In paraglider towing the pilot is supposed to do as little as possible and let the winch operator control the tow. However, “doing as little as possible” doesn’t mean riding to the top of the rope like a passive Puerto Vallarta parasail victim, half gassed on Margaritas. You still have to fly actively; you just have to fly actively while doing as little as possible. It's easy to do once you get the knack.
The basic idea is to minimize brake use so that your angle of attack remains low. Flying with the lowest possible angle of attack (trim speed) gives 2 benefits: 1) You climb more efficiently during the first 2/3rds of the tow at trim. 2) If the rope or weak link breaks at low altitude (which, someday, it will) having a low AoA will minimize the amount that the glider surges after you become disconnected. If the tow force and AoA are high and you are low when the line or weak link breaks, you could pendulum into the ground. Breaking the line at low altitude at trim AoA is a non-event; you just damp a small surge and land straight ahead.
On tow you want to keep the glider perpendicular to the tow rope. If you get way too far off to either side of the rope the glider can “lock out” and dive into the ground with terrifying speed and force. In a fully developed lock out no amount of brake or weight shift will correct the situation. The good news is that 1) it is very easy to keep the glider well away from the “lock out zone”. 2) A decent winch operator will reduce the tow tension as soon as he sees that you are out of shape and the reduced tow force will stop the lock out. How do you keep the glider out of the lock out zone with out using a lot of brake? It’s easy; use weight shift instead. The trick is the timing. Say your left wing gets lifted on tow, turning the glider to the right. In the instant that you can begin to feel the glider turn right, weight shift to the left until the glider just stops turning and then quickly return to neutral. If you hold the left weight shift input you’ll wind up in a left turn. It’s not uncommon for first time toad pilots wander back and forth across the optimum tow path, one control input behind the glider. It takes practice to be able to anticipate the need for a correction and then to add just the right amount of weight shift (for just the right amount of time) before returning to neutral.
The basic idea is to minimize brake use so that your angle of attack remains low. Flying with the lowest possible angle of attack (trim speed) gives 2 benefits: 1) You climb more efficiently during the first 2/3rds of the tow at trim. 2) If the rope or weak link breaks at low altitude (which, someday, it will) having a low AoA will minimize the amount that the glider surges after you become disconnected. If the tow force and AoA are high and you are low when the line or weak link breaks, you could pendulum into the ground. Breaking the line at low altitude at trim AoA is a non-event; you just damp a small surge and land straight ahead.
On tow you want to keep the glider perpendicular to the tow rope. If you get way too far off to either side of the rope the glider can “lock out” and dive into the ground with terrifying speed and force. In a fully developed lock out no amount of brake or weight shift will correct the situation. The good news is that 1) it is very easy to keep the glider well away from the “lock out zone”. 2) A decent winch operator will reduce the tow tension as soon as he sees that you are out of shape and the reduced tow force will stop the lock out. How do you keep the glider out of the lock out zone with out using a lot of brake? It’s easy; use weight shift instead. The trick is the timing. Say your left wing gets lifted on tow, turning the glider to the right. In the instant that you can begin to feel the glider turn right, weight shift to the left until the glider just stops turning and then quickly return to neutral. If you hold the left weight shift input you’ll wind up in a left turn. It’s not uncommon for first time toad pilots wander back and forth across the optimum tow path, one control input behind the glider. It takes practice to be able to anticipate the need for a correction and then to add just the right amount of weight shift (for just the right amount of time) before returning to neutral.
The exception to the "as little brakes as possible" rule is that you must always use whatever amount of control – weight shift and/or brake – that is required to stay in a safe position. Better to stay in good position by briefly using a lot of brake if you need it, than to risk locking out.
Once you are at the top of the rope and/or the tow vehicle is at the end of the road it’s time to release. Put both brakes in one hand and pull the trigger. I like to release with some tension on the line. You get a bigger surge after disconnect, but you always get a very positive release and deployment of the drogue. If the tow line isn’t under at least some tension the release and drogue deployment can be problematic. Once disconnected, don’t forget to stow the tow bridles, only geeks fly around with their tow bridles flapping in the wind
Once you are at the top of the rope and/or the tow vehicle is at the end of the road it’s time to release. Put both brakes in one hand and pull the trigger. I like to release with some tension on the line. You get a bigger surge after disconnect, but you always get a very positive release and deployment of the drogue. If the tow line isn’t under at least some tension the release and drogue deployment can be problematic. Once disconnected, don’t forget to stow the tow bridles, only geeks fly around with their tow bridles flapping in the wind
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