From: hagood@sabre.den.mmc.com (Dave Hagood)
Subject: Glider Tow Pilots
Keywords: soaring
Organization: Martin Marietta Astronautics Group
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:55:37 GMT

	I received this via e-mail:

|> From Christopher_Sullivan.SBD-E@rx.xerox.com Fri Aug 14 01:56:56 1992
|> X-Ns-Transport-Id: 0000AA00359F914D2E3B
|> Date: 	Fri, 14 Aug 1992 00:55:00 PDT
|> From: Christopher_Sullivan.SBD-E@rx.xerox.com
|> Subject: Soft releases
|> To: hagood@sabre
|> Content-Length: 906

|> Dave,

|> I have been looking at the discussion of 'soft' releases from aerotow on
|> rec.aviation with a sinking feeling.

|> In our club we teach that you *never* go high behind the tug, especially
|> low down, since it is very easy to get into a divergent situation where
|> you can tip the tug onto its nose in a matter of a few seconds, giving
|> the tug pilot a possibly terminal problem to sort out.  This divergence
|> is much quicker if you tow using the glider's belly hook.

|> I would ask people who are used to doing 'soft' releases to think about
|> what would happen if they get a hang-up when they have climbed above the
|> tug to release...

|> With my tug pilot's hat (very new!) on, I would be exceedingly unhappy
|> if releases were done the way you describe as a matter of course...

|> Please feel free to post this to the net if you feel it would be useful

|> Chris Sullivan
|> UK Assistant Rated Gliding Instructor and PPL(A)

	Chris has a valid point here which I haven't yet seen in this glider
tow release thread; the danger to the tow pilot if a soft release is
botched.

	First off, however, a clarification is in order.  To effect a soft
release, the glider is maneuvered to be slightly above the normal high
tow position.  The normal high tow position is roughly directly behind the
tug, which keeps the glider above the tug's prop wash.  By slightly above,
I mean ~20 ft. or so.  From this position, the glider is gently dived down
to slightly below the normal high tow position, but still above the prop
wash.  The result of the dive will give you a little slack in the tow rope;
the release is then pulled and a normal right turn is initiated to clear
the tug (in my case, I almost always end up flying through the prop wash
at first).  As always, the glider pilot MUST ensure that the tow rope has
been released before initiating the turn away.

	That being said, if the soft release pop-up is done improperly,
or something untoward happens, there is a risk that the divergence Chris
mentions will occur.  After some reflection on all this, I am a lot less
enthusiastic about soft release than I used to be.  Net.widom strikes
again...

	As an aside, I read several months ago in _Soaring_ about another
tug pilot being killed in the standard take-off roll accident :-(

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
									|
David M. Hagood			Martin Marietta Astronautics Group	|
									|
Voice:  (303) 977-9657		When in danger, or in doubt,		|
E-mail: hagood@den.mmc.com	Run in circles, scream and shout.	|
Fax: (303) 977-1530							|
									|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     static char *disclaimer = "My opinions, not Martin Marietta's."    |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------