cloudstreetwinch.com

Towing as a means to gain altitude…

Although it might sound a lot like those sketchy operations on the beaches in Mexico where they hook you up to an old parachute and drag you around aimlessly over the ocean, towing a paraglider or hang glider is much different. Not only are our aircraft fully controllable, we are towed using highly reliable equipment to heights of over 2500 feet above the ground. The equipment we use to gain altitude is generally referred to as a paraglider or hang glider tow winch. Once we arrive at the desired altitude, the towline is released and we are free to fly anywhere we may choose. Once up high, some people like to do aerobatics, some like to look for thermals and fly long distances, while others just enjoy the scenery and flight down casually. Towing aspiring pilots is also an excellent way to provide training that isn’t so dependent on the wind being perfect at the training hill.

There are many different types of tow methods that people use to gain altitude. The most common of the methods are static, pay in, and payout towing. Static towing could be assimilated to the sketchy parasailing operations on tourist beaches. Static refers to the towline length being fixed. Pay in towing is where the towline is laid out and then reeled in toward a fixed point. The last, and unarguably the safest method of all three, is the payout method. Payout means that the towline is gradually let out as the aircraft climbs away from the ground. The tension is precisely regulated during the payout to ensure a steady controlled climb. The highest altitudes are generally also achieved using the payout method.

Tow Winch

The Design That Works

The Cloud Street tow winch is designed to be a robust work horse of a winch capable of towing people aloft, without fail, until everyone is too tired or has had their fill for the day. It provides very smooth payout combined with a steady controlled tension regardless of payout speed. This winch is also fitted with the fastest rewind available for quick turn around and very tight line stacking which contributes greatly to the smooth payout behavior. The Cloud Street tow winch is designed to handle both solo towing as well as tandem towing and can provide tensions in the neighborhood of 220 lbs (~98 DaN) continuously, which incidentally will likely be more than you will ever need in terms of towing paragliders and hang gliders. To top it off, this unit has been designed to adapt to a standard 2” trailer hitch and can be easily transfered between vehicles and is also compact enough to fit in most recreational boats without extensive modification.

The Design Process

The design philosophy was to keep the system as simple to use and operate, and as robust as possible. The design is a result of several iterations using 3D CAD software and finite element analysis to find the most efficient frame geometry and lightest configuration possible. Justin Brim provided the the engineering, design, and fabrication work while Chris Santacroce, the towing expert, provided the practical experience and knowledge of towing to give input and testing feedback. With a strong passion for flight and a healthy dose of determination and hard testing, they have made sure that the Cloud Street Winch is built for the long haul.