Mike and others might be interested in the BGAs effort to make winch
launching safer. They analysed all the accidents and incidents going back 35
years and published "Safe Winch Launching" which itemised the risks and how
they can be avoided. Their winch launch accident rate has been halved.
Unfortunately the GFA doesn't seem to be terribly interested in learning
from their experience. Every single accident scenario on a winch launch can
either be prevented or corrected after it has occured. Unfortunately,
similiarly to glider training generally, a significant number of accidents
occur with an instructor on board,
Harry Medlicott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Borgelt" <[email protected]>
To: "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia."
<[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Let's ban winching, let's burn a witch....
At 11:53 AM 27/08/2010, you wrote:
> Yes you might even convince the Helicopter Association to have the
Regulator ban winching or otherwise restrict it. I have knowledge of
concern about the hazard from other UK airspace users.
By reductio ad absurdum then SWER lines should be banned and restricted
too (I think more chopper pilots have died/been injured at the hands of
SWER lines than colliding with winch cables).
SWER lines have a societal value far greater than the lives of a few
helicopter pilots and anyway don't jump up out of the ground to 2000
feet or more AGL at unpredictable intervals. Any helicopter cruising
legally at 500 feet or more shouldn't hit a SWER line. On landing at
an unknown LZ maybe but that's a risk we all take.
I think the people who operate helicopters might have a little more
political influence than glider pilots have. When glider pilots bust
airspace en masse it also doesn't do their political influence much
good. Operating helicopters in crowded airspace like the UK may be a
little more difficult than Australia particularly at lowish levels in
poor visibility, with lots of airfields, towns and restricted areas
to avoid and a fairly dense network of winch launch sites
particularly when most of them probably look just like the next
farmer's paddock.
Banning winch launching would not be seen by other people as terribly
draconian as there is the perfectly good option of aerotow still
available and aerotow is something like 5 times as safe on a fatality
per launch basis. The regulator could argue it was doing glider
pilots a favour.
Like outlandings uninvited in farmers' fields, winch launching is
probably also living on borrowed time. Remember the foot and mouth
outbreak in the UK? No cross country gliding permitted that season
after the quarantines were in place.
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments since
1978
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
email: [email protected]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
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