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Firstly Brian, Harry’s accident is not a “clear and useful
description” of the recent Beverley incident as it happened several years ago. Secondly, in 23 years of gliding I know
of no “old practice” of holding the glider on the ground until the tug gets
airborne. Harry’s incident is
nothing more than a classic case of the perils of persisting with an
unsatisfactory launch. Since the
tug hit the fence without getting airborne (and with the glider still attached),
his lesson is not one of tow position but of what can happen if you allow the
glider to enter the NMA. No one is disagreeing with your earlier point that it is
better to wait until at a safe height before transitioning to low tow, and I
have previously acknowledged this.
However, Harry’s little dissertation adds no support to your previous
argument because his towing position was nothing more than normal and the tug
had not even got airborne. I’m
sorry if you cannot see this. Harry wrote about this accident in AG (August 1994) extolling
the virtues of going into a high tow position at the start of the launch. Mike Valentine wrote a caveat to the
affect that under no circumstances should a position of more than 8 metres above
the tug be adopted. I suggest you
read the “Letters to the Editor” in subsequent issues to get the thoughts of
some other well-respected glider and tug pilots. Finally, it seems the tug pilot involved in Harry’s little
escapade was the pilot of a glider damaged in an aerotow retrieve with the same
tug the flight before! Christopher Thorpe -----Original Message----- What
a singularly unhelpful response to a very clear and useful description of what
happened at Beverley. Of course you can't get any lower than
ground level. And of course the position of about 3 m above the ground is
in accordance with current GFA teaching. What Harry is talking about with his low
tow reference is the impossible situation he would have been in had he followed
the OLD practice of holding the glider down and then following the tug up in
the low tow position - a practice that unfortunately is still followed by a
large number of pilots. As I see it, Harry's posting
reinforces the point that I made a couple of weeks ago about the need to
retrain those pilots who still use the old technique. Christopher H Thorpe wrote: With due respect Harry; the low tow position does not exist
if the tug is still on the ground (unless you are flying a plough).Furthermore,
your stated position of 3 metres (10 feet) above the ground is quite normal
during the early stage of the launch with the tug still to get airborne.What
your incident highlights is that it is safer to release and land straight ahead
on the aerodrome than to persist with a poor launch and enter the
non-manoeuvring area.
It
was an aerotow retieve, the tug was a Pawnee and I was in a Discus. The paddock
was 3000 ft., slightly downhill, short wheat stubble, a 2 kt headwind and clear
of tall obstructions beyond, about as good as you get. After the glider lifted
off I went into high tow as per usual but the tug was not accelerating as well
as expected( It turned out later that the tugs brakes were locking on) As the
gliders pitot was obstructed by the tow rings no accurate speed reading was
available. As the end of the paddock came closer my concerns increased but I
assumed the tug pilot had things under control and would climb away before the
fence, nevertheless to give myself more options I gently eased the glider
somewhar higher, about 3m above the ground but certainly not into an extreme
position. With the glider still attached the tug hit the fence while still on
the ground and slid to a halt 50 m further on severely damaged. I managed
to clear the fence and rudder the glider around to miss a metre high contour
bank. If I had been in low tow there would have been 3 seconds available to get
the glider on the ground and do something - impossible - it would have been the
barbed wire fence. In an accident a Pawnee has a substantial undercarriage, the
motor is out the front ,there is a hopper and an impact absorbing steel tube
frame and the pilot is above the wings A glider pilot has 2 mm of FRP
between him and the outside world, and the mass of the wings is behind his
shoulders. I am probably able to write these notes by using high tow on launch. Should
I have relied on the tug pilot to have releasd me if the launch was doubtful?
He said later he persisted as he knew that if he released me near the fence it
would leave me in an impossible position. As it was no one was hurt which is
what counts. Make no mistake - high tow does give you more options. That little
bit of extra height can makea difference. -- Win a fully furnished luxury Gold Coast
waterfront home and support Australian War |
- [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:59 +1000 Harry Medlicott
- Re: [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:5... Glenn Dunstan
- RE: [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:5... Christopher H Thorpe
- Re: [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:5... Brian Wade
- Re: [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:5... Christopher H Thorpe
- Re: [aus-soaring] Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 23:13:5... Brian Wade
