Basement Bob

[Bill Cummings]

Do you know?
Was it the weak link?
Or the unpolished landing technique?
The pilot was out of position putting the tug pilot at risk.
It was time to release to not endanger the tug pilot.

[Nobody]

Hate to break the news to you, Bill, but the tugs have functional releases at their end of the rope. So tell me how bisfal was putting the tug in danger.

What was the strength of bisfal bisto's weak link in that video, Bill?

[Bob Kuczewski]

The weaklink broke at 7.5 seconds. The bad landing happened at 28 seconds.

It sure looks like he had plenty of time to do a better landing than that. The weak link break was pretty much a non-event with regard to flight attitude and control. Once that pilot gave the go-ahead to launch, he was going to make a landing one way or another, and he did a poor job on this one.

From what I can tell, if he had broken a stronger weak link, the flight attitude change resulting from that break would have been more dramatic. So while increasing the strength of a weak link does decrease the frequency of breaks, I believe the results of such breaks will be much more dramatic and may present the greater risk.

Let me add that I have very little experience with towing, and I've been somewhat "on the fence" with regard to weak link strength arguments. Watching how mildly the glider responded to this particular break is persuasive evidence for the "lighter" weak link argument. The lighter weak link also protects the pilot from a tug pilot who might release prematurely. The weak link essentially ensures that the tug pilot cannot release you while under dangerously high tow tension ... because you'll never be under dangerously high tow tension.

[Bill Cummings]

Bisfal recognized and stated in the comments section of his posted video
bisfal bisto
9 months ago
“glider suddenly went high fast.”
Bisfal was out of position.
I’m guessing the weak link strength was close to a Greenspot #130
I don’t know for sure just as you don’t know that the tug release is functional.

After John Pendrey (sp?) popped his weak link Chris Bulger (tug pilot)(sp?) doubled the next weaklink. John got out of position and Chris bent his release activator trying to dump the line. The release wasn’t fully functional. Chris died after loosing control of the tug above Chelan Washington Airport.

That was exactly why I commented to Bisfal to not get headed down the same chain of events that lead to Chris’s death.