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Re: Static Towing (ST)

Postby JoeF » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:16 pm

Bill, your excellent post received some attention at forum AirborneWindEnergy:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AirborneWindEnergy/conversations/messages/23344

tags:
airborne wind energy
energy kite
AWE
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Re: Static Towing (ST)

Postby Bill Cummings » Thu Apr 30, 2020 7:12 pm

This information is for experienced tow pilots.
They will know all about the limits of the correct position to be in down wind of a tow vehicle.
Since this tip will have a pilot closer to a lock out to the left the pilot already must know what to expect.
When towing on and above a road a pilot wants to be downwind of the tow vehicle but in the example
drawing below (Not to scale) the pilot has a crosswind from the left.
As the pilot tops out on the towline, and if a climb restricting bridle to the keel is being used, the bridle
will at times occupy the same area that the pilots want their head to be.
In the drawing the pilot is holding position over the road and not down wind of the road. There are tow reasons
for doing this: 1) The pilot wants the keel bridle line to be to the right side of the helmet and not pushing against the helmet.
2) The released towline end will not fall as far off the road.
Tow Bridle Head Room..JPG
Tow Bridle Head Room..JPG (16.63 KiB) Viewed 3098 times

The bridle and towline are marked in red.
The control frame is marked in white.
The pilot marked in white is far too small for a control frame this big.
Flying slightly to the left of the Sweet Spot (Sweet Spot which is downwind) has the crosswind holding the lines not directly in line with
the pilot but off to the right/downwind side.
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