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By Fred Wilson
#336931
Hang glider lockout on static tow line - Part 1 (All in all handled nicely by a very professional Tandem Instructor.)

This part is seen from the ground. See part 2 showing same event from the hang glider.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvBgUdkRDhY[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciAWzIW7oOs[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#336934
A hang glider pilot learning to aerotow starts a mild PIO that leads :shock: into a lock-out. Thankfully it all happens at a safe altitude.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnrh9-pOiq4[/youtube]
Forbes Flatlands 2012 comp, one of the days that were a bit rough. Note a hard work during the tow.
Finally there was a little mistake that immediately turned into the lock-out :)
The mouth release was used, :thumbsup: it can be seen at the beginning of this video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JjtEnudT8Y[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#336937
Rare mid-air lockout aero-towing results in a just high enough chute deployment to be safe.
Two tow tugs working one along side the other. The pilot survives.

I can not find part 1 of this video right now. Stay tuned...

Part 2, after release...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJox_tWkUu4[/youtube]
In the interim... a nice video of dual aero-towing. :popcorn: :thumbsup:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mveLgngYwFU[/youtube]
Last edited by Fred Wilson on Sat Oct 26, 2013 4:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#336938
"Lockout that occurred because I got out of sync with the tug during a turn. I was surprised at how rapidly the lockout developed.
It reinforced how important it is to stay in alignment with the tug, especially in a turn.
Maybe others can learn from this clip. Any tips from those more experienced are welcomed."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K40_xd0liGk[/youtube]
Similar incident. Very, very close call.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9fQuDzFuCE[/youtube]
Last edited by Fred Wilson on Sat Oct 26, 2013 3:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#336940
Near Lockout Hang gliding. :popcorn:

Seedwings Spyder 12,5 on winch, little crosswind, late and too little correction leads to a near lockout.
Decoupling (or cut the rope) is the only way to get away and not crash by lockout... :thumbsup:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8Yhllx7_sU[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337006
Aero Tow Dolly Accident - Taggerty Strip, Victora; Australia 2011

Good one. :thumbsup: See: http://vimeo.com/20723814

Next:
Be on the ball in case of low altitude weak link breakage during the start of the tow.
This is an example of what can occur:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jjPSf0dVNQ[/youtube]
Last edited by Fred Wilson on Mon Oct 28, 2013 1:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Fred Wilson
#337018
A lot of towing takes place on lakes etc.

So in the interest of promoting safety and awareness: drop into this thread:
Hang Gliding Water Landing Awareness and Clinics. Revised Jan 27th 2013
See: http://www.hpac.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=660
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337033
How NOT to tow a hang glider! - Popping your nose up... low and slow.

Extensive accident analysis here: http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3099

Hang glider Tow training in Texas, using a scooter tow and a turn around pulley.
Pilot, low, lets the nose pop up. Wing tip stalls, turns. It can all go turtle duck real quick. :mosh:

I have taken two refresher courses from this instructor over the years.
Dave Broyles, http://www.kite-enterprises.com/
A good one, though perhaps not 100% on the ball that day. But it all happened so fast... we are all human.
We all make mistakes. "He who lives in Glass Houses should not throw stones."

NOTE:
I do not know what day of instruction this is.
Normally last day on the tow course, the instructor will deliberately put the student in a low speed tow, then at 30' altitude, cut the power with no warning.
Forced landing practice with the tow line still attached. Testing emergency awareness and alertness.

When I look hard at this tow, me thinks that was the plan that day.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfHF0lRvm0M[/youtube]
Plus or minus: A Repeat performance here: :shock:

"It appears that the glider was "tension oscillating."
Combination of gusts hitting the glider - variations in line tension from power and most of all it looks to me like the altitude variations were too close to the pulley
- the drogue appears to dip well below the basetube and the changes in AOA seem to me to be consistent with the glider beginning to tether from the anchor."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeMRlc1EyNY[/youtube]
#337055
Fred Wilson wrote:Another "Let's learn from other people's mistakes" thread... :thumbsup: Enjoy!
In the Safety biz, we call this 1-800- BIG-SAVE.
NOT doing this is what we call 1-800- BIG-FAIL. :mosh:
- and we try to use good humor as major system wide educational tool to counteract this. THE reason for this thread.
So if you have anything positive to add to this thread, please do so! :goodidea: It is and will be most appreciated, trust me! :owned:

Things can go all twisted sister in this sport in a heartbeat.
Having run through ± all possible scenarios in our minds, ahead of time, is one of the best tools we have at our disposal and in our arsenal.

Tnx.
Fried Ed <===(-:
(A Smiley that has Tied One On!)
#337057
Aerotowing Rogallo Hang Gliders. Pilot-Induced Oscillation & Lockout Index. - A History of Aero-Towing. :rofl:

The 3-Axis/Weight-Shift Interface is a tricky, dangerous, & sometimes deadly place.
The only people I was aware of who'd made a success of Aerotowing Tailless Flying Wings, was the Luftwaffe in WW2,
using Me-110s to tow Me-163 Rocket Fighters... And they had Yaw-Controls, unlike Weight-Shift Rogallos.
And the Luftwaffe had to have the Observer in the back of the Twin-Engined Tow-Plane be in Command of the Tow...
Because, Swept-Wing Tailless-Aeroplanes are unstable when under tow...
Whìch is what inspired old mate to ask me to join Aerotowing Adventures Australia, and act as Aerotow Launch-Controller /Safety Officer...

(ERROR WARNING... 2 mistakes in the Clip. Firstly, the Prototype was 100 HOURS old, when it came to the Tablelands - not "100 years"...
And, also, the Inglewood Fly-In happens in May, not March... Oopsie !).
We decorated the Sky with 500 Hang Gliders. Some days we cleared the paddock, and put all 5, 12, or once 19 of them, up there, all at once...

We charged $10 to take-Off & climb to 1000 Ft, plus another $1 per hundred Ft thereafter, with the Release into a Thermal...
I was taken, transported, accomodated, & fed ; & given 25% of the Tow Fee.
It was great, until realising that we were safer than everybody else in the game; and yet they didn' like to adopt Radios & Lockout Indexed Ground Control...

One reason, rumoured, involved "...avoiding the appearance of a Post-Facto admission of Negligence..." by adopting a safer way... I was polite, for a couple of years.
Then A.A.A. quit Aerotowing due to some Skullduggery involving Tailnumbers, & Waivers to tow anything behind an Ultralight, anyway....;
and, the What If / No Insurance / Forseeable Lawsuits issues won the day.

In mid '97 I stopped being polite, I sent to d--- Smith (the then Head of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority), the results of our 500 (illegal) Aerotows,
with the Crash Analysis of the Neophyte, & a Draft of an Operations-Manual.
I offered to give Evidence at the next Coronor's Inquest. 5 days later I had a Thankyou Note & reciept; & 5 months after that,
a letter that my method had been made "Mandatory Industry Standard, for all Aerotowing Training Operations ..." Whìch was an improvement.
But, after the President of a Hang Gliding Club was later killed, being Aerotowed without a Radio; then, my method became the only approved way to go.

Finally....... My figures indicate that the PIO &Lockout Index saves 10 T./O. Prangs, per year, in Australia.
Allowing 1 Fatal, 2 High Quadriplegics, 3 Paraplegics in Wheelchairs, & 4 more Broken Yuppies (who earnt enough to be able to afford a Hang Glider
to scare themselves with), who aren't fit for work for a year or two.... Best guess is, by giving away my best work, I save the Great Full nation of Oz
somewhere around $31 million /Year. In uncomposted & unbroken Hang Glider Pilots, Loss of Income, & Medical Expenses, & After-Care-Costs.
Whìch is, maybe, why Centrelink tell me I'm the most productive Nutter they have on the Disability Support Pension...
So, go & view the 'SunFoil Short-Talk', & 'SunFoil Science' clips, at my vids ( or search those titles)... The SunFoil Project is better than the Lockout Index..!

Enjoy. Ciao.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKEfiuuZMaY[/youtube]
#337058
Aero-Towing Hang Gliders in a Major Competition Environment. Watch and Learn.

Hang-gliding Aerotow Competion at Long Marston UK, in 2002. Part 1

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqB4KT2PJP8[/youtube]
Part 2

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePCHwU8Wfpg[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337061
The best Aero-Tow Clinic videos I can find as yet.

Aero tow clinic at Gulgong, NSW, Australia.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IrbJSr2ALc[/youtube]
Hang Gliding pilots learning to aerotow behind an ultralight with Warren WIndsports. Conducted at Forbes, NSW in October 2009

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBQNKZ0zATo[/youtube]
These are some of the launches (and break-offs and landings) from several days of the 2012 Rob Kells Memorial Hang Gliding Competition held at the Florida Ridge Air Sports Park. T
his two-part video will give you a good idea of how several experienced aerotow pilots and ground grew all worked together with world class glider pilots to get all the gliders in the air . . . at the same time . . . including relaunches for those who couldn't stay in the air long enough to start the cross-country task for the day . . . all with no real injuries.

If you're a glider pilot, you will see a lot of things to emulate . . . and a few things to avoid as well. (After you get the idea of how this works, I pick up the pace of the video a bit.
Sorry, no music on this one. It took me too way long just to edit the video down from several hours worth . . . .)
Second half is here: http://youtu.be/SbYokZG6TSc

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPPkdZSj9gw[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337070
Aero-towing from the tug's viewpoint.

Getting too high, too low, off line or allowing "tension oscillating" (yawing) to occur can put them in real jeopardy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzWCcrm7DHA[/youtube]
Dalby Big Air 2005. At an aero tow comp the tug pillots work hard, so Simon Plint made this tribute moie for them.
- http://www.youtube.com/user/wirelessmac?feature=watch

The Dragonfly Ultra Light Aircraft, expertly flown by our tug pilots, is an amazing machine capable of slow speed flying
- perfect for towing a hang glider up to a few thousand feet before releasing into a thermal and enjoying the freedom of flight.
Just leave the dolly cleanly, wings level and flying before rising steadily with the ascending tug.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voHLMbSpvvo[/youtube]
Last edited by Fred Wilson on Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337073
Hang Gliding - Aero-towing With a 50:50 Bridle

cc at http://hangies.co.uk/videos/view/_838

Dan Hamblin http://www.youtube.com/user/MorphFX?feature=watch writes:
Recent amendments to aerotowing procedures in the UK require gliders of certain aspect ratios to be towed with a 50:50 bridle and trolley launched only.
The AirBorne Sting 3:168, with an aspect ratio of 5.7, falls into this category.
This is my first aerotow in this configuration.
Thanks to Stewart and Cathy of Flylight Airsports Ltd for taking the time out to set-up the glider and get me up in the air again!

Information re the new aerotow amendments (as per Nicos' comment below)
See: http://www.morphfx.co.uk/hang-gliding/d ... =15Mar2013

NB: Please note, this is NOT the official information - please check with the BHPA for the latest information. See: http://www.bhpa.co.uk/documents/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFQozyXEwI0[/youtube]
User avatar
By Fred Wilson
#337597
Fwd from the OzReport at: http://ozreport.com/1383581620

Remote Control Tow Release: Instructor releases the student if they don't.

Alex Brieba writes:

We have built a Radio command release system we just have to finish the closing of the foam ball.
It will be put between the pilot and the towing line.
It will permit the hang gliding teacher to release from the ground in case of a problem.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgZ7lcVPG3s[/youtube]
By thermalfox
#341119
HI All
I looked at the 06-15-13 video of the crash.
Towing back in 1977 in Miami, I help to developed the first payout winch, which I delivered to Bill Bennett back then. You did not tow in Miami without a few lockouts. The tow pressure of a Seagull 3Z was around 500 lbs, dragging a 500 ft rope in water behind a boat is close to 1000 lbs.
First I saw a cross wind at takeoff, but no crabbing during the tow. I did see a lot of pilot movement, trying to compensate for the cross wind? This adds to the pressure on the rope.
The non release of the rope was because he was in thermal putting increase pressure on the line. (All releases lock up with too much pressure on the mechanism) Thats why the optical illusion of the line going straight down, but that was not where the truck was, he was not over flying the truck. If the winch was paying out as fast as it could, with no pressure on the reel, then there is a tremendous pressure from the gravity of the line.
What I did not see happen was the pilot pulling in on the bar to reduce the pressure on the line. The angle of the keel showed no sign of changing.
The worst thing to do was to turn the nose of the glider away from the vehicle, no way of coming back from that error.
User avatar
By dave hopkins
#341170
Fred Wilson wrote:ATOL Truck Towing incident. :shock: Bob Buxton's low and off-line accident.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oeb0nNIKs[/youtube]

There are two causes I see here . No. one, the pilot didn't release and the other is that the winch observer is not even looking at the pilot on tow. Its like he is stoned staring off into the sky. It looks like someone in the truck yelled at him to dump the pressure after the glider was down. That was incredibly stupid and irresponsible . Maybe the guy didn't have a clue why he was there.
I think we sometimes think that everything has gone right so many times that we really don't need to pay attention.
This is one of the aspects I don't like about towing. We are always betting our life on other peoples ability to pay attention. I am more nervous when I am running the truck or winch then when I am on the rope.
The one serious lockout I experienced I was saved by good winch design ( my own ) and quick action by the winch operator. I was only knock out instead of snuffed out.
By thermalfox
#341177
Hi Fred
That is not the video that I was referring to. Both persons are in daze, I would never never allow the winch person to operate for my flight.
I would add one more issue the payout pressure was too low, he did not climb like someone on tow. He was in tow stall halfway between towing and flying. The operator said 80 lbs, (testing the first winch out on an old glider we were using 350 lbs) but unless this is tested this very day you start towing, you are guessing. It also looked like a narrow reel which will change pressure of line as it payout.