As I was the tug pilot on this tow, my personal comments are - 1. There was no thermal surge felt by me prior to the advent of the pilot's lock-out. I’ve watched the video in slow motion and if you check the position of the pilot's spreader bar on his hang loop (in the foreground) relative to the position of the trike (in the background), there is not a sudden deviation between the two prior to the lock-out. 2. I checked the pilot's station shortly after take-off and once again during the tow prior to the lock-out (It was within acceptable limits on a thermic day for me to continue the tow). Most of my time is spend checking my airspeed (for safe flying) and keeping my input to the minimum. I would certainly check the glider’s station on entering and departing a thermal. 3. It is NOT the tug pilot's duty to adjust his flying and correct the pilot's station relative to the tow, but in thermal conditions you do adjust your climb rate. If you get tug pilot and hang gliding pilot trying to correct for each other, you're just going to exacerbate the situation. 4. The lock-out is progressive, as a result of the pilot not correcting his glider’s turn to the left. Given this, there was no pitch up or pitch down movement in the trike that would result in me re-checking the pilot's station and giving him the rope. I had just checked his station relative to the tug. 5. A lack of authoritative roll input to correct the turn to the left exacerbated the situation. 6. The pilot was looking towards the direction of the turn, not looking at the trike and his station to it. 7. Human factor - situation awareness. This plays a big part as the pilot hadn't towed for a while and the conditions were thermic. If you've not towed for a while do it in benign conditions so that you can get used to the process again.
Good analysis in the comment section of the video: too low, propwash, slow (or not appropriate) reaction by the pilot ... thanks for posting this, we all learn from mistakes and luckily this one had a happy ending!
Wow. That video had my heart in my throat, even the landing (after ending up in hospital myself yesterday after a stupid landing. NEVER fly tired!). Glad the pilot went on to nail the next one though.
Hands too close together on base bar, got too low, just sat and watched the tug getting higher and higher, went into the prop wash, then failed to correct due to twisting rather than correct weightshifting. Shoulder releases are for very experienced / suicidal aerotow pilots. Tow line looks on the short side for inexperienced aerotow pilot (100m recommended). Bad things happen quicker with short tow lines! Glad you survived!
When I was still flying, when aero towing the release was a loop on the right side of the base bar, which we kept looped around the fingers. Releasing involved a 2 inch hand movement. I only had to bail out once but it was very reassuring having it there.
yess! summarizes all you don't have to do! : after 12 months from last tandem, first solo onboard of an intermediate glider, without secondary release, in very thermal conditions, with reinforced weak link... everything was very crazy. kill the sheriff!
WOW!! You were inverted? Crap! That must have been scary AF. Glad you're OK I did my 6th tandem aerotow and am nervous about my first solo. Instructor says a couple more flights and I'll be ready to handle the take off. I have a total of 16 aertow lessons, then 5 solo flights. It's bumpy and I have to really strain my neck to look up at the tug. Also in AZ we have the dust, so it's hard to see through the dust as the tug is throwing it at you. Being 240lbs also means staying in the prop wash longer. UGHHH!! LOL
We see at second 45, that the line to the pilot's harness is completely slack. So, ALL of the tow pull is concentrated on the upper line, which is attached to the glider, and thus the pilot has practically NO control input, in relation to the tow forces pulling on the glider. Whatever the pilot does at that point on, has basically no effect on the glider ; fortunately for him the weak link broke. If if hadn't, the tug would have been basically pulling on an out of control glider in a cartwheel spin. The "two-point" bridle system has that basic danger. If the upper line had been disactivated shortly after takeoff, and the tow forces been going through the pilot, then his control over the glider would have been augmented ( as if he were virtually a heavier pilot, for example), and the lockout would have not happened. You need to be aware of this danger of the "two-line" system, and perhaps rethink your use of it.
The line you are seeing as slack is the release line. This is *not* a two point/two stage bridle. In this release system, used extensively in Australia, there is a continuous bridle attached at keel and pilot. It goes through a sliding ring, and the ring is attached to a webbing release to the tow line via a weak link. The release is activated by a line to the pilot which by definition is always slack unless pulled. Because of the sliding ring, the tension on the upper and lower parts of the bridle are equally divided at all times - it's just not possible for one side to be slack and the other tight unless there was a tangle.
Ah! OK, now I see it! Yes, that slack line is the release line, of course. Well, don't you ever tow with just one line directly to the pilot's harness? That way, he would keep control input at all times... Well, at least with the sliding ring, the tow forces are divied between the pilot and keel. But that means the pilot only has half the input control power...
kfspiano The answer is yes. Many pilots do use a single bridle to the chest with one or two (for redundancy) barrel releases. However it is common to see the above arrangement or topologically equivalent (with a secondary release at the chest and a primary release at the keel activated by a cord on the control bar) as it trades off against high bar pressures at speed particularly on slower gliders. The cord on the control bar type also removes the requirement to take a hand off the bar to release in an emergency, which is one of the down sides to both the chest mount only and the type used in this instance. If the pilot had had a control bar actuated release already in his hand, he might have pinned off before things went as far as they did.
I would of cut loose at 45 seconds. Also because of the hard climb from coming out of an inverted attitude I would take that wing apart and check all the AN Hardware and especially replace all my bottom fly wires... but hey it's only my life up there!. Yes this was an "Lucky" situation and it rattled the pilot on an high level because the landing was evident of that. Just glad he was high enough so he didn't get slammed back into the terrain. Wheeeew!
Visual of a Lockout: Think of when you have a kite in a strong wind and it suddenly "curves" off of vertical flight and makes a "C" shape pattern into the ground. If you let slack into the kite string it will slow/stop its path into the ground.
Watch the nose relative to the ground. The wing's reflex kept pitching the nose up which maintained the G's sufficiently to keep the harness lines snug once the tow line snapped.
For sure. But... the HG pilot was doing ok before he fell asleep at the controls..... allowing himself to get MUCH lower than the tug, then almost woke up when he encountered the downdraft/vorticies of the tug. Flying that low below the tug would be some real challenging flying for anyone, let alone someone that hasn't towed/flown in 12 months. Pay attention and B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E !!
From that angle, it looks like pilot is way too low on tow, then cross-controls instead of weight-shifts causing the lock-out. Wonder why tug pilot didn't waive him up earlier on; and/or give him the line before the lockout?
Correct, cross controlling and being to low and hitting the prop wash - which is what started throwing him off course. As for the trike pilot - I suppose for him it would have been quite obvious that he needed to be higher, but the trike is also trying to fly as slow as safely possible in thermic air whilst still relatively low, so he's got enough on his mind as it is. He could have possibly given him the rope earlier, but one would expect the HG pilot to release sooner. If the weak link didn't break and he didn't release, the trike would have been in danger and he would have definitely given him the rope.
***** What Harrison says.The pilot.should have released much sooner. If it starts going bad get off. you can always tow again. In aviation most bad accidents happen because the pilot let all the errors build up. There is no reason at all a lockout should get as dangerous as this. Someone else posted that he almost tumbled..Yes he did almost tumble and yes it can happen. It takes less than a second to release with the correct release
Are you still aerotowing? Learn your lesson and have to avoid getting low on tow in the future, I hope. Also, I'm not buying the release issue. You couldn't see it? What good is that? Your hand has to KNOW where to go to release - and you have to take your hand off the base tube to do it instead of hanging on with a death grip. I think you had plenty of time to look for it when you knew you were compromised being so low below the tug. At the first sign of veering off to the left - you should have been off that tow.
The pilot in the video has done the proper training, but I think it was his first aerotow in over a year. Shortly after landing, he went for another tow and nailed it, landing too. A lot of things were done wrong in this tow. I can only put it down to panicking and not thinking clearly. Definitely lucky indeed.
Hey! Is it possible to contact you regarding this video? (i.e. via email) I would love to discuss a permission to use your video if this is possible. Greetings!
...seems like the towing pilot should have released the towed pilot when the latter was persistently too low. Staying too low on tow pulls down tow craft's tail, forcing its nose up, it approaching a stalling condition...not good.
I thought so too, but it must have still been flyable. The trike will only give the rope to the hang glider pilot if the trike is in danger. I'm guessing that the trike pilot made the judgement that where the HG was before the lockout was still fixable so he let him fly.
that would have resulted in another dangerous situation: the hangglider flying with 300 feet of rope dangling over the bar. so i would suggest that only as a last resort.. but it was defendable in this situation for sure, as the hg pilot did not release..
I'm no expert but i have been aerotowing for a long time... at :23 you were looking good but by :35 you are extremely low on this tow -- you should have been pushing out very aggressively there! Getting stuck in prop wash is a predictable result if you're seeing the tug that high on the horizon.
I'm not expert either, but pushing out very aggressively on tow? Not a great idea, if you're that low then you should release, pushing out on tow is asking for another lockout. Here in the states tandem pilots were just sent a notification from the national organization that it is not advised to push out on tow. This is some extreme cross controling at :47, move your hips not your shoulders.
Adventures with Lucas Hrmm.. I was taught (like others here) keep the wheels on the horizon. If i see the tug above me like that i'm definitely pushing out to gain altitude. The higher the tug the more aggressively i'm pushing out. The pilot in this video seems completely unaware of the situation he's in, honestly I think he could benefit strongly from some tandem aerotow instruction (pilot if you're reading this, go to an aerotow school like Wallaby, it just may save your life). The longer you delay your correction the worse the situation you'll be in, and in this case the pilot took no corrective actions what-so-ever to fix his altitude relative to the tug. As long as he keeps his wings fairly level i don't see why pushing out when low would lock him out. if he's in a turn, or high on tow, then yeah... i'd agree. He locked out anyway at :37 so pushing out hard at like :33 could have saved him from the impending lockout.
Jason Orlando Here's where I see the problem: You can stall at any speed. "Pushing out aggressively" is another way of saying "stall" to me. Yes, keep your wheels on the horizon, but I highly highly doubt you will ever hear an instructor to tell you to "push out aggressively on tow." You're likely to stall, get into a turn that you can't get out of because you have no control over your glider while you are stalled which would initiate a lockout you can not get out of because you have changed your angle of attack so dramatically by your aforementioned aggressive push out. Anyone reading this, I would not do as Jason recommends, do NOT push out aggressively on tow, if you're that low below the tow plane, release from tow and land.
I'm still unconvinced, maybe because the stall speed of the gliders I fly is low enough (falcon, sport 2) that It would be difficult or nearly impossible to accidentally stall during an aerotow.. how slow could that tug possibly be flying? Trikes are usually a lot faster than dragonflies. What kind of glider was this guy in?
As I was the tug pilot on this tow, my personal comments are -
1. There was no thermal surge felt by me prior to the advent of the pilot's lock-out. I’ve watched the video in slow motion and if you check the position of the pilot's spreader bar on his hang loop (in the foreground) relative to the position of the trike (in the background), there is not a sudden deviation between the two prior to the lock-out.
2. I checked the pilot's station shortly after take-off and once again during the tow prior to the lock-out (It was within acceptable limits on a thermic day for me to continue the tow). Most of my time is spend checking my airspeed (for safe flying) and keeping my input to the minimum. I would certainly check the glider’s station on entering and departing a thermal.
3. It is NOT the tug pilot's duty to adjust his flying and correct the pilot's station relative to the tow, but in thermal conditions you do adjust your climb rate. If you get tug pilot and hang gliding pilot trying to correct for each other, you're just going to exacerbate the situation.
4. The lock-out is progressive, as a result of the pilot not correcting his glider’s turn to the left. Given this, there was no pitch up or pitch down movement in the trike that would result in me re-checking the pilot's station and giving him the rope. I had just checked his station relative to the tug.
5. A lack of authoritative roll input to correct the turn to the left exacerbated the situation.
6. The pilot was looking towards the direction of the turn, not looking at the trike and his station to it.
7. Human factor - situation awareness. This plays a big part as the pilot hadn't towed for a while and the conditions were thermic. If you've not towed for a while do it in benign conditions so that you can get used to the process again.
Got so low on the tow you hit the propwash - I was taught to keep the tug on the horizon.
Good analysis in the comment section of the video: too low, propwash, slow (or not appropriate) reaction by the pilot ... thanks for posting this, we all learn from mistakes and luckily this one had a happy ending!
Wow. That video had my heart in my throat, even the landing (after ending up in hospital myself yesterday after a stupid landing. NEVER fly tired!). Glad the pilot went on to nail the next one though.
Pull in...pull in...pull in. I was instinctively pulling my elbows back due to my sympathetic nervous system just watching this.
Hands too close together on base bar, got too low, just sat and watched the tug getting higher and higher, went into the prop wash, then failed to correct due to twisting rather than correct weightshifting. Shoulder releases are for very experienced / suicidal aerotow pilots. Tow line looks on the short side for inexperienced aerotow pilot (100m recommended). Bad things happen quicker with short tow lines! Glad you survived!
When I was still flying, when aero towing the release was a loop on the right side of the base bar, which we kept looped around the fingers. Releasing involved a 2 inch hand movement. I only had to bail out once but it was very reassuring having it there.
Thanks for posting. So educational. Great video!
yess! summarizes all you don't have to do! : after 12 months from last tandem, first solo onboard of an intermediate glider, without secondary release, in very thermal conditions, with reinforced weak link... everything was very crazy. kill the sheriff!
That was really scary to watch. Glad it turned out like it did.
Holy **** Sweating. Nice Aerobatics!
Terrifying! I greatly appreciate my instructors at LMFP yelling and taking over when I approached a lockout.
WOW!! You were inverted? Crap! That must have been scary AF. Glad you're OK
I did my 6th tandem aerotow and am nervous about my first solo. Instructor says a couple more flights and I'll be ready to handle the take off. I have a total of 16 aertow lessons, then 5 solo flights. It's bumpy and I have to really strain my neck to look up at the tug. Also in AZ we have the dust, so it's hard to see through the dust as the tug is throwing it at you. Being 240lbs also means staying in the prop wash longer. UGHHH!! LOL
I just saw one happen yesterday. Weak link and the glider (a tandem) broke! Parachute saved their lives!
As an old tow pilot with about 4000 hours at the front end of the rope, I've seen a few of those in the mirror.
shit man that looked crazy glad your ok.. fly safe bro
We see at second 45, that the line to the pilot's harness is completely slack. So, ALL of the tow pull is concentrated on the upper line, which is attached to the glider, and thus the pilot has practically NO control input, in relation to the tow forces pulling on the glider. Whatever the pilot does at that point on, has basically no effect on the glider ; fortunately for him the weak link broke. If if hadn't, the tug would have been basically pulling on an out of control glider in a cartwheel spin. The "two-point" bridle system has that basic danger. If the upper line had been disactivated shortly after takeoff, and the tow forces been going through the pilot, then his control over the glider would have been augmented ( as if he were virtually a heavier pilot, for example), and the lockout would have not happened. You need to be aware of this danger of the "two-line" system, and perhaps rethink your use of it.
The line you are seeing as slack is the release line. This is *not* a two point/two stage bridle. In this release system, used extensively in Australia, there is a continuous bridle attached at keel and pilot. It goes through a sliding ring, and the ring is attached to a webbing release to the tow line via a weak link. The release is activated by a line to the pilot which by definition is always slack unless pulled.
Because of the sliding ring, the tension on the upper and lower parts of the bridle are equally divided at all times - it's just not possible for one side to be slack and the other tight unless there was a tangle.
Ah! OK, now I see it! Yes, that slack line is the release line, of course. Well, don't you ever tow with just one line directly to the pilot's harness? That way, he would keep control input at all times... Well, at least with the sliding ring, the tow forces are divied between the pilot and keel. But that means the pilot only has half the input control power...
kfspiano The answer is yes. Many pilots do use a single bridle to the chest with one or two (for redundancy) barrel releases. However it is common to see the above arrangement or topologically equivalent (with a secondary release at the chest and a primary release at the keel activated by a cord on the control bar) as it trades off against high bar pressures at speed particularly on slower gliders. The cord on the control bar type also removes the requirement to take a hand off the bar to release in an emergency, which is one of the down sides to both the chest mount only and the type used in this instance. If the pilot had had a control bar actuated release already in his hand, he might have pinned off before things went as far as they did.
I would of cut loose at 45 seconds. Also because of the hard climb from coming out of an inverted attitude I would take that wing apart and check all the AN Hardware and especially replace all my bottom fly wires... but hey it's only my life up there!. Yes this was an "Lucky" situation and it rattled the pilot on an high level because the landing was evident of that. Just glad he was high enough so he didn't get slammed back into the terrain. Wheeeew!
Visual of a Lockout: Think of when you have a kite in a strong wind and it suddenly "curves" off of vertical flight and makes a "C" shape pattern into the ground. If you let slack into the kite string it will slow/stop its path into the ground.
You were upside down there for a second or two, I wonder why you didn't fall into the glider. Man that was scary.
Watch the nose relative to the ground. The wing's reflex kept pitching the nose up which maintained the G's sufficiently to keep the harness lines snug once the tow line snapped.
Not moving the back of the harness ( legs ) and twisting out of sync with your front at the base bar is a dangerous combo for any HG'r flyer.
For sure.
But... the HG pilot was doing ok before he fell asleep at the controls..... allowing himself to get MUCH lower than the tug, then almost woke up when he encountered the downdraft/vorticies of the tug. Flying that low below the tug would be some real challenging flying for anyone, let alone someone that hasn't towed/flown in 12 months.
Pay attention and B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E !!
From that angle, it looks like pilot is way too low on tow, then cross-controls instead of weight-shifts causing the lock-out. Wonder why tug pilot didn't waive him up earlier on; and/or give him the line before the lockout?
Correct, cross controlling and being to low and hitting the prop wash - which is what started throwing him off course. As for the trike pilot - I suppose for him it would have been quite obvious that he needed to be higher, but the trike is also trying to fly as slow as safely possible in thermic air whilst still relatively low, so he's got enough on his mind as it is. He could have possibly given him the rope earlier, but one would expect the HG pilot to release sooner. If the weak link didn't break and he didn't release, the trike would have been in danger and he would have definitely given him the rope.
***** What Harrison says.The pilot.should have released much sooner. If it starts going bad get off. you can always tow again. In aviation most bad accidents happen because the pilot let all the errors build up. There is no reason at all a lockout should get as dangerous as this. Someone else posted that he almost tumbled..Yes he did almost tumble and yes it can happen. It takes less than a second to release with the correct release
That was cool...do it again.
Are you still aerotowing? Learn your lesson and have to avoid getting low on tow in the future, I hope. Also, I'm not buying the release issue. You couldn't see it? What good is that? Your hand has to KNOW where to go to release - and you have to take your hand off the base tube to do it instead of hanging on with a death grip. I think you had plenty of time to look for it when you knew you were compromised being so low below the tug. At the first sign of veering off to the left - you should have been off that tow.
With all due respect:::: Please get some training! No inputs, wrong inputs, luck is the only reason this didn't end very badly! Even the landing...
The pilot in the video has done the proper training, but I think it was his first aerotow in over a year. Shortly after landing, he went for another tow and nailed it, landing too. A lot of things were done wrong in this tow. I can only put it down to panicking and not thinking clearly. Definitely lucky indeed.
Hey! Is it possible to contact you regarding this video? (i.e. via email) I would love to discuss a permission to use your video if this is possible. Greetings!
At :55 i thought he was going to fall into the glider.
Bet you'll never do aerobatics like that again....
Which glider (make model) were you flying?
I also want to know. This is a very well behaved glider. I am really impressed how it recovered from an extreme lookout followed by a whip stall.
...seems like the towing pilot should have released the towed pilot when the latter was persistently too low. Staying too low on tow pulls down tow craft's tail, forcing its nose up, it approaching a stalling condition...not good.
I thought so too, but it must have still been flyable. The trike will only give the rope to the hang glider pilot if the trike is in danger. I'm guessing that the trike pilot made the judgement that where the HG was before the lockout was still fixable so he let him fly.
that would have resulted in another dangerous situation: the hangglider flying with 300 feet of rope dangling over the bar. so i would suggest that only as a last resort.. but it was defendable in this situation for sure, as the hg pilot did not release..
I'm no expert but i have been aerotowing for a long time... at :23 you were looking good but by :35 you are extremely low on this tow -- you should have been pushing out very aggressively there! Getting stuck in prop wash is a predictable result if you're seeing the tug that high on the horizon.
Spot on! Not me in the video though :P Sunrise Aerotow - Hazlepark, Lameroo, South Australia Have a look at that :)
I'm not expert either, but pushing out very aggressively on tow? Not a great idea, if you're that low then you should release, pushing out on tow is asking for another lockout. Here in the states tandem pilots were just sent a notification from the national organization that it is not advised to push out on tow.
This is some extreme cross controling at :47, move your hips not your shoulders.
Adventures with Lucas
Hrmm.. I was taught (like others here) keep the wheels on the horizon. If i see the tug above me like that i'm definitely pushing out to gain altitude. The higher the tug the more aggressively i'm pushing out. The pilot in this video seems completely unaware of the situation he's in, honestly I think he could benefit strongly from some tandem aerotow instruction (pilot if you're reading this, go to an aerotow school like Wallaby, it just may save your life).
The longer you delay your correction the worse the situation you'll be in, and in this case the pilot took no corrective actions what-so-ever to fix his altitude relative to the tug. As long as he keeps his wings fairly level i don't see why pushing out when low would lock him out. if he's in a turn, or high on tow, then yeah... i'd agree.
He locked out anyway at :37 so pushing out hard at like :33 could have saved him from the impending lockout.
Jason Orlando Here's where I see the problem: You can stall at any speed. "Pushing out aggressively" is another way of saying "stall" to me. Yes, keep your wheels on the horizon, but I highly highly doubt you will ever hear an instructor to tell you to "push out aggressively on tow." You're likely to stall, get into a turn that you can't get out of because you have no control over your glider while you are stalled which would initiate a lockout you can not get out of because you have changed your angle of attack so dramatically by your aforementioned aggressive push out. Anyone reading this, I would not do as Jason recommends, do NOT push out aggressively on tow, if you're that low below the tow plane, release from tow and land.
I'm still unconvinced, maybe because the stall speed of the gliders I fly is low enough (falcon, sport 2) that It would be difficult or nearly impossible to accidentally stall during an aerotow.. how slow could that tug possibly be flying? Trikes are usually a lot faster than dragonflies. What kind of glider was this guy in?
WOW!
Just out of curiosity, what kind of glider is this?
It's an Airborne Sting 3
Thanks
Let's not mention the carabiner.
Before that carabiner snaps the whole glider would be in fragments.