AEROTOW RELEASE excerpted from Soaring Beyond the Basics, pages 46-7
Slacking the line before release is recommended for some types of glider, and unnecessary for others, but it’s never a bad idea. In fact, there’s an Airworthiness Directive for Schweizers, requiring it! This is not a complex or difficult maneuver, but beginners tend to make it needlessly awkward, sometimes releasing under greater tension, causing the line to spring forward and tie itself in knots, which then cause wear when they drag on the ground. Done properly, slacking the line is an easy, graceful maneuver. All you do is pull up a tiny bit, then smoothly apply slight, forward stick to cause a teensy sag in the line. The moment it sags, pull the release firmly, watch the line fall away, and sail off to the right. Nothing could be easier.
Some tow pilots think they’ll be unable to feel the release unless it’s under full tension, but that’s only because they haven’t invested the mental effort, yet. If after release you see the tug still climbing, this is an opportunity to communicate…
When you intend to use a full-tension release, understand that in some ships the loud bang can startle unsuspecting passengers. Either way, they deserve a timely heads-up before you release from tow, and one way to keep them involved is having them pull the release. They usually seem to enjoy that.
Always visually confirm your separation from the towline before turning away. If you neglect this after a rough tow or emergency release, consider that you may have broken the line (or perhaps you know you have). Any length of it may be hanging from your nose, so fly accordingly. When you choose to drop the line, do so only where it can cause no harm on the ground, preferably where it can be found, and the expensive ring retrieved. Or if you decide to land with whatever remains hanging from your tow hook, remember to approach high over the threshold.
Then have a thoughtful strategy that goes into effect the moment the tow plane moves away. If you merely release in dead air and then wander off hoping for luck, you risk losing much (or all) of your precious altitude before doing any real soaring.
Landing on tow? Some pilots who’ve not tried it imagine it’s scary and dangerous, but there’s not much to it. You’ll probably never need this procedure ‘for real’, but it’s well worth training for. If the tow pilot manages the approach properly, it could be simpler for you than a normal landing. You’ll probably need full spoiler in the process, which is good reason to practice descent on tow at altitude before trying it near the ground. Be sure the tow pilot understands that a missed approach and go-around on tow is a real possibility, and the glider should also be able to release at any time and land normally.