I talked with Pat about Lin's little adventure and what's been done to avoid a repeat.
Ban GoPro cameras?
When asked if a guillotine had been installed he expressed that he didn't like/trust the added complexity.
Simplicity good! Complexity BAD! A guillotine might work when you don't want it to or not work when you do want it to. Then where would you be? Much better to run around asking if anyone has a Swiss army knife while your student works on getting his parachute out of the container.
And that his fix was to go with a two string that can't be configured incorrectly.
Much simpler and cheaper than implementing a prelaunch check procedure policy.
He has gone to a two string and added that it now has a stainless pin (rather than a plastic coated cable) engaging a spectra line loop. Said he tested it at 370lbs and estimated the pull to actuate at 15lbs.
What was the glider doing while he was pulling it?
About the auto release basically he just doesn't trust folks he's towing to release in a lockout or if the winch "runs out of gas" and the towline gets pulled back due to the retrieval line.
- None of the...
http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31052
Poll on weaklinks
Jim Rooney - 2013/03/05 01:32:20 UTC
Btw, it's nothing to do with you "counting" on the weaklink breaking... Its about me not trusting you to hit the release.
If it were only about what you want, then you could use what you like.
You want the strongest weaklink you can have.
I want you to have the weakest one practical.. I don't care how much it inconveniences you.
I don't trust you as a rule. You Trust you , but I don't and shouldn't.
...really excellent instructors and drivers trust the people they're towing to release at the proper time in an emergency situation...
Joe Gregor - 2004/09
There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release.
Ya give state of the art equipment to do the right thing at the right time and the best instruction imaginable and they always wanna...
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14230
pro tow set-up
Ryan Voight - 2009/11/03 20:51:52 UTC
My whole point is that people tend to "hang on" too long trying to save things, rather than recognize a bad situation and release (one way or another), go back, and reset.
I'm not saying wait until you're so locked out you're passed 90 degrees bank and then pitch up to break the weaklink and do half a loop into the ground. I'm saying get the hell off way before that, and if you can't let go you CAN pop the weaklink pretty easy... they're weak after all
I'm done with this thread. Went from a good discussion RE: one barrel or two, and became a "the sky is falling and towing is death" tyrade. If you don't want to tow, don't... let other's do what they want. Live and let live my friend.
..."hang on" too long trying to save things, rather than recognizing bad situations and releasing (one way or another), going back, and resetting.
- So how come Lin's autorelease didn't kick in when the towline was pulling back? Oh right...
1:09
http://vimeo.com/68791399
He disengages it before the towline starts pulling back. Pat's right. You just can't trust these people.
He also told me that Rob McKenzie gave him the idea of using an auto release.
- Rubbish. Let's give credit where credit is due...
Doug Hildreth - 1991/03
1990/03/29 - Brad Anderson - 24 - Novice - Flight Designs Javelin - McMinnville, Oregon - head injury, ruptured thoracic aorta
"Strong novice" pilot with truck tow experience and instructors present launched and rose to fifty feet over truck. Pushed out hard enough to release and continued to push out after release. Whip stalled and dove into the ground. Died instantly.
1990/07/05 - Eric Aasletten - 24 - Intermediate - UP Axis - Hobbs, New Mexico - head
Towing competition in midday thermal conditions. Normal launch sequence to fifty feet where apparent thermal caused glider to go into extreme nose-high attitude, accidentally releasing tow line. Hammerhead stall with head first crash onto runway. Helmet broke. Died immediately.
These guys were the REAL pioneers of the autorelease / pitch and lockout protector mechanism.
- So how much of a dent has the autorelease / pitch and lockout protector put in Mission's fatality rate? I'd guess they were killing maybe seven or eight students a year without it and are now down to about one or two? Has he got any good videos of this thing doing its job? Maybe he could publish an article in the magazine about its effectiveness and push to make its use mandatory in all surface towing operations.
PS Pat uses a Koch two stage himself.
Seems to have in increased tolerance for added complexity when his own ass is on the line. So how does he configure it in conjunction with his autorelease? Or does he not use one because he's been at an around all this plenty long enough to understand what's what and who's who?