US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Al Hernandez - 2010 I can't reach my CUT line 'cause I have both hands on the downtubes, and if I let go of the Coke bottle grip I will crash. 1 out of 1000+. Tommy Crump - 1986/10 The release that I am using works every time and is mechanically sound. You need not have an additional ...


I can't reach my CUT line 'cause I have both hands on the downtubes year 2010.

I am on a first edition Falcon 170 WW using a Hewlett release with a link knife line under the bar KingsVille TX. Wing coming out of the South at 5 mph.

I am hooked in, doing a foot lauch, Yell Klear, The truck has accelerated, I am running like hell, the glider isn't going up, the glider is flying, but not lifting me of the ground, the glider is too small, and it can not lift my weight, and there is not enough wind to do the job, I am pushing out hoping that it will fly before I fall flat on my face, my hands are on the up-rights, I am looking at the Hewlett release that is right there, about two feet away from my hands, but yet too far to reach, since I am running like hell and trying to keep the glider level at the same time. and into the little wind that is blowing lite, I am thinking if I let go at this speed I will crash, since the truck is pulling me at 25 to 30 mph on asphalt in low wind, and in hope that the glider will fly me off the ground I am thinking that I should do a Peter Pan move by pushing out and diving into it, but reluctant to do that cause I know that out come of that move, especially on asphalt .... Sill running like hell, and still that glider is not flying me upward, I am now depending on the tow operated to drop the line after 75 yards, or so, the truck comes to a stop and I fall to my knees trying to get my breath

Lesson learned don't get on a glider that can not carry your weight, and put the release where it can befound fast

I am on a first edition Falcon 170...

Maximum hook-in weight:

230 pounds

I forget what you said your hook-in weight was (275 plus gear?) but even I'd be close to that in a training harness.

...using a Hewlett release with a link knife...

Hewett (two to one) Bridle with a Linknife release undoubtedly situated between the towline and bridle apex.

...coming out of the South at 5 mph.

What was the runway direction?

I am hooked in, doing a foot lauch, Yell Klear, The truck has accelerated, I am running like hell, the glider isn't going up, the glider is flying, but not lifting me of the ground, the glider is too small, and it can not lift my weight, and there is not enough wind to do the job...

Donnell Hewett - 1982/06

...I have philosophical objections to pop-starts, and would personally consider using them only if conventional skyting take-off proved to be impractical.

My first objection to pop-starts is that they violate one of skyting's basic requirements. Ideally, skyting demands that the towline tension remain always constant. In practice, this means that the towline tension should never vary rapidly compared to the pilot's reaction time. I suspect (but without experience I do not know) that pop-starts would also be more dangerous than normal flying and constitute an example of "poor technique".

My second philosophical objection to pop-starts is related to your second question, "Is the pilot under control during the initial start?" Here you should realize that the whole idea behind the skyting technique is to take flight control out of the hands of the ground crew and place it in the hands of the pilot. Therefore, in a normal skyting take-off, the answer to your question is, "Yes!" But in the case of a pop-start, the answer must be, "No!" In a normal skyting take-off, the tension increases gradually and the pilot is free to decide when, if, and how he wants to take off (within broad limits, of course). But in a pop-start, the pilot is waiting for a "happening", and when it "happens", he better be ready, willing, and able to cope with it. He cannot decide half-way through a pop-start to stop and try again. This is a characteristic of POP-STARTS and not TOWING SYSTEMS. No matter what towing system is used, it is impossible for the PILOT to be in control throughout a pop-start. He can learn to handle them (just as he can learn to handle turbulence) but he cannot control them (just as he cannot control turbulence).

If at any time during the take-off procedure the pilot feels himself going out of control, he can either decide to "ride it out" (by taking corrective measures) or to "abort the flight" (by releasing himself from tow).

...my hands are on the up-rights, I am looking at the Hewlett release that is right there, about two feet away from my hands, but yet too far to reach, since I am running like hell and trying to keep the glider level at the same time...

Donnell Hewett - 1985/08

The sixth skyting criterion designed to make sure that the pilot will be able to release from tow whenever he wishes to do so. This is obviously important from the safety point of view. There are many types of releases that may be suitable for skyting, but whatever is used, it must be RELIABLE. Furthermore, the release activation point must be readily accessible to the pilot regardless of where his hands are positioned or where his body has shifted. One of the most common release systems used today which meets the sixth criterion is a three-ring release located at the apex of the bridle and activated with a pull line looped over the pilot's wrist. After release the bridle stays with the glider and the pilot simply tosses it to the side, out of the way.

...I am thinking if I let go at this speed I will crash, since the truck is pulling me at 25 to 30 mph...

Donnell Hewett - 1985/08

The ninth skyting criterion, requiring adequate power, is obviously essential to any towing operation. Without adequate power the glider will never be able to climb properly and there is a high probability that a dangerous stall could result.

Skyting doesn't care what kind of power source looks like as long as it is capable of supplying the necessary power. Generally any power source that can supply a climb rate of about 400 fpm or more at an airspeed of about 25 mph is adequate for skyting.

The tenth skyting criterion requires that the crew be capable. Unlike foot-launched free-flight hang gliding, skyting cannot possibly be performed without a properly functioning ground crew to assist the pilot during the towing phase of operation. An absolute minimum crew consists of a single person operating the power source. This person (we will call him the "driver" of the "vehicle") must be in direct communication with the pilot at all times. And almost as essential as the "driver" is a "spotter" who maintains direct visual contact with the glider at all times.

The eleventh skyting criterion deals with pilot-crew communication. Direct communication (preferably two-way, but at least one-way from pilot to driver) is essential for safe towing operations. Reliable radio communication (constant-on or voice activated) is required for towlines longer than about 500 feet (i.e. for almost all practical skyting operations) although visual signals can be used for shorter towlines. If no spotter is used, constant-on and constant-chatter radio communication is essential. (Constant-chatter means that the pilot must continuously talk clearly into the microphone and that the driver should immediately stop the vehicle if he cannot hear the pilot talking or if he cannot understand what the pilot is saying. Both pilot and crew should totally agree upon what signals are to be used (whether vocal or visual) before the flight, and rigorously adhere to them through the flight. If either deviates from the agreed upon signals and/or responses, the other should immediately abort the flight.

...on asphalt in low wind, and in hope that the glider will fly me off the ground...

Donnell Hewett - 1985/08

The twelfth and final skyting criterion deals with the environment. Skyting operations require a runway of at least four times the length of the tow line in no wind conditions. This means that a mile or more of runway is normally required for most skyting operations. Obviously the sides of the runway should be clear of obstructions that could possibly entangle the towline. The weather conditions (particularly cross-wind, turbulence, and wind gradient) should be within the control limits of both the pilot and the crew. Learning sessions should only be conducted in near ideal conditions with a smooth 5-10 mph wind blowing straight down the runway.

...I am thinking that I should do a Peter Pan move...

Or, perhaps, a Peter Birren move...

Peter Birren - 2008/10/27

I know about this type of accident because it happened to me, breaking four ribs and my larynx... and I was aerotowing using a dolly. The s*** happened so fast there was no room for thought much less action. But I wasn't dragged because the weaklink did its job and broke immediately on impact.

And speaking of weak links...

Donnell Hewett - 1985/08

7. INFALLIBLE WEAK LINK

The system must include a weak link which will infallibly and automatically release the glider from tow whenever the tow line tension exceeds the limit for safe operation.

I'm really surprised that your weak link didn't infallibly and automatically release your glider from tow. The towline tension had OBVIOUSLY exceeded the limit for safe operation - which, given that you were trying to foot launch on asphalt, would've been in the neighborhood of three to five ounces.

Lesson learned don't get on a glider that can not carry your weight, and put the release where it can befound fast...

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Technical Manual - 2003/04

On tow the Pilot in Command must have his hand actually on the release at all times. 'Near' the release is not close enough!

Peter Birren - 2011/11/29

Yup, Don's 12 points are as good today as they were when he wrote 'em... and you're benefiting from his being the first to establish towing guidelines and considerations.

And so is Al. But...

Zack C - 2011/04/15

After over a hundred each of hill/mountain launches, aerotows, and surface tows, I feel that platform launching is the safest way to get a hang glider into the air.

Zack is benefitting a helluva lot more by violating the crap out of half of them when he truck tows. And he also benefits astronomically by never foot launching and - when he aerotows - having his hand actually on the release...

Zack C - 2011/08/31

To me, that is the problem. Not only does it take time to reach for a release, you can't fight a lockout with one hand. I stack the deck in my favor by refusing to use a release I have to reach for.

...and the freakin' basetube at all times.

Was really sorry to hear that you sold your gear but, given the environment in your area, that might not have been the worst decision you ever made. I hope that you're successful in some kind of aviation and that the day might come when you can return to hang gliding on your own terms. But in any case we can always use your voice in some of these conversations.

Great hearing from you again, keep posting.

Donnell Hewett - 1985/08

Regardless of the method used to regulate the tension, it needs to remain constant to within about +/- 25 pounds as long as the glider is on tow. The value of the tension during climb-out is usually about 1/2 g (say 100 lbs or so), although beginners may prefer to tow at about 1/4 g and some experts like to push the 1 g limit. The general rule is to tow at a tension setting that produces a "comfortable" flight and "reasonable" climb rate.

So Al...

Maybe you can give us a beginner's perspective on towing at a nice safe quarter G for a few flights before graduating up to big boy tensions like Peter uses.

Zack C - 2011/08/31

To me, that is the problem. Not only does it take time to reach for a release, you can't fight a lockout with one hand. I stack the deck in my favor by refusing to use a release I have to reach for.

I have took note that the right release matters in the type of towing you are doing.

The pilot, or student must know how to release himself from the tow before being put in a towing situation.

The relesases must be accessible at all times for the pilot to (Pin-out-when-in-doubt) A preponderance of evidence
must exsit that A-release, B-release, and C- Hook knife, is going to do its' job, if the pilot has time to reach a knife things sometimes go wrong real fast. Most pilots may freeze up in an Oh- Hell Situation

Maybe if pilots do what Paul Voight and Ryan say to do.... Brake the weak link yourself by pushing out may save a lot of lives in their eyes... That maybe hard to do if the pilot does not know what size of a weak link he is using the tow force, wind speed, the breaking strength of, the forces that you do not see are working against your... Sure, Jim Rooney, Paul Paul Voight and Ryan Voight (Green Spot weak links) is the cure to all towing situations this stuff works according to them it's the miracle line and the answer.

I have took note that the right release matters in the type of towing you are doing.

1. It's not so much the release that matters - panic snap, spinnaker shackle, barrel, Koch, three-string, Linknife - we've never had much in the way of problems with the mechanisms themselves. It's the means of actuation and, in the case of the crap that you get from the flight parks, the "engineering" of the assembly.

2. Aside from bridle configurations and connections, it doesn't matter what type of towing you're doing. It's ALWAYS better to be prone with both hands on the basetube and the ability to blow without moving either one of them.

The pilot, or student must know how to release himself from the tow before being put in a towing situation.

The problem is not not knowing how - the problem is not being able to...

Peter Birren - 2008/10/27

So you pull whatever release you have but the one hand still on the basetube isn't enough to hold the nose down and you pop up and over into an unplanned semi-loop.

...without losing control...

John Dullahan - 2006/02/06

With winds of 10-12 mph I waited for a few minutes for a lull before giving the takeoff signal. Liftoff from the cart was nice and level, but at about ten feet the right wing was suddenly and violently lifted (Paul said a strong thermal came through just as I left the cart and pilots had to hold down their gliders). Almost immediately the glider went into a lockout and the weak link broke just as I hit the release. The high right wing put me into a left turn, so I committed to making a complete 360 back into the wind as the best option. At the 180 point I was about twenty feet over the ground and flying very fast downwind, so to avoid a downwind stall I pulled in slightly then pushed out to gain a little altitude before completing the 360. I almost got it around but couldn't quite pull it off, so the left corner of the control frame dug into the ground taking out the right downtube and fractured a small bone in my wrist (the ulnar styloid). I got a small soft cast which allows use of the hand for driving etc.

The incident demonstrated the few options available when towing in winds of 10-12 mph and a wing is suddenly and violently lifted close to the ground - a lockout often ensues very quickly and the glider is pulled into a turn before either the pilot can release or the weak link breaks, and a dangerous situation ensues (flying downwind close to the ground).

Every year people are injured or killed by incidents like this. Glider comes off the cart crooked (or gets crooked shortly after) and proceeds to a lockout situation very quickly before the pilot has time to release. These are generally advanced pilots towing from the shoulders in rowdy conditions.

...in time...

Carlos Weill - 2008/11/30

On June of 2008 during a fast tow, I noticed I was getting out of alignment, but I was able to come back to it. The second time it happen I saw the tug line 45 degrees off to the left and was not able to align the glider again I tried to release but my body was off centered and could not reach the release. I kept trying and was close to 90 degrees. All these happen very quickly, as anyone that has experienced a lock out would tell you. I heard a snap, and then just like the sound of a WWII plane just shut down hurdling to the ground, only the ball of fire was missing. The tug weak link broke off at a thousand feet, in less than a second the glider was at five hundred.

...or period.

You knew perfectly well how. The problem was that it was a physical impossibility.

The releases must be accessible at all times...

British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Technical Manual - 2003/04

On tow the Pilot in Command must have his hand actually on the release at all times. 'Near' the release is not close enough! When you have two hands completely full of locked-out glider, taking one off to go looking for the release guarantees that your situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

Steve Kinsley - 1996/05/09

Personal opinion. While I don't know the circumstances of Frank's death and I am not an awesome tow type dude, I think tow releases, all of them, stink on ice. Reason: You need two hands to drive a hang glider. You 'specially need two hands if it starts to turn on tow. If you let go to release, the glider can almost instantly assume a radical attitude. We need a release that is held in the mouth. A clothespin. Open your mouth and you're off.

Accessible SUCKS. Accessible stinks on ice. People have been getting killed for decades because of accessible releases. I've personally known two of them - Joel Lewis, my roommate at Kitty Hawk Kites, and Frank Sauber, my student and longtime road trip buddy.

Pin-out-when-in-doubt...

That philosophy has gotten a lot of people killed. Lose it.

Manned Kiting
The Basic Handbook of Tow Launched Hang Gliding
Daniel F. Poynter
1974

"The greatest dangers are a rope break or a premature release." - Richard Johnson

That was true in 1974, was still true in 1981, is still true in 2011, and will still be true when hell freezes over - despite what all the idiots, quacks, and frauds in this sport keep telling and teaching everyone - themselves included.

A preponderance of evidence must exist that A-release, B-release, and C- hook knife, is going to do its job, if the pilot has time to reach a knife things sometimes go wrong real fast.

1. There is ZERO reason or excuse for a release failing.

2. In aerotowing a two point bridle has to feed through a tow ring. The ONLY purpose for a secondary release is to handle a situation in which it doesn't and - with a proper bridle design - my assessment is that that situation is virtually nonexistent anyway.

3. Anybody who tells you that a hook knife is a component of a towing system is a total idiot. Hook knives are never of any use to real pilots until after crashes - and real pilots seldom have the kinds of crashes in which hook knives are of any use.

...if the pilot has time to reach a knife...

He only has time to reach a knife when he's so high that nothing matters anyway. In an emergency situation he's already been dead for a while.

Most pilots may freeze up in an Oh- Hell Situation.

1. No. That's just something tow operators always put in reports after they kill the student or pilot with the crap gear they've sold them.

"Yeah, he just froze. I don't understand it.

Joe Gregor - 2004/09

2004/06/26
Mike Haas
Advanced
53
Moyes Litesport 147
Hang Glide Chicago

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.

He was locking out to the left and the Wallaby-style tow release lever was right there on his right downtube. Just froze. But a REAL pilot would've been just fine in that situation so come on back to Hang Glide Chicago and let's go FLYING! And just this weekend Wallaby-style releases will be on sale for ten percent off."

2. Nobody says "Oh Hell!" when the s*** hits the fan.

Maybe if pilots do what Paul Voight and Ryan say to do...

...they're gonna die at even higher rates than those of the slaughter of the past thirty years.

Break the weak link yourself by pushing out may save a lot of lives in their eyes...

If you go up with a release which can't be actuated instantly and in any worst case scenario you don't deserve to live. (Asterisk - If you're a student you deserve to live but your instructor doesn't.)

That maybe hard to do if...

As long as you're not on a payout winch it's EASY to do no matter what you're using for a weak link. What's hard or impossible to do if you don't have lotsa altitude...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnrh9-pOiq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_n5B3-MIC4

...is survive the involuntary aerobatics that are gonna accompany your newfound freedom from tow.

Any sonuvabitch that tells anyone to push out in a tow emergency or that a weak link is a safety device oughta have his tongue pulled out and his fingers chopped off to limit the damage to the sport to what he's already done and get the other morons to think about thinking a little bit before going on the record.