TOST Splicing Needle

Cable preamble winch launch

The German Gliding Operation Order (SBO), latest edition, also newly regulates the winch cable equipment, however considerung the Air Technical Note LTA 73-16:

Connecting sequence

• 3 m safety cable with connecting ring pair
• Weak link
• Intermediate Cable: Length 2 m or 10 m

Please see the picture of the connecting sequence on page 106 “Schematics Winch Launch”.

Safety Cable

To reduce the danger of loops and tangled cables at the glider, at the beginning of the launch a “stiffened” safety cable of 3 m length is stipulated.

Weak link
Select the correct breaking load according to the manual or TCDS of the towed glider. The weak link position, now, can also be between the connecting ring pair and the safety cable.

Quick release link
When using a double drum winch the leeward winch cable has to be used first. The parachute of the other cable must be disconnected. Please look for suitable parts on the page “Connectors/Quick Release Links”.

Intermediate cable
With a diameter of the parachute canopy of 1.5 to 2.0 m to the LTA 73-16 a distance of at least 13 m between the release of the glider and the parachute vent is stipulated. In addition to the 3 m safety cable, an intermediate cable of 10 m must be used.

With a canopy diameter of less than 1.5 m, the distance between the release and the parachute vent can be less. The minimum distance, however, is 5 m, which means that an intermediate cable of 2 m in length has to be used.
Cable parachute

The maximum permissible canopy diameter of the cable parachute is 2.0 m.