![Instinct Windsports](/img/default-banner.jpg)
- 247
- 88 551
Instinct Windsports
Canada
Приєднався 2 тра 2010
Tugger Tim's first Time Towing
Not much to see....the way it should be!
It is great to see our hang gliding club GROWING. HG pilots and tow pilots.
www.sogaclub.net
It is great to see our hang gliding club GROWING. HG pilots and tow pilots.
www.sogaclub.net
Переглядів: 320
Відео
Training a new tug pilot
Переглядів 642День тому
A few notes - these are the tug pilot's first tows - surprised me with how rough the air was despite the early morning forecast - tug pilot was fine with the conditions - tug pilot stayed on runway longer than veteran tugger (not a fault, just a part of learning) - that required me to skim the runway for a lot longer than normal, rather uncomfortable for me - glad I chose to put pneumatic wheel...
Aerotowing Lockout
Переглядів 586День тому
it can happen so fast. When you least expect it! I haven't locked out since 2007! And this is on a late morning tow training a new tug pilot. It was on tow #3 of the day and the first thermal I detected. It starts mellow and quickly gets away on you. We were in a gradual left turn. The bubble hits my right wing. I am a bit slow to react and then you see me REALLY try to get my weight over to th...
Vortex-4 - the mini!
Переглядів 78Місяць тому
First day of towing with the new mini-Vortex4. Mark flew the Alpha 235 in 5k winds and was even getting 720fpm climbs with it. This Vortex is geared towards towing solo PGs and to HG schools for low-and-slow tows only. It isn't built for or capable of the higher speeds and higher tow pressures intermediate HGers need. It has the same power as a Honda 250cc scooter tow winch. The winch module we...
Uploading to XContest
Переглядів 26Місяць тому
a screen capture I did back in 2020 about how to use XContest and some of its benefits of uploading ALL of your tracklogs on the service. It's all about sharing and learning
Nina's tandem step-tow
Переглядів 789 місяців тому
The camera filled up mid-tow so I didn't capture the rest. We did 4 steps in a light cross wind up to 2500'agl and even caught some light lift under the mostly cloudy September skies. A rave review from her: "This was an amazing experience of a lifetime that I never imagined possible prior to meeting Mark. One sees such adventures on TV or in the movies, but never think about it becoming a pers...
Vortex Electric Smart Winch Hang Gliding StepTow
Переглядів 828Рік тому
We are getting SOOOO close to the final version of the Vortex! Here is a video showing off it's capabilities. Winds were 15kmh on the ground and more like 30kmh at the top of the tow. Flying a Falcon4-170 and a WoodyValley Cabrio trainer harness (so as low tech as you can get!). The airstrip is about 2100' and I towed to just shy of 3600' after the two step tows. I am reluctant to promote step-...
Mark Baluk taking the first PG tow on a Vortex
Переглядів 318Рік тому
Mark Baluk taking the first PG tow on a Vortex
Noam hang gliding before heading to school
Переглядів 1062 роки тому
After Noam hasn't flown in 10 months, he came out this morning since he had a double spare before heading to his first class. Not bad for a 17 year old!! I loved his comment before his last flight saying he would normally just be rolling out of bed right now.
Victor's 4th step-tow flight of the day
Переглядів 2173 роки тому
Victor's 4th step-tow flight of the day
360 video with new keel mounted invisible camera boom
Переглядів 1023 роки тому
360 video with new keel mounted invisible camera boom
Hang Gliding Training - Scooter Towing
Переглядів 4154 роки тому
Hang Gliding Training - Scooter Towing
I've been in the same situation, fortunately I had no problem reaching my downtube-mounted bike-handle-brake release. That said, I do like the type of release you have.
🤯 I can't believe how quickly that happened. I also can't believe how fast your reaction was to release! Amazing.
I have no tolerance for that...not worth it! Just land and try again. :)
What harness are you using?
What kind of helmet is that?
I get the principles and motivation... but I think you'd be better off with microlift gliders and perhaps studying thermals in your area. Like, fly a drone around at different times of day to study where the thermals are. (Nice, dry cereals would be the best bet.) You'd need something with altitude hold and a readout on motor output, but. I think that's actually more important than an exceptionally risky towing method. If you can't figure out when and where thermals are happening, then you're still walking back. Or not. Death comes for us all eventually. It just arrives a lot sooner for the complacent.
I started hang gliding in 1978 and did some of the most crazy tows at crazy places by crazy things that towed me but I would NEVER try step towing ever! Who ever thought of this must be nuts.
I heard it's very common in the Netherlands, one big club there has a small field and no hills. I see no problem as long as the scooter operator is also a pilot and they both know what they are doing, with two release options for the pilot flying and a quick way to cut the cable at the bottom too
Hundreds of hours, some in really shitty cndx, looked controlled and fine to me!
Rien de nouveau......on faisait ça il y a 50 ans......
Wow, that happens really fast, I've towed with a cart, that's not your first rodeo, good job!!!
Crazy ❤
This is my weak link reference video. Very helpful. Thanks for posting
why don't you like amsteel blue, I've got a whole bunch of it right now to use. have you seen the ronstan D splicer needle? is there a reason you're doing this stitching method rather than end to end splice?
This is very interesting. Being new to the sport of hang gliding, and having seen the term "step towing" elsewhere many times, I had no idea what this even IS - until I watched this video. Brilliantly simple idea, making tows possible to heights far in excess of what the field length available for laying out the tow line would suggest, prior to commencing the launch. Like everything else, obviously requires knowledge and practice to do it safely and get the best results. I'm used to flying "classical" sailplanes which are much bigger, heavier and generally have much higher glide ratios than hang gliders. To my knowledge, this method has never been attempted with "classical" sailplanes.
I've done this, a long time ago, using a truck winch rather than stationary winch. But honestly, if you've got 1000 meters out, that's likely enough to get up on a decent day. Not at all sure the additional gain is worth the additional risk. Which is why it was a long time ago.
nice, I want one..
A tow like that or a winch?! :)
@@instinctwindsports problem is we're in socal (san diego) and the concept of a gi-normous field is very foreign to us. no plans to buy a farm in Iowa either, it's just the wx has gotten sideways here.. :(
and now a remote control.....
Looks awesome. As someone who has been involved in the industry since 1976 this is the way forward for teaching hang gliding.
agreed! And this video is 11 years old! :)
B******* please nobody tried this b******* I towed for years behind boats trucks toe planes but this is b******* don't try this at all too many people have died doing this b******* do a straight toe and release and lift anything above 500 and you're going to find the thermal and climb away
I always thought Landing the hand glider was easy😟
Looks dangerous AF. What happened near the end there? Where he got yanked back right before he was able to release?
Rope snag so he released. It is why we only use Koch releases
@@instinctwindsports I gather that he's towing the rope back to the start, and winching up again. Is he unwinding the rope from the winch? How easily does it unspool? Ever had any incidents of the pilot getting yanked backwards? When I first watched this and saw the rope going the wrong way, I thought he was going to die. Took a while to figure out what was going on. There was no towing of any kind when I used to hang glide. I'm flying powered paraglider now. Much less hiking involved. There is an airport not too far away that does "ultralight" tows. I'll probably give that a try one of these days.
Smoooth
What are the height gains over standard tow same sight
Bravo!!!
Beautiful Video! How did you get that camera angle? Where was the camera attached? Thank you
On the keel with a short extension
What type of winch do you use? Is it hydraulic? Self-made or bought?
The one in this video is a self-made hydraulic winch. But we are now making a portable electric winch capable of doing the same as you see in this video. www.instinct.pro/vortex
@@instinctwindsports thank you. Is there an emergency way to disconnect the tow line if the release will jam?
After flying hang gliders (and sailplanes) for years, must admit that looked a bit sketchy. Then again, I'm pretty sure no wind cliff launches look that way as well - Always hated 'em, but they do get your attention!
As long as you’re clear to dive and you get your tail past the edge, no wind cliff launches are probably 2 or 3 thousand times safer than this. 👍
I'm surprised that yank at the end didn't pop the weak link ..... or do you even use one lol. 😂
We do use a weak-link. There is an endless controversy over their use, especially with a pressure-regulated winch like ours. It was a rare drum snag. I debated to post this video because of it but it is a reminder what CAN happen. We have a low tolerance for any sort of resistance on the downwind. This snag worked itself out right away but it is always a good move to release as the pilot did.
how long is your tow road.
1km. But with step towing, we really only need half of that
Where are you located? Got your video from our towing group in Spain.
Ontario Canada
Hello, I love your 360º videos, you can upload some more, they are spectacular with the VR viewers. You can place the camera in a passenger position, for tandem flight. greetings and thanks for sharing.
Are you being pulled by a vehicle or is that a winch?
A winch
Inherently a very dangerous method of towing, ripe with generating a lockout. The type of description of pilots that hit sound like- “crushed chest cavity”,…. there are better safer ways to get air.
ALL forms of launching are dangerous. Proper training and progression is key. Can you explain your "crushed chest cavity" remark? After at least 15,000 tows like this, we have never had a single bruised rib...
@@instinctwindsports Well said I.W.
Vous avez eu un problème pour déconnecter le câble ?
Zero problems disconnection. There was a slight snag at the drum on his downwind (a big hazzard with step-towing). That is why we only use Koch-style releases as the release is always at the same location and a fast release gets you free of the rope. Never step-tow without a release like that. Trying to find a release string takes too long and is not nearly as reliable.
What is the target hight? How much do you feel the cable while flying back?
Target height....as high as possible??! :) as long as we can stay above 500' on the steps as a safety measure, we are happy trying more steps. Depends on the winch for the back pressure on the downwind. You can't attempt step towing without the Koch style release. If something goes wrong, you wouldn't have time to release with any other type of release. The winch design and operator is key for step-towing. It is an art for sure. You have to be in-sync with the operator. Communication is key
Is it my imagination or did that tow go to full tension very rapidly?
Launch pressure is 150-160lbs
What's step towing??? What's towing you?
A high powered stationary winch. You tow until you are above the winch and then you fly away from the winch and pull the rope back off the winch as you fly downwind. Face the winch again and then you get pulled in again and get higher each step!
@@instinctwindsports thank you for the explanation. How ingenious!
It isn't a new thing... it has been around for 39+ years. Popular in the Nordic countries and here in Ontario Canada.
@@instinctwindsports I see! I'm brand new to hang gliding. I started at the end of June of this year (at Lookout Mountain Flight Park in GA, USA), so I have a lot to learn!
Hang gliding is soooo fun !!! Thanks for sharing this nice video, I have not been flying for a while, that was a good substitute... Question, how high did you get at the end of the 2nd tow? you were climbing for 7 min !!!
I seem to recall base was about 5000' agl
sound off
Well yeah, you make it look easy. Lol!
I get drum tangle and the threat but I don't understand towing downwind. What are the circumstances where this would be done?
For what its worth , i too keep on my base bar as long as i can , better set up , more control in ground effect , gives me more confidence . There is absolutely nothing wrong with what you did here , great landing , only an idiot would say otherwise .
Forget the landing. Where on earth is that perfectly groomed grass field??
Yeah....we operated on that sod/turf farm for 8yrs. It was heaven
@@instinctwindsports - you could curl up and take a nap on it.
Actually....I have. I did doze off in-between tandems on day in my harness while waiting for a winch repair!
...seems to be you Mark have a nice HG hub on the East...
We do! The only club-owned Dragonfly operation in the World (that i am aware of). They have had a Dragonfly for 25yrs straight now
That’s crazy ! I thought there would be more time of towing after tow vehicle changed directions?
The winch is stationary. It doesn't change directions
I love being able to gather the weather at a glance.
Interesting idea. Not sure I care for it though. What if there's a snag while heading out for the next step? I know you have a weak link, but wow.
Yup, we know the risks. As with any form of towing there are risks. We have a quick release on the pilot and a cutter at the winch. Pilots are trained to release if any concerns. Step towing hang gliders isn't new but hasn't caught on in the US. We do thousands of flights here in Canada a year and Europe is popular too
Staying on the basetube longer does have its advantages of having better control, especially in windier/turbulent conditions.
That was beautiful. My S3 is just as nimble. I have a Malibu 2 which I think is better than a Falcon so when I had to choose between a gecko and s3, I only got the s3 cause getting it's parts in the US is a lot easier but now WW has shifted to Mexico and still in a fix.
Yes, that's how I land too. I don't get on the uprights until glider doesn't go neutral :) I uploaded my landing compilation too.
Sir, at your finals , , , You got out of your harness much too late (coming straight up to the uprights BEFORE !!! your final entry). Why? Your mistake at 0:38 The speed was good. 👍 ** This pilots uprights mistake during/BEFORE the final approach doesn't seem to get out of our Hang gliding world! **
His landing was grate. Why get on your uprights early? Asking for trouble in a mid day conditions.
Sigh , there’s always One 😒
@@JonMcG Sir, Hang gliding over 3K hours and 40 years later, most of the accidents I've seen happening at the landings were due getting straight to the up-raisers too late ! 🙏 nanna maste.
@@MVW54 a simple “google search “ will prove your theory wrong , it’s a culmination of errors that have caused accidents over the years , ranging from equipment in the early years to over confidence and pilot error . Believe it or not , majority of accidents are due to pilot forgetting to strap themselves to the HG. The 2 most common causes are weather and equipment failure ( again google search )
@@JonMcG I have not written about the most common, but the most common at the landings. That's a big difference. I only describe what I have personally seen in all those years... once again... especially only on landings !
Beautiful video and flying. Could you tell me the name of the song playing?
nice job pilot, awesome views too, love the camera!