I've been in the same situation, fortunately I had no problem reaching my downtube-mounted bike-handle-brake release. That said, I do like the type of release you have.
I get the principles and motivation... but I think you'd be better off with microlift gliders and perhaps studying thermals in your area. Like, fly a drone around at different times of day to study where the thermals are. (Nice, dry cereals would be the best bet.) You'd need something with altitude hold and a readout on motor output, but. I think that's actually more important than an exceptionally risky towing method. If you can't figure out when and where thermals are happening, then you're still walking back. Or not. Death comes for us all eventually. It just arrives a lot sooner for the complacent.
I started hang gliding in 1978 and did some of the most crazy tows at crazy places by crazy things that towed me but I would NEVER try step towing ever! Who ever thought of this must be nuts.
I heard it's very common in the Netherlands, one big club there has a small field and no hills. I see no problem as long as the scooter operator is also a pilot and they both know what they are doing, with two release options for the pilot flying and a quick way to cut the cable at the bottom too
why don't you like amsteel blue, I've got a whole bunch of it right now to use. have you seen the ronstan D splicer needle? is there a reason you're doing this stitching method rather than end to end splice?
This is very interesting. Being new to the sport of hang gliding, and having seen the term "step towing" elsewhere many times, I had no idea what this even IS - until I watched this video. Brilliantly simple idea, making tows possible to heights far in excess of what the field length available for laying out the tow line would suggest, prior to commencing the launch. Like everything else, obviously requires knowledge and practice to do it safely and get the best results. I'm used to flying "classical" sailplanes which are much bigger, heavier and generally have much higher glide ratios than hang gliders. To my knowledge, this method has never been attempted with "classical" sailplanes.
I've done this, a long time ago, using a truck winch rather than stationary winch. But honestly, if you've got 1000 meters out, that's likely enough to get up on a decent day. Not at all sure the additional gain is worth the additional risk. Which is why it was a long time ago.
@@instinctwindsports problem is we're in socal (san diego) and the concept of a gi-normous field is very foreign to us. no plans to buy a farm in Iowa either, it's just the wx has gotten sideways here.. :(
B******* please nobody tried this b******* I towed for years behind boats trucks toe planes but this is b******* don't try this at all too many people have died doing this b******* do a straight toe and release and lift anything above 500 and you're going to find the thermal and climb away
@@instinctwindsports I gather that he's towing the rope back to the start, and winching up again. Is he unwinding the rope from the winch? How easily does it unspool? Ever had any incidents of the pilot getting yanked backwards? When I first watched this and saw the rope going the wrong way, I thought he was going to die. Took a while to figure out what was going on. There was no towing of any kind when I used to hang glide. I'm flying powered paraglider now. Much less hiking involved. There is an airport not too far away that does "ultralight" tows. I'll probably give that a try one of these days.
The one in this video is a self-made hydraulic winch. But we are now making a portable electric winch capable of doing the same as you see in this video. www.instinct.pro/vortex
After flying hang gliders (and sailplanes) for years, must admit that looked a bit sketchy. Then again, I'm pretty sure no wind cliff launches look that way as well - Always hated 'em, but they do get your attention!
We do use a weak-link. There is an endless controversy over their use, especially with a pressure-regulated winch like ours. It was a rare drum snag. I debated to post this video because of it but it is a reminder what CAN happen. We have a low tolerance for any sort of resistance on the downwind. This snag worked itself out right away but it is always a good move to release as the pilot did.
Hello, I love your 360º videos, you can upload some more, they are spectacular with the VR viewers. You can place the camera in a passenger position, for tandem flight. greetings and thanks for sharing.
Inherently a very dangerous method of towing, ripe with generating a lockout. The type of description of pilots that hit sound like- “crushed chest cavity”,…. there are better safer ways to get air.
ALL forms of launching are dangerous. Proper training and progression is key. Can you explain your "crushed chest cavity" remark? After at least 15,000 tows like this, we have never had a single bruised rib...
Zero problems disconnection. There was a slight snag at the drum on his downwind (a big hazzard with step-towing). That is why we only use Koch-style releases as the release is always at the same location and a fast release gets you free of the rope. Never step-tow without a release like that. Trying to find a release string takes too long and is not nearly as reliable.
Target height....as high as possible??! :) as long as we can stay above 500' on the steps as a safety measure, we are happy trying more steps. Depends on the winch for the back pressure on the downwind. You can't attempt step towing without the Koch style release. If something goes wrong, you wouldn't have time to release with any other type of release. The winch design and operator is key for step-towing. It is an art for sure. You have to be in-sync with the operator. Communication is key
A high powered stationary winch. You tow until you are above the winch and then you fly away from the winch and pull the rope back off the winch as you fly downwind. Face the winch again and then you get pulled in again and get higher each step!
@@instinctwindsports I see! I'm brand new to hang gliding. I started at the end of June of this year (at Lookout Mountain Flight Park in GA, USA), so I have a lot to learn!
Hang gliding is soooo fun !!! Thanks for sharing this nice video, I have not been flying for a while, that was a good substitute... Question, how high did you get at the end of the 2nd tow? you were climbing for 7 min !!!
For what its worth , i too keep on my base bar as long as i can , better set up , more control in ground effect , gives me more confidence . There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you did here , great landing , only an idiot would say otherwise .
Yup, we know the risks. As with any form of towing there are risks. We have a quick release on the pilot and a cutter at the winch. Pilots are trained to release if any concerns. Step towing hang gliders isn't new but hasn't caught on in the US. We do thousands of flights here in Canada a year and Europe is popular too
That was beautiful. My S3 is just as nimble. I have a Malibu 2 which I think is better than a Falcon so when I had to choose between a gecko and s3, I only got the s3 cause getting it's parts in the US is a lot easier but now WW has shifted to Mexico and still in a fix.
Sir, at your finals , , , You got out of your harness much too late (coming straight up to the uprights BEFORE !!! your final entry). Why? Your mistake at 0:38 The speed was good. 👍 ** This pilots uprights mistake during/BEFORE the final approach doesn't seem to get out of our Hang gliding world! **
@@JonMcG Sir, Hang gliding over 3K hours and 40 years later, most of the accidents I've seen happening at the landings were due getting straight to the up-raisers too late ! 🙏 nanna maste.
@@MVW54 a simple “google search “ will prove your theory wrong , it’s a culmination of errors that have caused accidents over the years , ranging from equipment in the early years to over confidence and pilot error . Believe it or not , majority of accidents are due to pilot forgetting to strap themselves to the HG. The 2 most common causes are weather and equipment failure ( again google search )
@@JonMcG I have not written about the most common, but the most common at the landings. That's a big difference. I only describe what I have personally seen in all those years... once again... especially only on landings !
