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The heat wave subsided in Kansas today so I was able to get out and get some time on the winder. The first wind was to load the line on the winder and after a little show and tell it was time to try it out. The balance was checked on the plane first and no change was needed. Pulled the line out and did a flight to test the winder and it worked fine. Then I landed and started towing. The winder worked perfect every time. Definitely worth the money. It will get a work out in September at the Wichita aerotow.
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mine is installed and rtf just need time off to take it out maybe this next weekend torosewood rc site in southern indiana. i have a few gliders to tow up and maiden also.....only worries i have are how strong the unit is since we do have a hempel ka 50 pounder to tow up. just worry the direct pull on the unit will be more than it can handle. i am going to source some of the fishing line for the loop into the winder as it came with and hope that is strong enough for the tow but fail safe if things go wrong... dont need my canopy and winder getting pulled away when under a large load towing.. just not the same as being through a rod in the original tow release bolted to the former.
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We have towed my Ka6cr @ 54 pounds endless times and find it gives no more problems than the 40 pounders do....just can't do tight 180 degree turns while towing...100 feet of line
really has a fair amount of stretch to it..also the Hemple is a pussy cat sailplane and will not move fast enough to really do much damage to a Bidule...just my two cents...
kevin in Minneapolis...Comment
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sounds like all will be fine. i did mount it with angle inside on the existing floor with extra srtips of ply under mounting area each side. i have done all i can time will tell. i think i will follow the lead of using a loop at the winder end to assit in breaking free if a slack line gets a yank under hvy load towing. and you are right the hempel has 5 deg of positive main wing incidence so it is a hang glider at best. slow and steady forward flight is all it will do.Comment
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Think about the millions of times everyone has towed any weight of a glider with just that 1/16" wire attached to the servo on the tow release holding that loop of tow line...
I know I have had more disasters with "weak links" breaking than something getting broken on a tow plane...in fact I can't think of a single incident where the tow plane was damaged
by a big yank on the line, but lots of big gliders losing their pull at like 100 feet or less and then never getting back to the field... again....my two cents...
good luck...I am confident it will go well for you.Comment
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Kevin is absolutely correct. You want the 'weak link' to function just so... as the weak link. I use 10lb test monofilament on my small sailplanes and the others get 20lb stuff. A steady pull isn't going to pull that winder out of you model if fastened correctly. Only when the tow line goes slack do problems occur thus the 'weak link'! The operative words are 'fastened corredtly' and I am not going through a dissertation about that! Tom Pack might!!!
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Nope!Originally posted by ARUP View PostKevin is absolutely correct. You want the 'weak link' to function just so... as the weak link. I use 10lb test monofilament on my small sailplanes and the others get 20lb stuff. A steady pull isn't going to pull that winder out of you model if fastened correctly. Only when the tow line goes slack do problems occur thus the 'weak link'! The operative words are 'fastened corredtly' and I am not going through a dissertation about that! Tom Pack might!!!
TEAM GORGEOUSComment
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170 install only two screws needed for attachment, I used the original mounting from the old to release for the guide works great
DonAttached FilesComment
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Had a great weekend at my last aerotow event of the year in Milton KS. 4 of the 5 tow planes at the event had my winder installed! Other than Jim missing some locktight on the release cable, they worked perfectly. That was a 2 minute fix to tighten that back down...
I took some terrible video of the MarkWinder in action getting gliders hooked up on the ground.
So on to fall season and in the great north that means filling our freezers for next year. In the next few weeks I am going to be finishing a run of 6 more winders. I have 3 of those spoken for. The next 3 are up for grabs but be warned that once hunting season is over (late December), I am going to focus my shop time on getting my PGD Birddog built and I won't do any more winders till that project is done....
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Isn't That supposed to be The Great White North Eh ? Had a great time and the winder worked flawlessly every time.. Thanks Mark !
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OK, fair warning. 2 of these winders of not spoken for. I will shelf them as ready to ship, but when they are gone... I'm not interested in making more till my PGD Birdog is built and a 6M ASG-29 rebuild is RTF. This will likely be all winter...
Holy cow there is a lot of work represented in this photo...Please enjoy!
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Guys, I am long 1 winder right now in the latest run. I am all caught up with everyone that has wanted one. It may be a while before I do another run as it really sucks to just build one at a time. If you are doing a new towplane build or if you want to put one in an old bird after this flying season, now is your chance!Comment
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Holy cow! The Arizona boys are on fire! I'm gonna have to make a trek down to SWSS for an aerotow. It has been fun talking to a couple of them on the phone.
Dustin was out of channels on his radio so he simply Y'd the winder with the flaps and I think that is brilliant!
Check out these awesome videos from Dustin Young!
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