Quote:
Originally Posted by cgarr
So how do you launch it?
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We'll use Lowell as an example (one of the old guys
). His right foot is working an old sewing machine pedal. It's plugged into the winch - covered by the car battery. The winch is a starter motor off of a Ford and is bolted to a welded frame that is secured to the ground via tent stakes. It's actually very portable, but heavy. The motor has a spool of high strength nylon cord that runs down a couple to few hundred feet and passes through a 'turn around' - basically a pulley attached to a large stake and is allowed to swivel. The cord comes back to the glider and is attached to a hook at CG on the bottom of the fuselage.
The pedal allows you to pulse the glider into the air or if your glider is strong enough, you can stand on it. When you get to the desired release point, take your foot off of the pedal, tip the nose down and the steel ring attached to the cord, slips off the hook. There is a small parachute that is attached to the ring as well, this prevents the steel ring from giving an unsuspecting bystander a headache.
