within the "cone of safety" behind the aerotow vehicle by performing "cross" and "diamond" maneuvers during tow at altitude with a tandem rated pilot who is experienced and proficient at performing those maneuvers. (Note: This checks for positive control and lockout prevention skills, somewhat like the "boxing the wake" maneuver used for sailplane aerotow check flights, but "boxing the wake" must not be performed by hang gliders on tow due to lack of 3-axis control.) The candidate must demonstrate the ability to recover from roll oscillations induced by the tandem pilot. The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to properly react to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude. Such demonstrations should be made in smooth air. A minimum of 2 tandem flight demonstrations must be made to the rating official.
...and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight.
Yeah, turn to the right. That's a real biggie in hang glider aerotowing. MUCH more important than a release you can get to in a lockout.
Must demonstrate the ability to control the glider position within the "cone of safety" behind the aerotow vehicle...
Where exactly is this "cone of safety"? A couple of times I've been tracking just fine straight and level behind the tug and an instant later trying to figure out where the tug went and why the horizon is tilted seventy degrees from what I thought I remembered it being.
Bill Bryden - 2000/02
Dennis Pagen informed me several years ago about an aerotow lockout that he experienced. One moment he was correcting a bit of alignment with the tug and the next moment he was nearly upside down. He was stunned at the rapidity. I have heard similar stories from two other aerotow pilots.
Guess we're just not all that good at staying within the Cone Of Safety. Are there special glasses we can buy to see it better?
...by performing "cross" and "diamond" maneuvers during tow at altitude with a tandem rated pilot who is experienced and proficient at performing those maneuvers.
Is there a list of tandem rated pilots who really have this Cone Of Safety thing down? I know a lot of people who could really benefit from training like that - or would have if they were still around.
This checks for positive control and lockout prevention skills....
Why do we need positive control and lockout prevention skills?
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
Weak links very clearly will provide protection from excessive angles of attack, high bank turns and the like for this form of towing.
..somewhat like the "boxing the wake" maneuver used for sailplane aerotow check flights, but "boxing the wake" must not be performed by hang gliders on tow due to lack of 3-axis control.
Oh! So compared to sailplanes, hang glider control authority kinda sucks. So what happens when a hang glider with crappy control authority is locking out and has REALLY crappy control authority and then you try to fly it with one hand while you try to swat the release lever without spinning it around the downtube?
Anybody who is truly a good pilot, in any form of aviation, knows that the knowledge, skills, and judgement you have in your head, learned from thorough instruction from a good instructor with a good curriculum, are the best pieces of equipment you can fly with. Good equipment is important, the best equipment is a well-trained brain.
But I have seen others fail twice and one of them was during one of my training tandems. I just kept hitting the brake lever for a few seconds in WTF mode, and the instructor used the barrel release.
You just use your well-trained brain to WILL a favorable outcome.
Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
Daniel F. Poynter
1974
"Never take your hands off the bar." - Tom Peghiny
So it really doesn't matter WHAT kind of release configuration you use - as long as it's Industry Standard.
The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to properly react to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude. Such demonstrations should be made in smooth air.
Oh!!! So we do the simulation way up high and in smooth air. So weak link breaks are DANGEROUS. Dude! Are you SURE?
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 02:44:10 UTC
The "purpose" of a weaklink is to increase the safety of the towing operation. PERIOD.
I've always heard just the opposite.
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC
You've not heard about strong-link incidents.
Uh, yeah... cuz we don't let you use them.
"light" weaklink issues?
"I had to land"... boo hoo.
At the ABSOLUTE WORST no more than a minor inconvenience.
So after we do these nice safe tandem simulations at two thousand feet we'll be fully qualified to handle 130 pound Greenspot...
I witnessed the one at Lookout. It was pretty ugly. Low angle of attack, too much speed and flew off the cart like a rocket until the weak link broke, she stalled and it turned back towards the ground.
So far I've only had negative experiences with weak links. One broke while aerotowing just as I was coming off the cart. Flared immediately and put my feet down only to find the cart still directly below me. My leg went through the two front parallel bars forcing me to let the glider drop onto the control frame in order to prevent my leg from being snapped.
...in thermal conditions any time it feels like hitting us from the moment the towline goes taut on.
6. Demonstrates successful, confident, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude as a solo pilot, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight. Must demonstrate proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropriate maintenance of proper tow line tension and airspeed. Such demonstrations may be made in smooth or mildly turbulent air. A minimum of 3 solo flight demonstrations must be made to the rating official. Additional instruction or mentorship should be provided to help the newly rated aerotow pilot gradually transition to towing in mid-day thermal/turbulent conditions.
- Do we get to use a REAL weak link at the back and one a hundred pounds over up front? Or do we hafta use a shitty little loop of 130 pound Greenspot at the back and whatever the asshole on the tug feels like up front? 'Cause - thanks to what I was conned into using on my end for many years and, after I finally deprogrammed myself, what I knew the assholes up front were doing - I've NEVER HAD a confident launch behind a Dragonfly. And I've had quite a few unsuccessful flights that were controlled by that fucking little piece of fishing line that never made it anywhere NEAR to altitude - especially on good days.
Do the three flights hafta be consecutive?
Davis Straub - 2011/08/26 14:04:52 UTC
We had six weaklink breaks in a row at Zapata this year.
How many tries do we get?
- How are we supposed to demonstrate maintenance of proper tension in both straight and turning flight with a weak link that limits us to half a G?
7. When tandem aerotow instruction is not available, solo-only aerotow instruction may be offered as an alternative. To receive an aerotow rating at the completion of solo-only aerotow instruction, the candidate must perform a minimum of 5 solo aerotow flights under the direct supervision of the rating official during which he/she must demonstrate successful, confident, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight. He/she must demonstrate proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropriate maintenance of proper tow line tension and airspeed. Additional instruction or mentorship should be provided to help the newly rated aerotow pilot gradually transition to towing in mid-day thermal/turbulent conditions.
Oh!
- So if a Hang Zero shows up at a solo only facility he gets to skip the "Cone Of Safety", oscillation, and weak link failure drills.
- But if a Hang Five aerobatics competitor with a zillion static and truck tows under his belt shows up at a tandem facility he's got to go up with (and pay for) a babysitter and go through the bullshit.
- And they both get the same ticket.
B. USHPA Aerotow Vehicle Pilot Rating (ATP)
A pilot must possess this rating to operate a powered ultralight tow vehicle involved in hang glider aerotowing.
No rating required for towing hang gliders with an unpowered ultralight vehicle.
Pilots participating in aerotowing with powered ultralight tow vehicles are required by the FAA to carry a copy of FAA Aerotow Exemption #4144. See Addendum 2 - Exemption #4144 (Towing). A USHPA issued ATP rating is only required for pilots operating Part 103 legal ultralights. For tug pilots towing with E-LSA or S-SLA tugs or other FAA certified aircraft, only an FAA private pilot certificate with an appropriate medical and tow sign off is required; these individuals are not required to hold a USHPA-issued ATP rating.
1. A minimum of ten hours logged air time in type for the aerotow vehicle used, and either:
a. An FAA private pilot license with single engine rating, or
b. A minimum of 100 hours of logged powered ultralight flight time. For the weight-shift Trike tow vehicle, pilots may satisfy 50 of the 100 hours with hang gliding experience.
2. Five flights, either single or dual, as pilot of a hang glider being aerotowed, and five flights as aerotow vehicle pilot aerotowing a hang glider which is piloted by a USHPA Advanced rated pilot highly experienced in aerotowing.
How highly experienced? Someone who's got the Cone Of Safety thing nailed?
3. Must give a complete discussion of aerotow vehicle operations including all normal and emergency procedures, and signals between aerotow pilot and glider pilot, in accordance with the USHPA Aerotowing Guidelines.
WHAT USHPA Aerotowing Guidelines? Where is this document available?
Emergency PROCEDURES? PLURAL?
Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01 13:47:23 UTC
Whatever's going on back there, I can fix it by giving you the rope.
I always thought there was just ONE emergency procedure.
4. Must either:
a. Successfully complete the Intermediate and Advanced pilot written exams, or
b. Possess a USHPA Advanced pilot rating.
So as long as he possess a USHPA Advanced pilot rating he need NOT have successfully completed the Intermediate and Advanced pilot written exams. Yep, that WOULD explain just about all of Threes, Fours, and Fives I know. (Are you the same guys who write the exams?)
Sorry, I missed the part in the USHPA Aerotow Vehicle Pilot Rating requirements and SOPs in which these shitheads get trained, qualified, and authorized to ignore existing equipment standards and determine what will and won't be allowed to go aloft on the gliders they're towing.
C. USHPA Aerotow Equipment Guidelines
- GREAT!!! Previously these were USHPA Aero Vehicle REQUIREMENTS nobody ever made the slightest effort to adhere to or enforce. Now they're just RECOMMENDATIONS.
- Why bother? Nobody's ever made the slightest effort to adhere to or enforce them - regardless of the categorization.
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 10:11:31 UTC
Oh, btw... before you go there, cuz it is where you're headed... please note the word "Guidelines".
Now everybody can do whatever the fuck he feels like with way less than zero accountability.
1. The tow vehicle must have a rated thrust of at least 250 lbs.
Why? You don't specify any minimum weak link rating so there's no guarantee the glider will get any of it.
Oh, wait!!! I understand! That's to keep the TUG safe!
The weak link broke from the tow plane side. The towline was found underneath the wreck, and attached to the glider by the weaklink. The glider basically fell on the towline.
That's so HE can climb out and away from the wreckage after his weak link has blown and whipstalled whoever was behind him.
2. The tow line connection to the towing vehicle must be arranged so as to not hinder the control system of the towing vehicle.
Oh! So we don't want the connection to hinder the control of the TUG - the guy who can fly and release just fine with one hand on the joystick.
But fuck the glider the guy who's already got his control system dangerously compromised just by being on tow, who needs two hands on the basetube at all times and...
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.
...the release actuator goes wherever the hell anybody feels like putting it.
3. A pilot operational release must connect the tow line to the towing vehicle. This release must be operational with zero tow line force up to twice the rated breaking strength of the weak link.
- WHAT weak link? The tug's or the glider's?
- Does the tug's weak link hafta be stronger than the glider's?
- If the tug's release isn't operational in compliance with this "specification" is it OK to just dumb down the front end weak link until success is achieved?
4. A weak link must be placed at both ends of the tow line.
- At a Dragonfly operation has anyone EVER seen a weak link on even ONE end of the towline?
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
I witnessed a tug pilot descend low over trees. His towline hit the trees and caught. His weak link broke but the bridle whipped around the towline and held it fast. The pilot was saved by the fact that the towline broke!
- Has one of these shitheads EVER used a weak link at the BOTTOM end of the bridle - in addition to the one at the top - so that WHEN the bridle wraps at the tow ring he doesn't hafta wait for the towline to snap?
- At ANY aerotow operation has anyone EVER seen a weak link on the BACK end of the towline?
We (and many others) do not recommend using a second weaklink on the non-released end of the bridle.
- What percentage of glider divers are still too fucking stupid to understand that when you don't have a weak link below the tow ring then your plane won't be weak link protected at a time when it has the highest probability of needing to be?
The weak link at the glider end must have a breaking strength that will break...
As opposed to having a breaking strength that WON'T break...
...before the towline tension exceeds twice the weight of the hang glider pilot and glider combination.
And, of course...
Davis Straub - 2008/04/22 14:47:00 UTC
Pilots must use weaklinks provided by the meet organizers and in a manner approved by the meet organizers. All weaklinks will be checked and use of inappropriate weaklinks will require the pilot to go to the end of the launch line to change the weaklink.
Weaklinks will consist of a single loop of Cortland 130 lb Greenspot braided Dacron Tolling line and should be placed at one end of a shoulder bridle.
The actual PILOT of the actual GLIDER actually USING the weak link will have no say whatsoever in its selection.
So a small child clipping into a Falcon 3 145 at 85 pounds (35 under minimum for that glider) and flying one point can safely fly at the USHPA maximum of 2.0 Gs.
A one point 145 at minimum is 1.6.
If you wanna fly a Sport 2 155 two point at the universally recommended 1.0 then hook in at 166 pounds.
A max loaded one point T2 154 - 0.7.
And if you hook in at 300 you can fly a two point Falcon 3 Tandem at 0.6.
If you put a double loop of 130 on the top of the big Falcon you could fly at about 0.9 but that would endanger the tug. Unless you flew it as a tandem with a couple of 150 pounders on it - then it would be OK.
0.6 to 2.0. Really great that USHGA aerotow pilots have such a wide range of safe options for weak link ratings from just one little loop of fishing line.
The weak link at the tow plane end of the towline should break with a towline tension approximately 100 lbs. greater than the glider end.
Oh! It SHOULD break a hundred pounds over the glider's. So this is strictly voluntary. That's OK...
Carlos Weill - 2008/11/30 19:24:09 UTC
I heard a snap, and then just like the sound of a WWII plane just shut down hurdling to the ground, only the ball of fire was missing. The tug weak link broke off at 1000ft, in less than a second the glider was at 500ft.
The tug drivers are a decent, responsible lot who have only the best interests of the glider in mind. I'm absolutely certain they'll all comply with a request this simple, vital, and easily executed.
5. A release must be placed at the hang glider end of the tow line within easy reach of the pilot.
I'm really confused about this "easy reach" concept.
Carlos Weill - 2008/11/30 19:24:09 UTC
I tried to release but my body was off centered and could not reach the release. I kept trying and was close to 90 degrees.
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.
Joe Gregor - 2004/09
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.
It just seems to me like there's no such thing as an "easy reach" when the shit's hitting the fan.
And there's no proven Industry Standard equipment that's available for the basetube or teeth - so we should probably just modify amend the wording a little bit...
"A release must be placed at the hang glider end of the tow line within easy reach of the pilot in non emergency situations."
There. Now EVERYBODY can be compliant! Was that so hard?
This release shall be operational with zero tow line force up to twice the rated breaking strength of the weak link.
What's "operational" mean? Is a release that's "operational" by a bodybuilder with a 0.7 G weak link legal for a fourteen year old little girl flying at 1.5?
Bart Weghorst - 2011/02/25 19:06:26 UTC
But I've had it once where the pin had bent inside the barrel from excessive tow force. My weaklink was still intact. The tug pilot's weaklink broke so I had the rope. I had to use two hands to get the pin out of the barrel.
No stress because I was high.
By what obscene distortion of the word "operational" does the ubiquitous bent pin Bailey Release qualify to get off the ground? Or does it just get a waiver due to the fact that it's Industry Standard and has an enormous track record?
6. The purpose of the weak link is to protect the tow equipment, and may not prevent lockouts or other abnormal flight conditions.
I'm so confused...
Towing Aloft - 1998/01
Weak links very clearly will provide protection from excessive angles of attack, high bank turns and the like for this form of towing.
Dennis and Bill are telling us that its purpose is to provide protection from excessive angles of attack, high bank turns, and the like for this form of towing.
The Wallaby Ranch Aerotowing Primer for Experienced Pilots - 1998/02
If you fail to maintain the correct tow position (centered, with the wheels of the tug on the horizon), the weak link will break before you can get into too much trouble.
Wallaby's telling us that it's to keep us from getting into too much trouble.
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 02:44:10 UTC
The "purpose" of a weaklink is to increase the safety of the towing operation. PERIOD.
God's Special Little Messenger tells us it's to increase the safety of the towing operation. PERIOD.
Weak links are there to protect the equipment not the glider pilot. Anyone who believes otherwise is setting them selves up for disaster.
Steve Kroop, Rooney's good friend, says it isn't.
Tost Flugzeuggerätebau
Weak links protect your aircraft against overloading.
In REAL aviation it's to protect your AIRCRAFT against overloading.
But you're telling us it's to protect the TOW *EQUIPMENT* - and NOT the aircraft.
Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 02:44:10 UTC
The "purpose" of a weaklink is not in question.
I dunno, Jim. Sure seems to me like it is.
- So anyway... If the purpose of the weak link is to protect the TOW EQUIPMENT then why isn't the upper limit based upon the CAPACITY of the tow equipment instead of the WEIGHT of the hang glider pilot and glider combination?
- If the "EQUIPMENT" is Bart's Bailey Release shouldn't we be using much safer weak links?
- If, as you say, it's possible that the weak link MAY not prevent lockouts or other abnormal flight conditions, might it be safe for heavier gliders to use something a little stronger than 130 pound Greenspot?
- Nah. It still MAY. So we better stay on the safe side. Industry Standard, what we use at the flight parks, time tested and proven, works a hell of a lot better than all the other bullshit I've seen out there, huge track record, Bobby's a fucking genius when it comes to this shit.
And from the previous list of REQUIREMENTS, and now conspicuous by absence...
The towed vehicle (un-powered ultralight) must meet or exceed the Hang Glider Manufacturers Association's Airworthiness Standards.
- Yeah, what's the point of having a certified glider if you're gonna tow it from your shoulders and kill the upper speed range and/or take a hand off the basetube in a lockout and send it into an unplanned semiloop?
- Yeah, what's the point of having a certified glider if you're gonna let the reflex bridle go way the hell out of adjustment. If you pull that requirement then when the tug outclimbs Jeremiah Thompson's tandem trainer, the front end weak link blows, and the glider goes into a full luff dive from two hundred feet there's one less bit of negligence to factor into a wrongful death lawsuit.
The tow line must be at least twice as strong as the weak link in use.
Yeah, what's the point of having a required towline minimum when...
-- you don't specify a weak link minimum.
-- the tug drivers don't keep their weak links up to spec - you're better off if the towline DOES blow.
-- ANYTHING that fails between the tug and glider just increases the safety of the towing operation. PERIOD.
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
-- we are SO OVER the practical applied physics and engineering of 1974 hang gliding.
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
Hang Gliding - 1975/09
Column: The Tow Line
Harry Robb
Lines require constant inspection - prior to the first flight of every day by every flyer. In a tournament, the Lineman Starter can inspect some portions of the line on each flight, and the Safety Inspector will inspect the entire line slowly, foot-by-foot, two or three times daily. The tow line is a life line and must be treated with utmost respect.
Donnell Hewett - 19811/10
Now I've heard the argument that "Weak links always break at the worst possible time, when the glider is climbing hard in a near stall situation," and that "More people have been injured because of a weak link than saved by one." Well, I for one have been saved by a weak link and would not even consider towing without one. I want to know without a doubt (1) when I am pushing too hard, and (2) what will break when I push too hard, and (3) that no other damage need result because I push too hard.
Furthermore, I will not use a mechanical weak link no matter how elaborate or expensive because there is always the possibility that it may fail to operate properly. In skyting we use a simple and inexpensive strand of nylon fishing line which breaks at the desired tension limit. There is no possible way for it to jam and fail to release when the maximum tension is exceeded. Sure, it may get weaker through aging or wear and break too soon, but it cannot get stronger and fail to break. If it does break too soon, so what? We simply replace it with a fresh one.
A properly designed weak link must be strong enough to permit a good rate of climb without breaking, and it must be weak enough to break before the glider gets out of control, stalls, or collapses. Since our glider flies level with a 50 pound pull, climbs at about 500 fpm with a 130 pound pull, and retains sufficient control to prevent stalling if a weak link breaks at 200 pounds pull, we selected that value. Of course, a pilot could deliberately produce a stalled break at 200 lbs, just as he can stall a glider in free flight. But if he is trying to limit his climb rate and the forces exceed the break limit, the glider simply drops its nose to the free flight attitude and continues flying. If the weak link breaks (or should the towline break) at less than the 200 pound value, the effect is even less dramatic and controlled flight is still present.
Performance Flying - 1993/04
Dennis Pagen
Next to a low stall and line break due to a gust, the event most likely to maim on tow is a lockout.
Dennis Pagen - 2005/01
Analyzing my incident made me realize that had I released earlier I probably would have hit the ground at high speed at a steep angle. The result may have been similar to that of the pilot in Germany.
Though pushing out to climb to the tug altitude has been a common practice usually accomplished without incident, there is a deep underlying danger in doing this. Should the tandem glider become unattached from the tug during this maneuver, the nose high attitude of the tandem glider attained while doing this will cause a very abrupt stall which will result in a much greater altitude loss than one would expect (possibly more than 750 ft.) The most extreme cases may result in structural failure of the glider.
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc. - 2011/05
Standard Operating Procedure
12. Rating System
02. Pilot Proficiency System
09. Advanced Hang Gliding Rating (H-4)
-B. Required Witnessed Tasks
02. Demonstrated Skills and Knowledge
-j. At a minimum of 500' demonstrate intentional stalls straight ahead and in turns, not exceeding manufacturer's recommended limitations, showing confident, smooth recoveries.
12. USHPA Hang Gliding Aerotow Ratings
-A. Aerotow Rating (AT)
01. Demonstrates the assembly and preflight of the system, including inspection of the tow line, tow line connection, tow bridles and releases.
05. The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to properly react to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude. Such demonstrations should be made in smooth air.
-C. USHPA Aerotow Equipment Guidelines
04. The weak link at the tow plane end of the towline should break with a towline tension approximately 100 lbs. greater than the glider end.
Bill (Cummings),
- Richard Johnson, your tow instructor, was on the right page, along, at the time, with everybody else and with all the smart people ever since.
- Then Donnell comes along in 1981, decides to ignore any and all icebergs and volcanoes of data which don't fit into his delusional visions of how things should be done.
- I think it's extremely questionable whether his overall approach ever made towing safer. Getting the connection off of the basetube and onto the pilot - as was being done independently and simultaneously in England - did GREATLY decrease the glider's instability and GREATLY increase the pilot's control, but this got a lot more people into the air and Donnell's love of weak links which blew on about one out of four normal tows sent the crash rate through the ceiling and his satisfaction with releases which couldn't be actuated in emergencies probably balanced out the kill rate we had had previously.
Ever since the early Eighties USHGA and USHGA pukes have practically snapped their spines bending over backwards to avoid saying that Richard and Harry and all those nuts and bolts reality guys were right but if you read these sonsabitches carefully...
Next to a low stall and LINE BREAK ... the event most likely to maim...
...or kill...
Analyzing my incident made me realize that had I RELEASED earlier...
...or the goddam 130 Greenspot focal point of your "safe" towing system had blown your useless ass would've been just as dead as the poor slob on whom you were reporting.
Should the tandem glider BECOME UNATTACHED from the tug...
And kids, let's see a show of hands from those of you who remember exactly HOW the tandem glider "became" unattached from the tug - at the tug's end - and caused the death of a good student and his rather deserving "instructor" in the deplorable incident which prompted this advisory. (And you solo people don't really hafta worry about 130 pound Greenspot 'cause this is mostly just a tandem issue - solo gliders obey almost entirely different laws of physics.)
Now note that to qualify for a Four you need to do level and rolled stalls AT A MINIMUM of FIVE HUNDRED FEET not exceeding the placard specs. (And I can assure you - you're not gonna find any sane people getting signed off on this one in rough air.)
And you wanna get an aerotow rating?
- USHGA says you gotta inspect the towline. Why? 'Cause Richard and Harry were RIGHT. Of course nobody actually DOES this - for either the purpose of the satisfying requirement or in day to day operations - 'cause, given the crap that all the AT flight park shitheads use and force everybody to use for weak links - it would be a stupid waste of a five hundred foot round trip walk.
- And when you get forced into tandem training (Tracy Tillman wrote the SOPs such that if tandem is available you've gotta take (and pay for) it) you've gotta do simulated weak link failure drills. But you do them UP HIGH and in SMOOTH air 'cause...
-- When the glider's pitched to match the tug's climb and/or in turbulence, weak link failures tend to result in STALLS. And stalls are dangerous - especially shortly after launch in thermal conditions. And the tandem instructor doesn't wanna be endangered by stalls down low and in thermal conditions the way his student will be when he's flying solo on the 130 pound Greenspot he'll be forced to use.
-- If you simulated the kind of weak link failure which terminates a lockout after the pilot fails to release you're gonna lose a LOT of altitude and go WAY beyond placard roll and pitch limitations.
