06/14/11

Tow Training - Why we train via tow rather than at a hill

All courses include tow instruction with El Paso Paragliding’s reflex stationary winch.  Landings can be made in virtually any direction, depending on wind direction, unlike being at a small hill.  Under tow, pilots can go much higher - 2-3 times as high as the average training hill of 300'.  This means more time in the air to do training maneuvers.  Tow training presents the challenges of what a pilot can regularly expect in paragliding. 

How to launch via towing is also an important skill to have before attending SIV clinics. At these clinics, a pilot is towed 1,000’s of feet into the air over a lake in order to safely practice special maneuvers that might be needed in flight.  Pilots who learn towing at clinics for the first time can be distracted and surprised by the tow operation itself.  As a result, they can lose focus on the main purposes of the clinic.

Weather often makes towing the difference between PG pilots staying on the ground or flying.  A training hill only works with winds from a certain direction.  When we tow, winds can be from any direction or calm.  We are fortunate to have the space in this region to offer this unique resource without having to travel for half a day. Our towing area is just minutes away from the west side of El Paso.  Go here for a video of a student pilot being towed.

Being towed for the first time can be a safer and more relaxed environment for new powered paragliding pilots. Learning how to control both the paramotor and glider at the same time can be overwhelming. With towing, the pilot can progress safely from one phase to another.

El Paso Paragliding is pleased to offer this valuable and unique resource in all of our basic courses. All towing is done by USHPA certified operators.  For more advanced pilots, we can do a "payout tow" where we pull the winch behind a truck and "payout" the tow line to the pilot.  With almost a mile of special line, we can get pilots almost that far off the ground.  A hang glider pilot who was recently towed up with our equipment commented, "This was the safest towing I have done in all my years of towing. (I started towing in January 1978)."

Training at a hill still has advantages, such as being more like what a pilot actually does at a mountain site.  It also allows multiple pilots to be in the air at the same time.  Suffice it to say, some students prefer the hill environment as it is less complicated and very short flights can easily be done.  We can offer hill training for those who wish but the times when we can do it are less frequent as conditions must be just right -- a difficult plan to implement for those who live in the high desert.