Glider Winch Launch - Different Angles

[@lashamgliders]

Bruno. Check out the UKs BGA Safe Winch Launching Initiative and how we carry out winch launches in the UK. Between 1975 and 2005 there were multiple fatalities/serious injuries on winch launches because of a lack of education. From the looks of it you already implement quite a few practices like keeping your hand on the release and keeping an eye on the speed, but it's worth a look as the hard work by the BGA has reduced serious accidents and deaths to almost nil over the last 10 years and is not internationally recognised by other gliding organisations. Enjoy the fun of winch launching.

[@fingerhorn4]

In Europe, winch launches are common, and the reason is simple. They cost around a quarter of an aerotow launch. Despite the US assuming it has high fuel prices, they are but a fraction of European fuel which is very heavily taxed. Winching is the way to go as fuel prices steadily increase in the US. But like everything in North America, they do things BIG. Not content with a measly 1200 feet launch, they think big and go for this frankly enormous winch height. But you need a very long airfield. Well done Bruno for promoting this "new fangled" launch method. Fly safe (and not too high an angle for your own safety)!

[@StonyRC]

It's a great way to launch - up in next to no time. Spectacular to experience the rush!

[@DomAviationChannel]

8000 ft of rope .... thats freaking insane :-) In europe we have between 4000 and 5000 ft.

[@mozzmann]

We had some 8,000 ft of wire on our drum BUT the Airfield was 6500 Ft fence to fence on grass, so we were pretty lucky in that respect, mid Summer our thermals could be as strong as 12-15 Kts so great cross country flights were regular

[@Hennix1029]

We only have 800m (2400 ft) of rope :( This launches us to about 400m (1200 ft) of height

[@whiteysgaming6707]

The SKY used to be the limit at my gliding club you will be lucky to get 1000ft South Wales gliding club

[@mauritsvanderpol7415]

We have approx. 1,3 km of cable, allowing to max 900m in a normal winch launch (ZVC Volkel)

[@tieskalf1555]

In Soesterberg (Netherlands) we only go up 500meters or 1650 feet with a rope length of 1100meters

[@GregHartSk8er]

Yeah winching is super fun, closest thing you'll get to being in a jet fighter without actually being one. My very first flight was with winch - eye opener for sure!

[@Ptolemeian]

Came here from If My Heart Had Wings, thought the winch thing was fake. Beautiful af tho seriously

[@skydive1424]

Done a couple of thousands of those, both flying and operating the winch. I loved operating the winch! It's an art, believe me! In those days there was no radio communication. One would yaw when airspeed went to high and push over when airspeed went too low, but not release so the winchman could add power. The winchman needs to judge weight and type of aircraft, wind and best airspeed for that aircraft. We had only 2500 ft of field so you had to use that length by accelerating swiftly but not excessively and achieve the exact right airspeed for the climb. No radio, only visual signals... loved it! That was 40 years ago...

[@xtensionxward3659]

there are things in life that you should not miss ! flying like that is one of them

[@zolikingsthorpe7297]

True. Total eclipse of the sun is another one! Don't miss it! You can easily travel to one.

[@AlmostLiveKaraoke]

20 year RCACC pilot/instructor here - LOVE the video! Yeah; we used to winch-launch 233's out of Burbank Strip (private) near Orangeville, Ontario back in the day - to this day the closest thing a 15 year old will ever get to an aircraft carrier Cat-launch! Smiles - a long time fan of the old Twin Astir too; I got about 400 hours in the old girl and she's just a lovely creature in the air. :) Thanks for the video!

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Being a pilot with tons of all kinds of various experiences, I got the opportunity while in Germany in 1991 to do a winch launch: raise the wing, accelerate from 0-70mph in 100', at which point you lift off from 3' to a rapid 45 degree attitude 100' off the ground and ROCKET upwards, thinking if the towline breaks, we will be SO screwed and stall vertically 200' off the ground (you won't, you just get the nose down with the energy). If you wonder what a carrier launch feels like, this is pretty close, and one of the MOST exciting things I have done as a pilot: simply incredible; if you get a chance to go for a ride with a winch launch, take it :-)

[@RobertShaverOfAustin]

Lovely launch. I watched some of your other videos including the off-field on the way to the Tetons. Kind of makes me want to give it another go now that I'm retired. When I was in a club in San Diego, we rigged a car for tow-launch. We had a 5,000 foot cable and a 5 mile long runway in the desert east of San Diego. We could get to about 1000 feet in the trainer. Got lots of landing practice that way. I never soloed in a sail plane but did in power, ultralight and hang-glider. This was some 35 years ago.

[@richardharris7214]

Vivid memories of spectacular solo winch launches as a 16 year old cadet in the Air Training Corps in UK in the 1970s. The glider, a rather primitive but effective machine, was a Slingsby Kirby Cadet Mk3. [I remember looking down at the ground through the gaps in the wooden floor!]. We launched from RAF West Malling, the home of 618 squadron Volunteer Gliding School. There are no gliders of this type left flying, the squadron is long disbanded and West Malling is now a housing estate; and I fear today's Royal Air Force has not faired much better. Aahh... the good ole days!

[@pinkdispatcher]

Wow! That is one huge winch. The one at EDLO where I did my (powered flight) training they only have 1200 m ropes (the length of the field) which gets them to around 400 to 450 m (~1500 ft) altitude, which is usually enough. But 8000 ft of rope and up to 4000 ft altitude! Very impressive. On the other hand, EDLO has up to 5 winches with up to 6 ropes each working in parallel on busy days. It's one of the world's two busiest glider fields with some 25,000 launches per year.

[@shadeburst]

+pink, do you have a link where I can see pictures and videos of EDLO? With so many launches the winches can pay for themselves but usually autotow is much cheaper because you can use the launch truck for other stuff as well. At Tennant Creek we normally launched to 2900' using steel wire because it doesn't get damaged when you pull the cable back to the launch point. Winches work better for short fields and that steep climb is great fun.

[@Michael-dq9cs]

​@@shadeburst Here is a video from EDLO and especially about the 6 rope winch; it's in German but you can select English subtitles. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4HEq5ifmc6prNU

[@ben3989]

I’d love to see a 10 minute description of the the which components, siting, anchoring, dos and dont’s etc. very cool

[@SgtSteel1]

It's basically a really big engine connect to a big drum connected to it which the cable is wrapped around. A jeep tows the cable to the glider and that's basically it. Rev it it up and she pulls the cable in.

[@steverpcb]

@@SgtSteel1 Yep a truck engine with auto gearbox

[@clearlake2112]

Bruno I never get tired of watching that video. Thx

[@guyglover4883]

High quality video, how about some shots of the winch?

[@BrunoVassel]

Will do. Thanks for watching.

[@davidmoorea1961]

+Bruno Vassel Thank YOU SO MUCH for exposing us to THIS!! For those of us who LOVE FLYING [ummm,..ME!], each of these videos is nothing less than an Awakening! I'm a disabled vet, but this takes me out of the pain ~ again, THX!!!

[@BrunoVassel]

Great to hear you are enjoying them. Be well! Bruno

[@Chris_Malatesta]

I had my first glider flight ever about a month ago. It was also a winch launch. 0-60mph in about 3 seconds and from the ground to 2000' in about 45 seconds. It's a hell of a ride and a hell of a lot of fun!

[@BrunoVassel]

Congrats on the first flight! Now keep going and get your license. It just keeps getting better. Thanks for watching.

[@WheelDweller]

I flew R/C sailplanes for many years...this is almost identical. This is more-beautiful than anything I flew...probably more fun, too! We called it "a high-start launch".

[@Dafoosa2]

Aw, I wanna see the winch pov. (engineer here)

[@BrassLock]

Agreed. Plug that in the "To Do List".

[@berhorn]

8000-11000ft of rope, theese clouds and mountains, you live in heaven, man... Greetings from Germany (where it usually is more like 2700-4000ft of rope)...

[@RebelNine]

Winching… Yeah, it’s how I learned, here in UK, in open cockpit gliders too. Quite dramatic at first; even more so if you get a cable break in the steepest part of your climb out. As you’re already sitting back in the cockpit, when the cable breaks your mind screams that your ‘going over the top’; at least at first, ’till you get used to it 🤣Anyway, great fun 😎

[@austinthorne9375]

Thanks for the little explanation of the winch launch, Bruno. My first aero tow was amazing I can't wait to ba able to find a club with a good winch.

[@victor-emmanuel7485]

Yessss! Bruno is back!

[@timbowilderbeeste8709]

Ah, the old twin Astir! Great memories of my own training in Waikerie, Sth. Australia, years ago - you didn't have to go far to find a thermal, trust me! :)

[@catmar1944]

Bruno I always enjoy your video's that was like akin to something like a shuttle launch but with no noise. I have done a winch launch in the UK from the London Gliding Club, but I have to say it was only an intro ride, I loved it, but never got a chance to continue as my family sort of got in the way as they can do. Thanks for the video.

[@davidmoorea1961]

Damned Well said, Clive! Yes, for those of us who LOVE FLYING...IT'S SHEER BEAUTY & as close to HEAVEN as we mere mortals can get, sans Death!

[@catmar1944]

David A. Moore In absolute agreement, Bruno always does gliding with aplomb!

[@thomasnewbery7449]

Sorry, got to add my two shilliings worth... In the cockpit, sequence goes likek this... maybe 15 yds of wheel noise as the glider gets up airspeed on the ground... then the cable hum and wind noise increase as the cable cuts throught the air.... and finally, at your release height only the wind noise and that of the cable release mechanism. You look around and all is good with the world! NOW, WHERE'S THAT LIFT!

[@tomyyy5813]

I've been waiting for this for months now, and its finally here, a new video! Thanks Bruno!

[@tomyyy5813]

I'm almost solo on the winch, (already on tow we have both in the club) and i can't wait to fly our clubs ask23 on winch launch

[@douglasbailey9679]

Great video! Brings back memories of soaring in Holland with ACvZ at Camp New Amsterdam.Did all my Dutch soaring license with winch launch. We didn't have that much cable either so we didn't get that much height on launch.

[@BrunoVassel]

It is fun to be on the ground one minute and thousands of feet up just a minute later. I wish more pilots did this in the USA. We are way behind Europe with winching but slowly coming along.

[@Twobarpsi]

Gliders are already cooler than powered planes, here's another over the top one! The g forces must be great! Plus no noisy towplane. Winches fit well the sailplanes.

[@alistairhammond1564]

There's no real g-force involved, winch flying is generally very smooth. Once you've rotated off the ground you climb at a fairly steady (but fast!) rate so you stay at 1G. The excitement comes during a winch failure!

[@MarcoNierop]

Only at the start to accelerate to the climbing speed.. that is from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3-5 seconds or so.. After that, speed is pretty constant so only 1G :-)

[@twown]

"Many hours"?? That's incredible.

[@BelloBudo007]

Wow. That launch was nothing like I imagined. Not in the slightest. I was thinking of some kind of propulsion akin to an aircraft carrier and very little length in the 'tow rope'. But up to 11,000 feet? I've watched a couple of takeoffs using the winch but this is the one that makes it understood. And now the penny finally drops. And that would be why there's a parachute attached to the line. Doh. Thanks mate.

[@kaihorstmann2783]

Bill Blinky The parachute slows the falling cable after the release of the glider. Otherwise the cable would just drop to the ground becoming a tangled mess. With the drag of the parachute the winch driver can keep the cable straight, and pull it close to the winch. This is useful, particularly with cross wind. At may airfields the end of the cable would end up in neighboring tree or buildings when the airstrip is narrow.

[@steverpcb]

Launch height is aprox 50% of line length.

[@russellegge9006]

My dad used to fly gliders launched by winch in the 1930's. I have pictures someplace. He and his friends also used to launch them down a ramp on a hill somewhere in New Hampshire.

[@shadowblade145]

Amazing video! Love all of the angles.

[@CrustyBalls007]

The clarity of your videos is amazing!!! keep up the highly enjoyable videos. Thanks

[@AbandonedUK]

Well that took me back a few....never that high though, very cool thanks Bruno!

[@keylargo70]

Bruno good to see you have the winch up and running. We are operating the winch full time now in Hawaii. We have done about 300 launches from about the 1st of June 2016 until the end of September. Using a short 3000' rope we are getting about 5 to 6 flights per hour on one drum.

[@tobysmith4662]

Neat Brian, just checked out your channel.

[@glidingamelia3442]

Amazing! Nice to see it from different angles. I do gliding most weekends. I timed it and it takes 15.6 seconds to get to 1500 feet. Guys if you have never done gliding, give it a go! Great video.

[@Smoot307]

So glad it is video season again! I love your videos!!! Flung in a glider is on my bucket list for sure!

[@ToetFly]

Hi Bruno, Like you said, it's a normal procedure for us in Europe (the Netherlands).....but you guys over there make it quite special....I mean 8800ft of rope, come on, we dream of this!!! You make us jealous, just by watching this.....next time I'm in LA, I will come over and visit you guys to experience this launch!!! BTW, our 15 got some new owners, and we're looking for a 20.... CU!!! Peter

[@carioca56]

I totally enjoy the video, especially the snowcaps of Utah

[@nelsonbrandt7847]

So awesome Bruno!

[@MountainHobbler]

Glad to see you posting new stuff! Juab valley is beautiful this time of year.

[@steverpcb]

The tips for winching are to use an ejector seat drogue chute on the winch line, use a retrieve winch to return the line, the relatively short length between the chute and glider should be inside a length of garden hose ( if a glider runs over it then it stops it being picked up by the wheel and wrapping around the axle )

[@tobysmith4662]

what kind of line should the retreive winch line be? Would something very small like fishing line be ookay?

[@steverpcb]

@@tobysmith4662 The skylaunch website list 4mm diameter or 3mm for dyneema.

[@tobysmith4662]

@@steverpcb Thank you. Invesitigating winch launch for my club. we're currently aerotow only with a finicky pa-25. would be nice to have something more reliable.

[@MrJdsenior]

Done this with RC many many many times, cool to see it from inside a full scale version. My winch is just a ford starter motor, not the actual engine, though.

[@Rahhhhhnman]

Great video Bruno (they all are) I did a few car tows with a hangglider, but only to about 1500ft, great way to get up though.

[@bengaltiger5106]

I'm solo today!!

[@BrunoVassel]

Congrats!!!

[@TroySchrapel]

I learned to fly in one of these (G103) back in the early 90's here in South Australia. Never done a winch launch though.

[@marcsilverman9210]

Very nicely done !!!!!

[@SceneArtisan]

Really cool stuff, Bruno. :)

[@lautoka63]

You're lucky to have a field that long: we get about 1,100' off our winch and then usually head for the wind-triggered thermal coming from the gully on the ridge next to the field. Enjoy your summer.

[@davidmoorea1961]

WHAT...a.....RUSH!! Lord, I LOVE FLYING...

[@SiamosSVideos]

And different acceleration too! Nice video

[@davidg4474]

great video. i have not done a search on youtube, but i would like to see that from the winch perspective also- to see that operation. thanks

[@kaygeebee]

Love to see an overview video of the winch in operation.

[@LightAndSportyGuy]

Definitely on my bucket list...

[@benmcconnell6008]

Interesting classic physics. Thanks.

[@pathologicallydead7210]

the winch at my field only gets us 350 m high, but we usually have nice weather and some good mountainous terrain so it takes us only a few minutes to get to 1200m. Cool video.

[@PaulA-zp7hn]

What an absolutely stunning place to fly. Nephi, Utah you said? This is going on my "must fly to" airport list.

[@thomasnewbery7449]

You want stunning? Try New Zealand. Utah is beautiful, true, and I live there, but New Zealand's mountains are "stunning".... so's the soaring!

[@mickcarson8504]

Hey Bruno, come stay? Nice glider. I wish I could afford one. Take care. Cheers.

[@MrAnonymousme10]

Thats was one awesome kite ive seen 😊

[@Cqyla]

Hi i'm here because of quackity's stream

[@s1ater]

pilotboyhalo confirmed

[@vicloco5988]

great video

[@JustFlyIt09]

Beautiful and amazing. Thanks!

[@ytucharliesierra]

This is how I learned the release is made: The wincher down below watches the altitude and angle of the plane he is winching. Once the peak position has been reached, the wincher slows down the spool considerably. This shows on the pilot's closely monitored speedometer and signals "clear for release". At that moment the nose is pushed down slightly to ease the tension on the rope so it can be manually released, basically dropped.

[@thomasnewbery7449]

Hear, Hear! Just as I remember! (And it's a knotmeter.... same thing, diferent unit of measurement.) At RAF Watisham, I had the pleasure of being both a winch operator and a pilot-student and soloed there.

[@thomasnewbery7449]

OK, in the States, some of the airspeed indicators can be in MPH. Sorry, it's the retired USAF in me!

[@adolphgottlieb349]

Thats a very nice winch!

[@mrsushihut]

I just had to see a real winch launch after playing If My Heart Had Wings!

[@szekelyferenczzoltan2274]

I wish we had a runway so long. Where I fly, the airfield is in the town, so the airstrip is only 700 meters (2100 feet) long. With a fabric cable we get around 400-450 meters, and 280-330 with a steel cable.

[@dolmerfpv2109]

I from EU and my father was glider pilot and winch launch is only way I try takeoff in gliders :) .

[@freshtapcoke]

Never heard of this before! It’s the largest kite in the air for 90 seconds.

[@rubenkomen1409]

awesome vid

[@Cody-wy1vu]

Bruno, Have you ever thought about using VHF handheld radios for comms with your flying buddies? For my backpacking trips I use them and they work perfectly. They're LOS and with the handhelds you can TX up to 6W's with most handhelds. That way you can talk on that instead of using the aircraft radio to conserve battery power for traffic avoidance, contacting tower on T/O and landing. Just a thought I had while watching your videos!

[@charleslongley7862]

Nice video Bruno!

[@mozzmann]

Cool Vid Bruno , I am a Soaring Pilot from many years ago, and am setting myself you to fly my 4 meter Scale Glider as an FPV pilot , Vidio transmitter looking where I am looking with head tracking . and being able to have a winch launch doing almost the same as depicted here.

[@johndoe-rp3hz]

best video yet.

[@cloudchaser9287]

Winch launches are nice and cheap compared to getting towed as well😊

[@Twobarpsi]

Great footage.

[@alltheboost5363]

I'd love to see you do a couple of these in your glider. it seems a lot safer than from behind a plane but that's just from a perspective of someone who doesn't know anything about gliders.

[@lennygemar1021]

I don't know if it's safer but it's certainly more cost-effective.

[@loscantos]

Hey Bruno, wellcome back...we missed you a lot. The third vertex of the Golden Triangle: Balleka, Chris Hiller, Bruno.

[@kaihorstmann2783]

loscantos Unfortunately Balleka has passed to the heavens with eternal 3/8 CU and 9000ft base. You may consider LSV Flachkurbler as worthy your consideration

[@Ella-pl7ct]

That's a nice lookin' toothpick

[@Billy_Darley]

i hope someday ill have a pc and tv capable of displaying 4k and that bruno will start uploading 4k at the same time. thats the only way i could see his videos being any better.... well maybe some more shots from outside the cockpit as well.

[@kaihorstmann2783]

Billy Darley Save the money for the TV. Go instead to the next airfield an do a glider ride yourself. For the Money you can actually go half way with flight training to fly solo.

[@greybirdo]

Nice vid, but you're holding too much backpressure on the stick at the end there. We call it pole bending - trying to get the last foot of height out of the launch. Best practice for top of launch is that you're at normal flying attidude by the time the cable back releases. The back release should be more gentle - almost falling away rather releasing with a bang. Pole bending is by far the most common cause of a cable break, so pole benders become pretty unpopular with winch drivers and ground crew pretty fast. While you're off soaring, we (and every other pilot waiting to launch) are on the ground trying to fix the mess you've made!

[@BrunoVassel]

Thank you so much for the words of wisdom! We are so new at this that we’re trying to figure it out. What you say totally makes sense and I will implement that moving forward. We still think winching is such a novelty and obviously where you’re from it is a standard method of getting into the air. Lots to learn! Cheers

[@greybirdo]

@@BrunoVassel , no worries mate. 600 or so winch launches, and still perfecting my technique! Getting it right is a bit of a ballet involving the pilot and the winch driver, but it´s absolutely worth it. The winch driver should be *gradually* reducing the power from about half way up the launch, to avoid an overstressing the airframe - you absolutely do *not* want to exceed Vw at or near the top of the launch. Also, having the right weak link for the glider is absolutely essential to stop unnecessary failures. A good pilot working with a good winch driver will keep the desired airspeed rock steady from initial climb to release. Good luck!

[@brucebear1]

As we were climbing into the glider (Blanik) for my first winch launch at my club in England about 40 years ago, my instructor said "you're going to like this - this is the closest you or I will get to Cape Canaveral!" Yeah, he was right.

[@thomasnewbery7449]

Bruce! What base gliding at... I learned at RAF Watisham and worked at RAF Bentwaters. Soloed at RAFW in '71 ! Got the nickname of Spamcan. Took a week's leave to fly at RAF Bicester (sp?). Lucky you, my first flight and successives were in a T-21. Not only had the nose-plug for ballast, but also sat on a lead-stuffed cushion for my solo flight! After a few solos in the T-21, then got into a 2-place Blanik, and then a K-8! LOVED IT!

[@pilote768]

4000' ! wow that's a pretty uncommon height for a winch launch ! Good job B4 ;)

[@hellotaya]

who's here from quackity's alt stream HAHA

[@Shmey]

Odessa, TX has had an airfield with a winch for awhile. Also, for your consideration: "Let's go fly a kite!"

[@GlideLA]

Long overdue in the U.S.

[@dmshanks1]

Wow!!!! Why is winch launch so rare in the USA? Looks very effective and way less expensive than a tow aircraft fee.

[@dandaly7305]

It would be interesting to have a close-up of the instrument panel and do a split-screen.

[@66tbird1]

Awesome, it's just like we do in RC but in slow motion.

[@Deathbysnakes90]

What kind of plane are you using?

[@66tbird1]

FAI F3B class thermal duration sailplane in the 2-3 meter range.

[@julianday]

Better than the skies we get in England that’s for sure.

[@ChristianSchwarz71]

Nearly 90 Seconds of Winch Launch...amazing (!) Bruno, also for Europeans :-)

[@MrFraim]

Oh you are flying with a grob twin astir? That is so cool! I am currently learning how to fly with a twin :) greetings from germany.

[@michaelandersen1801]

Just amazing - im jelous of the height. The line being that long, is this not a problem coming down againg? In Demark, we only go to about 1200-1600 feet, but the line still can go to the sides, enough to pose a problem - getting into trees, hitting eqiment etc. We aldo retract the line, high speed, after release, but still it floats with the wind. Love your videos - happy flights

[@Tinker1950]

Are winch launches not common then, over the pond in America? It's much cheaper than an aerotow - and much more exciting.

[@Mike-01234]

That was amazing I have seen other winch launch videos but I don't remember any of them going that high. I would say this is the best video coverage of a winch launch. That seems to be much better then using an airplane to pull you up lot faster to get up to altitude. Is there any more risk in using winch tows then airplane I'm assuming at that angle if something happens to the winch engine you have to push the nose over quickly if your down low.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching. Statistically, winch launching is just as safe if not safer than using airplanes. It all depends on the training. Yes, if the rope breaks you need to get the nose down quickly, but you are trained for it and it isn't a big deal. We had the weak link on the rope break at 100 ft on this day and I just pushed the nose over and landed straight ahead. No issues.

[@Mike-01234]

I'm very interested in learning to becoming a glider pilot. Some of the positive things I have found is the visibility is very good, and one can store it in the trailer at their home. With no engine and fuel tanks to worry about lot less maintenance cost.

[@VonTagner]

Fantastic!

[@stag3t-muspsa910]

That was awesome...I would lo e to go for a ride in one

[@maelperron_guerra4946]

Looks like a carrier launch

[@ZoneTelevision]

That was awesome !

[@g00dfeeling]

This is so cool!!