Glider winches -- underestimated workhorses

[Gregory]

Hello,

 

As always I am trying to show the things nobody wants to remember today. Thanks to glider winches and their designers all American glider assaults from MTO to ETO could take place. The USAAF would be unable to educate and train 6,000 glider pilots in aerotowing method only. In wartime circumstances this method is not cost-effective and is too slow. Aerotowing is very good for the second phase of glider pilot training but not in mass training of thousands of people as soon as possible. I doubt also that the US system was able to train then large quantities of the glider pilots in other very cheap and effective method after bungee launch because it requires a minimum of mountain infrastructure.

 

Below you can see so-called primary winch which launches the USMC-operated Schweizer LNS-1 glider in 1942. You can see the moment of dropping off the lifting cable. Small point below left wing of the glider is drogue parachute which stabilises the cable during recovery after its release from the glider. I do not know one thing however -- if American aviation of 1940s used the system with primary winch and recovery winch? If not, after every lift-off a car had to carry cable tip with hook to the start line.

 

From today's perspective be thankful and remember the WASP pilots who towed gliders to train their pilots, be thankful and remember other civil and military pilots who towed glider cadets to prepare them for assault operations but remember also the base of this system – glider winches and their never estimated designers. Good glider winch is not only a car without wheels.

 

If somebody knows which company designed and manufactured glider winches in 1940s I would be thankful for such an information.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

[Gregory]

As I wrote above I still would be very thankful for any information about the glider winches but in the meantime I have read that Mr Fred Eade was talented designer of those machines. He worked for example at Twenty-Nine Palms USAAF glider school. If you know anything about Fred Eade all pieces of information are welcomed and appreciated.

 

Greg