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I've done a few gliding flights. They were all towed to height by a powered aircraft and then released. Winch launch is an alternative to towing, but sounded li
by hermitcrab 1y ago
I've done a few gliding flights. They were all towed to height by a powered aircraft and then released. Winch launch is an alternative to towing, but sounded like a fairly terrifying alternative where you were yoinked into the air by a huge winch. The terror isn't an issue if the glider is pilotless. But IIRC they used something like a 7 litre engine to winch an incredibly light glider. Presumably it would require something really powerful to launch a cargo glider.
- bewo001 1y agoI did once fly as a guest with a winch start, and yes it is something. The ascend is pretty steep and the acceleration is powerful. The pilot did not find good lift and we had to land shortly after. My stomach did not like his curving around looking for lift, so I wasn't too unhappy about the short flight.
- dimensional_dan 1y agoI have done it. It's actually quite thrilling, feeling that initial burst of acceleration.