Glider Winch Tow

In an effort to escape the bitter winter here in Ohio, we traveled down south to visit our friends at Triple Tree Aerodrome.

To our complete surprise they asked us if we would like to take a ride in a full scale glider!

Also to our surprise, instead of hooking up to a tow plane, they implement a winch system.

This is very similar to a highstart used for RC gliders. Except, replace the giant rubber band with a Corvette motor!

This is a DG-500T Elan Trainer

SPECS

• Crew: 2
• Length: 8.66 m (28 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
• Height: 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 16.6 m² (179 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 19.52
• Airfoil: Wortmann FX-73-K-170/20; tip:FX-73-K-170/22
• Empty weight: 390 kg (860 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 630 kg (1,389 lbs

The best tow of the day got up to 1,900 ft (579 m) with speeds around 60 knots (69 mph // 111 km/hour).

We owe a HUGE thank you to Pat for piloting the glider with us all day. We can't thank you enough for this amazing opportunity and letting a few of us put a check on that bucket list!

Also thanks to everyone at Triple Tree Aerodrome for their unparalleled hospitality and kindness. If you are in the area give them a visit!