Keith,
I have had good luck winching my 1/4 scale Grunau Baby and 1/5 scale ASK-18,
although the ASK requires some "special handling". One of my clubmates has been
winching a small DG-600 and ran into tip stall problems initially. Once those were
solved, he ran into release problems because of his hooks with the 90 degree bend. Do
this test........Hook your bridle up to the two hooks while holding (or have someone
else
hold) your plane. You can do this in your shop.....ya don't need the wings. Hold the
bridle where it would normally attach to the top of the chute. Apply tension forward
as if the winch was pulling hard. Still applying tension, bring the bridle underneath
the plane, as if it were going over the apogee of the launch. Still applying tension,
move the pull to a rearward position. This is an awkward description, but
basically you want to swing the towline and pull from front to rear. As you get to a
point behind the hooks, the rings should slide off easily. If they don't, rework your
hooks until they do. The curved version on the ISSA website is a good start, but the
angle is important too.
As far as the actual winching, I would say that you can't keep the plane on ground
too long. Hold heavy "down". When the plane is ready to fly, it will. If you don't
hold the nose down, it can rotate too quickly and make you wish you wore your brown
pants.
Once you get the hang of it and get over the natural fear of stomping on that
pedal and passing the point of no return, you will find this another pretty
straightforward launching method. By the way, DO hold the pedal down, at least until
you are well and truly on your way up. Do not try to baby the plane off the ground.
This will lead to less than optimum speed and the same brown-pants result.
Dave Smith
VISTA - Vancouver Island Slope and Thermal Association
Keith Lutz wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a 4M ASW 28 that I have used for aerotowing in the past. I want to try
>launching it using a winch and let it "ROG". I installed two tow hooks on either
>side of the fuselage about half way up and just in front of the CG. These "hooks"
>come out of the fuse at a right angle and then bend ninety degrees backwards towards
>the tail. I plan on using a bridle that will be attached to the normal winch
>parachute.
>
> Does this sound right? I have not done this before and am a bit apprehensive. Any
>words of advice?
>
> Keith Lutz
> Olympia, WA
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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