At 16:25 26 June 2008, R wrote:
>John Smith wrote:
>>> What is wrong wit a mandatory waving off the gliders at the end of the
>>> tow?
>>
>> Wrong is that I, the glider pilot, want to decide where to be towed and
>> when to release. Because I, the glider pilot, am in the air without an
>> engine after the release. No tuggie, no matter how experienced he may
>> be, will ever tell me when and where to release.
>
>I can promise you, if, I were towing you, and you did not get off when I
>waved you off. You would be wearing the rope. I have done it before,
>and I still have lots more rope available to me. Aside, from that, I
>will normally take you where you want to go, but if, I want you gone,
>You will be gone.
The indignant responses from tow pilots are missing the original
point. The first post suggested that *every* tow should end with
the tug signaling the glider to release. That does seem to be
a poor idea in itself, since the wave off would then become an
expected, routine event, and glider pilots would be prone to
adopt the attitude that it really isn't an emergency signal, just
the tow pilot's opinion. And the glider pilot may decide he
wants to stay on for another 500 feet, or to get closer to the
ridge, or whatever.
The wave off shouldn't be routine, it should be used in a
serious situation, and it should be reacted to immediately.
Jim Beckman
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