Acme Professor Retired

So presently we can launch the glider two ways.

One, by attaching it to a huge winch and have it haul the glider along the ground until it gains speed and starts flying, it continues flying and climbing rapidly, until it’s directly above the winch at a suitable height where the pilot releases the Glider from the towing winch wire, by opening the gliders towing hook that attaches the winch wire to the glider, its operated manually by the glider pilot or student. Then using its momentum and continuing its rapid climb, it finds itself at a suitable gliding speed and attitude, and the gliding begins.

Two, by being towed behind a “Tug” aircraft which is a stubby tough little pug of an aircraft, that tows by wire the glider into the air, using a 50m wire with an eye at each end, allowing the towplane and the glider to release the wire. Normally the Glider releases the wire and the pilot skilfully returns to earth with the 50m of tow line dangling behind and beneath at about 20 to 40 degrees, trying not to garrotte any unfortunate bystander lurking about the airfield, or pulling the ass off the “Tug” by wrapping the wire around an electricity pylon etc. The wires do have weak links, but why take a chance?

“So what is the point of the “Heavy Glider?”, he knew he would be asked.

“Two main reasons”, he again surmised.

It would promote flying through far more variable weather scenarios, and make booking a flight and actually getting flying, a far more realistic statistical proposition.
The majority of students and fliers, simply get fed up with waiting about, and having days cancelled due to the very small windows of opportunity to actually fly, due to all the various factors that conspire against actually getting airborne.

“As for the Heavy Stuff?”
Yes, of course it wouldn’t stay up for very long compared to today’s miraculous modern hi tech soaring wonders, but it would actually get airborne on far more occasions, perhaps getting more people into the air and therefore into the sport come pastime, increasing gliding membership of the clubs, their life blood.

The second reason would be twofold.

The most exciting and skilful parts of real flying in his opinion were the adrenaline fuelled Glider take off and the carefully executed and skilful Glider landings.
So why not design a robust little flying machine, that’s very reason for existing its is to facilitate thousands of take offs and landing scenarios, in normal rainy days, windy days, winter days, where students get the chance “in safety” to practice taking off and landing in lots of varied and difficult conditions rarely met due to the present take off and landing constraints of those more fragile soaring wonders.
Cram the plane full of all the latest safety features, such as whole aircraft parachute systems, anti stall wing technology, have all the latest instrumentation installed, to assist in the poor weather conditions, and teach all grades of pilots in the safe and prudent use of these amazing technologies.
Plus of course the second string to the machine, would be its “Rollercoaster” type attributes where you can just turn up and get the front seat in a wild weather thrill a minute take of a landing gliding experience, which may be a reliable non weather dependant useful extra string of income to the cash strapped gliding clubs.
Get the Govt to have a Grant Scheme for purchase and you could have the clubs far more financially independent. As they say, teach the starving dude to fish, don’t just give him one fish, as with only one fish eaten, or sold for crack, he will be back soon enough asking for a “none means tested fish”.

With the latest laptop simulator, VR headset or whatever has been dreamt up lately, used to get people trained up, and not waste valuable flying time they would be already accustomed to the displays and controls.
But importantly the simulator can never fully fly. It can never really reproduce the fear and elation all combined together, that is experienced during the first real take off and landing circuit, and prepare for the inner questions manifested when doing your first solo flight.

So there we have it, he pulled out his slide rule, worked out a few basic parameters, and proved to himself the concept was plausible.

He transported himself into the two scenarios.

Winch Launch with Launch Control team in charge, up at Deeside Gliding Club, with his new shiny bird.

The wing runner was not needed in this case, but normally they lift the appropriate wing, the downwind wing normally to start the proceedings. This is a very visual queue to the winch operator and “Launch Control = “LC”.