This video illustrates what to do in case of a premature termination of tow (e.g. rope break, engine failure, etc) when taking off on Runway Glider 08 from Boulder Municipal Airport (KBDU). Except for rope breaks above 200 feet AGL, these procedures are usually only taught "in theory" given the challenging nature of the available emergency fields. But knowing what to do above 200 feet isn't very helpful when the rope breaks at 40 feet, 80 feet, or 120 feet. An exhaustive analysis of past gliding accidents has shown that pilots often waste precious time after a premature termination of tow, trying to decide what to do. Many accidents could have been averted if the pilots had predecided their emergency actions so they could focus their attention on executing a safe maneuver rather than on figuring out what decision to make. For this reason I have taught myself to "call out loud" what I would do if the tow were to terminate "right NOW".

The simulator scenes are based on video capture using Condor 2 and were flown in the Beta version of the Boulder scenery developed by Erwin de Bruin. The real glider is a Ventus 2cxT with 18m wing span. The glider in Condor is an 18m Ventus 3. Condor obviously does not replace real flight training but it is an excellent tool to practice emergencies that are too dangerous to practice in real life.

Do you know exactly what you'd do at your airport if the tow plane fails at 40/80/120 feet AGL on your next flight?

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