• Introduction
• Safety
• The Winch's Perspective
• The Skylaunch 2
• Daily Inspection (DI)
• Setting Up
• Launching
• Unplanned Emergencies
• Simulated Launch Failures
• Maintenance

Upon receiving a ‘STOP’ signal, you should quickly assess what actions you should take. Keep in mind that cutting the power at very low levels may result in a very difficult launch failure, but likewise in some cases it could save the pilot's life.

As soon as a launch failure occurs, you should:

1. Cut the power. The throttle is spring-loaded, so letting go of it will do this.
2. Set Neutral and apply full brake. Pull both blue levers towards you.
3. If the cable has broken or you don’t know its condition:
   1. Set the drum selector back to the middle.
   2. Recover the rest of the cable manually and bring both ends back to the winch.
   3. If trained to do so, splice the cable. Otherwise, find someone who can.
4. If the cable is intact (e.g., the weak link broke or it is a demo launch failure): wait until the glider has recovered from the launch failure and regains flying speed.

Then, depending on their next actions, you should either quickly reel the cable back in or leave it stationary on the ground.

If the glider is landing ahead, leave the cable stationary. Do not attempt to reel in the cable until the glider and any persons are clear. Use the winch’s siren if required. If the cable is near the launch point, call and ask for permission to reel the cable in.

If the glider decides to perform a circuit, put the winch back in Drive and reel the cable in quickly to get it out of their way. If they turn onto approach before you can get the cable back to the winch, stop the cable and wait for them to land.

If you believe the cable is about to land on an object or very close to a person:

1. Cut the power.
2. Select Neutral and apply full brake.

A falling cable likely won’t cause any damage to property. However, a cable which is being actively pulled could cause substantial damage and is potentially lethal.

If the cables are not pulled out straight or the launch point unintentionally crosses them, the other cable may be picked up during the launch.

If you realise a cable has been picked up, if possible, continue the launch until the glider is in a position where it can be safely landed (e.g., not giving the pilots an ultra-low launch failure). Your priority should be the safety of the pilots. Then, as soon as possible and to avoid damage to the winch:

1. Cut the power.
2. Set Neutral and apply full brake.
3. Set the drum selector back to the middle.

Launching should not continue until the cables have been uncrossed and thoroughly inspected by the winch driver for damage.

Every now and again, an aircraft or vehicle may unintentionally cross your winch cables. Crossing the cables should be avoided for some obvious reasons, including the fact that there is a massive 300 horsepower engine on the other end!

If the cables are crossed by an aircraft or vehicle, they should be thoroughly inspected by the winch driver for damage at the point they were crossed. The affected cables should not be used until this is completed.