Southern Arizona Hang Glider AssociationAerotow Sign off
Moderators:ioan, John Wolfe, aaroncromer, jlowery
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jnagyvary
Is someone offering Aerotowing sign offs in Coolidge? If so who, and how can I contact them? Thanks! p.s. Mike Wolford, have you flown that Talon yet?
Bill can help you.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM TUCSON:
Take I-10 towards Phoenix. Take the 211 exit and follow the signs towards Coolidge. As you enter the town, the first traffic light is Coolidge ave. Turn right and proceed 6 miles where you will turn right into the entrance of Coolidge Municipal Airport. In a couple of miles, start watching for the signs directing you to Skydiving and South Hangar. Do not go to the large terminal with the orange roof, but to the small south hangar w/ the green roof. See you there.
Cell phone number: (602) 320-6439.
Land line (602) 867-6770
Jerry Hain
DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM TUCSON:
Take I-10 towards Phoenix. Take the 211 exit and follow the signs towards Coolidge. As you enter the town, the first traffic light is Coolidge ave. Turn right and proceed 6 miles where you will turn right into the entrance of Coolidge Municipal Airport. In a couple of miles, start watching for the signs directing you to Skydiving and South Hangar. Do not go to the large terminal with the orange roof, but to the small south hangar w/ the green roof. See you there.
Cell phone number: (602) 320-6439.
Land line (602) 867-6770
Jerry Hain
Everyone flew that wanted to. Norene had her first HG flight and liked it a lot. I may have to get a tandem rating and a Falcon. I had my first solo aerotow...sure is an easy way to get into the air. We ran out of daylight before I could get another tow in. There were around 17 HG's and 2 powered PG's that flew, Pav Eric Morey Jerry and a few others from Tucson (sorry I can't remember names) a few from Page, a couple of locals and the rest from Phoenix.
I saw one minor wack (no wind) and a belly landing (second solo?), all the others were good. A 50 ft circle would cover the people who landed in the grass near the takeoff.
When there's no lift it makes for a fun day!
Jerry
I saw one minor wack (no wind) and a belly landing (second solo?), all the others were good. A 50 ft circle would cover the people who landed in the grass near the takeoff.
When there's no lift it makes for a fun day!
Jerry
The other Tucson pilot there was Justin. While funny looking in a bright yellow floppy hat and bright blue jacket, he seemed very comfortable with the whole tow operation, and demonstrated to us his running foot launch capability- making those of us on the dolly feel like we were using an unnecessary crutch (or wheelchair, as the case may be).
You had your camera out the whole time Justin... let's see some pics!
You had your camera out the whole time Justin... let's see some pics!
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slinger
Well, I took over 100 pictures ... all at 2560x1920 resolution. After removing some, I reduced the quality and resized most of the pictures to 800x600 in order to fit them in my limited bandwidth website.
Check it out!
http://members.cox.net/~jckeesling/
If you want high resolution copies, let me know! We should put together a CD of everyone's digital photos at the end of the year!
Justin
P.S. The dolly is not so much a crutch. It is necessary for cross or down-wind launches (or other less-than-ideal conditions). I prefer foot-launch if the wind is consistent and straight-in, as foot-launch has less potential complication (fewer moving parts to worry about).
Check it out!
http://members.cox.net/~jckeesling/
If you want high resolution copies, let me know! We should put together a CD of everyone's digital photos at the end of the year!
Justin
P.S. The dolly is not so much a crutch. It is necessary for cross or down-wind launches (or other less-than-ideal conditions). I prefer foot-launch if the wind is consistent and straight-in, as foot-launch has less potential complication (fewer moving parts to worry about).
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dustin
towing
nice pics justin
i am very familiar with the type of release most of you are using near the keel...don't know who started using it first but it is used at all the parks and it seems like lots of pilots are still using it. if i remember correctly...the part that goes into the release itself is a loop of weaklink. it isn't possible to use a metal ring because the rope has to thread through another ring when you release.
just keep this in mind : a failure mode that seems pretty obvious caught up with someone at the comp this year. crooked, thermally, lockout, etc. he was using the metal clamshell release on his chest. he actually released at the critical time and the release functioned fine....only the weak link material caught on the two little tongues that align the clamshell when it closes. this was his last chance in a bad situation and that weak link was more than enough to kill him instantly when he hit. a lockout may not break the weak link, no matter the strength. strange but true. the tug released him also, so don't count on anything except your knowledge that your release has no failure modes. the only way to solve that release problem is to use a metallic ring to connect to the clamshell...which renders the system inoperable anyway...which is why anyone with that release was not allowed to continue competing after that day unless they changed systems. also any system with a rope that needed to pass through a ring in order to release had to be bypassed with a weaklink that they provided. because, according to the ozzies who have probably a great deal of towing experience, the rope will eventually wind around the ring. i've seen it happen.
i'm not endorsing any system, just think about it though....you're locking out...you have...mmmmm...3 seconds to disconnect or face the consequences....you release using the bicycle brake...the weak link catches on the clamshell. now you release using the barrel on your chest, right? right. and the main rope goes zinging through the ring on the end of the tow rope...almost. actually, this time was one of those few times that the rope zigged where it should have zagged and now it's wound into a knot on the tow ring. and guess where you're being towed from now. i've heard it's a real bitch being towed from your keel only. especially when you have no chance in hell of disconnecting. the weak link should break by now..but.....it's happened. be careful. remember there are a bunch of releases out there. brad lindsay is a good contact for questions on every possible way releases can screw you. i'm personally going back to my two string and pin system...never a single problem under any condition and haven't found a failure possibility unless i connect it incorrectly. by the way any release system could be adapted for use on the keel...i did it in zapata one year.
and everyone knows about metal chunks on your end of the release system right? that's gotten me before and several others recently. just find a one eyed pilot and ask.
i am very familiar with the type of release most of you are using near the keel...don't know who started using it first but it is used at all the parks and it seems like lots of pilots are still using it. if i remember correctly...the part that goes into the release itself is a loop of weaklink. it isn't possible to use a metal ring because the rope has to thread through another ring when you release.
just keep this in mind : a failure mode that seems pretty obvious caught up with someone at the comp this year. crooked, thermally, lockout, etc. he was using the metal clamshell release on his chest. he actually released at the critical time and the release functioned fine....only the weak link material caught on the two little tongues that align the clamshell when it closes. this was his last chance in a bad situation and that weak link was more than enough to kill him instantly when he hit. a lockout may not break the weak link, no matter the strength. strange but true. the tug released him also, so don't count on anything except your knowledge that your release has no failure modes. the only way to solve that release problem is to use a metallic ring to connect to the clamshell...which renders the system inoperable anyway...which is why anyone with that release was not allowed to continue competing after that day unless they changed systems. also any system with a rope that needed to pass through a ring in order to release had to be bypassed with a weaklink that they provided. because, according to the ozzies who have probably a great deal of towing experience, the rope will eventually wind around the ring. i've seen it happen.
i'm not endorsing any system, just think about it though....you're locking out...you have...mmmmm...3 seconds to disconnect or face the consequences....you release using the bicycle brake...the weak link catches on the clamshell. now you release using the barrel on your chest, right? right. and the main rope goes zinging through the ring on the end of the tow rope...almost. actually, this time was one of those few times that the rope zigged where it should have zagged and now it's wound into a knot on the tow ring. and guess where you're being towed from now. i've heard it's a real bitch being towed from your keel only. especially when you have no chance in hell of disconnecting. the weak link should break by now..but.....it's happened. be careful. remember there are a bunch of releases out there. brad lindsay is a good contact for questions on every possible way releases can screw you. i'm personally going back to my two string and pin system...never a single problem under any condition and haven't found a failure possibility unless i connect it incorrectly. by the way any release system could be adapted for use on the keel...i did it in zapata one year.
and everyone knows about metal chunks on your end of the release system right? that's gotten me before and several others recently. just find a one eyed pilot and ask.
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slinger
Dustin,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. You are correct in your understanding of the type of release used by the lower performance gliders (my glider ... not pictured). It has a primary release with a weak link at the keel, a secondary release with a weak link at the harness, and a weak link and tug release at the tug. You are also correct that sometimes the primary rope will knot itself on the tow ring during release. I have seen it happen. Everytime I release I pray that it doesn't happen to me as I watch the release slide violently through the ring.
I said I've seen the release knot up but it was from the weak link side of the primary rope, and the pilot was easily able to use his secondary to seperate from the knotted primary. I had not even considered the possibility of the weak link getting stuck on the primary release, activating the secondary only to have the primary rope knot on the tow ring. That would indeed be a scary ride. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
This release system is only used by the lower performance gliders, as I've been told that bar pressures are too high without it. Intermediate and above gliders (Sport2, Discus, U2, and above) only use a single release from the harness (the secondary, or as in your case the two string and pin system). That being said, I would like to see how manageable the bar pressure is on my Pulse if I migrate to such a release.
As far as metal chunks on the release system, I am not sure what that would be. The only non-static pieces on the whole tow system are the release ropes and the tow rope. The tow rope itself has a metal ring on it, which is the only metal I can think of (am I missing something?). If the weak link on the tug breaks, the tow rope would probably rebound some. I can't imagine the tow ring rebounding far enough to hit my eye. Of course, we're using kevlar line which does not have as much elastic properties as nylon rope would.
Nevertheless, eye protection is always a good idea ... especially during tow operations!
It is always good to be armed with knowledge of how bad things can get while you're in the air. Thanks for imparting that knowledge on us Dustin!
Justin
P.S. I learned foot-launch aerotow from watching Dustin years ago ...
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. You are correct in your understanding of the type of release used by the lower performance gliders (my glider ... not pictured). It has a primary release with a weak link at the keel, a secondary release with a weak link at the harness, and a weak link and tug release at the tug. You are also correct that sometimes the primary rope will knot itself on the tow ring during release. I have seen it happen. Everytime I release I pray that it doesn't happen to me as I watch the release slide violently through the ring.
I said I've seen the release knot up but it was from the weak link side of the primary rope, and the pilot was easily able to use his secondary to seperate from the knotted primary. I had not even considered the possibility of the weak link getting stuck on the primary release, activating the secondary only to have the primary rope knot on the tow ring. That would indeed be a scary ride. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
This release system is only used by the lower performance gliders, as I've been told that bar pressures are too high without it. Intermediate and above gliders (Sport2, Discus, U2, and above) only use a single release from the harness (the secondary, or as in your case the two string and pin system). That being said, I would like to see how manageable the bar pressure is on my Pulse if I migrate to such a release.
As far as metal chunks on the release system, I am not sure what that would be. The only non-static pieces on the whole tow system are the release ropes and the tow rope. The tow rope itself has a metal ring on it, which is the only metal I can think of (am I missing something?). If the weak link on the tug breaks, the tow rope would probably rebound some. I can't imagine the tow ring rebounding far enough to hit my eye. Of course, we're using kevlar line which does not have as much elastic properties as nylon rope would.
Nevertheless, eye protection is always a good idea ... especially during tow operations!
It is always good to be armed with knowledge of how bad things can get while you're in the air. Thanks for imparting that knowledge on us Dustin!
Justin
P.S. I learned foot-launch aerotow from watching Dustin years ago ...
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skygodmaxx
Enjoyed meeting you all
I had a great time visiting with the aerotow bunch out in Coolidge. Bill S, slade, ralphael, justin and anyone else I forgot. Thanks for the insight into towing and I'm looking forward to flying with you all out there again in the near future. John N. www.flysandia.org/