Table of Contents - X-Plane.Org Forum

Table of Contents Development Team: ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Objective. ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

Installation Requirements ............................................................................................................................... 4

The X-Winch Script ................................................................................................................................. 4

Assigning Keys or buttons to our Custom Commands ........................................................................... 4

The Pop-Up Window and What it does .......................................................................................................... 6

The Launch Sequence ..................................................................................................................................... 7

In X-Plane ............................................................................................................................................... 7

In Reality. ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Controlling the actual launch. ......................................................................................................................... 9

Notes for the benefit of simmers new to gliding ............................................................................................ 9

The Pre-Flight Checks .................................................................................................................................... 10

… And Finally ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Development Team: • Maurice Bent – Original Concept and Winch speed adjustment code, Quality Control, Manual

• Richard Every Clayton - Pop-Up menu concept and original X-Winch code

• Joe Kipfer - IMGUI coding, Sound File editing, timer coding and generally making sure it all hangs together

nicely – and works

• Chris Evans - The dulcet tones of the launch controller, testing and QC

• Stefan Schroen –Environmental sounds, all 3D modelled objects and textures, X-Winch Logo and Branding

Objective. To provide both real world glider pilots, (experienced and trainees), General Aviation pilots who want to try gliding

for the first time and pure Flight Simmers with a launch experience that is as close to reality as we can possibly make

it. That after all is the sole purpose of a high-quality flight sim such as X-Plane and is in line with Laminar Research’s

own product philosophy. Realism is the key.

Scope. Initially, the team has focused on the winch launch. Eventually we hope to expand the script to include

Aerotowing.

Most – if not all – gliding clubs don’t have the luxury of a single control tower from where every aspect of flying is

controlled, rather the airfield is set up on the day according to the prevailing wind, so at the start of the day,

(usually) a bus or other enclosed unit is driven to the launch point and parked. This provides (amongst a host of

other non-essential items), shelter for the members when it rains, computer systems for logging the flights and the

signaling equipment required to let the winch driver know when to launch.

At the other end of the runway or grass strip is the winch unit.

In the bad old days, signaling was achieved by waving bats a single bat waved from the side of the body to arm

outstretched for “take up slack” and either two bats (one in each hand) doing identical motions or a single bat

waved to and from above the head. You could always tell who the signalers were – they were the guys going home

at the end of the day looking like gorillas with their knuckles touching the ground (the bats were heavy !!!!)

Nowadays – thankfully – signaling is usually by means of lights.

Installation Requirements

The X-Winch Script The script requires that you have FlywithLUA NG installed in the resources/plugins folder of X-Plane. If you don’t

already have it, you can download the latest version here .

With FlywithLua NG installed, proceed as follows with the contents of our zipped file that you just downloaded.

1) Open OUR resources folder and copy the X-Winch folder into the Resources folder inside your main X-Plane

folder.

2) Open OUR FlyWithLua folder, and then the Scripts folder, locate the identical Scripts folder inside your x-

plane 11\resources\plugins\FlyWithLua folder and copy the X-Winch folder and the X-Winch Launcher.Lua

file into that Scripts folder

NOTE – this works for Mac and PC users, although PC users might find it easier just to drop OUR resources

folder into your X-Plane folder and select “Replace” when the pop up window appears.

X-Winch folder contains both the main X-Winch script, the sound files and all the art assets. The X-Winch launcher

script is a very simple script that detects whether you have selected a glider. If you haven’t – don’t worry, the main

script won’t run. Please note, X-Winch currently also detects the vSkyLabs Motor Falke. Although not a winchable

aircraft, it is nevertheless a popular aircraft around many gliding airfields and so has been included so that all the

launch point art assets become visible. If you have a favourite motor glider that you fly, do let us know and we’ll add

it to the recognized aircraft list.

Assigning Keys or buttons to our Custom Commands Once installed correctly, you need to start a glider flight in order for some custom commands to be registered in X-

Plane. The commands start with x-winch and will allow you to assign either a keyboard key and/or a joystick button

to the winch launch initiation function., bring up the pop-up window, and a couple of other things. Let’s go through

them here.

First, if yu are using a custom profile, make sure you have it selected (bottom left) and DO PLEASE NOTE – if you

have separate profiles for individual gliders, you’ll need to do what follows for each profile.

1) In the top half of the screen – where it says “Search Commands” type in X-Winch”

2) You will then see the 5 assignable commands appear

using the box to the right of each line, you can then enter the keystrokes you want to use to invoke the

various X-Winch options.

3) You can repeat this exercise for joystick buttons as well. There are usually some spare buttons on a glider

joystick profile that can be used – since we are a friendly bunch and tend not to want to drop bombs or

shoot at other aircraft. Here’s a typical setup.

HANDY TIP No. 1 – If you’re in VR and don’t need your hat switch – why not assign it to control the

direction of the tow plane.

4) The 1st assignable option is a special for the purpose of , declaring “Canopy Not Present”. From the

feedback we received after the initial release, it was clear that a lot of simmers had some open cockpit

gliders that they liked to fly but the script was failing the canopy closed test because there was no canopy to

close.

In real life, when you reach the part of the pre-flight checks that deals with the canopy, it is usual to declare

“Canopy Not Present” . So – in order to preserve the integrity of the pre-flight checks, we created an

assignable command “Canopy Not Present/Canopy Closed” Simply click that key or button when you reach

the canopy part of the pre-flights and internally, X-Winch will close the non-existent canopy for you and

allow the launch to take place. Click here to jump to the section on Pre-flight Checks

NOTE – if you have an old glider that was built for X-Plane 9, and doesn’t have a canopy open/close switch –

use the “Canopy Not Present/Canopy Closed” option as a work around. X-Winch has been designed

unashamedly with VR in mind and we fully expect all future aircraft designs to incorporate canopy opening

and closing. For now – some aircraft will work beautifully, some won’t.

The Pop-Up Window and What it does

So, with everything set up let’s get started on a flight and see X-Winch in Action. When the scene loads, click

whatever keystroke(s) you assigned to open/close popup window.

Here’s what you get (I’ve zoomed the view down the field so you can see the winch.

So now I’m going to shorten the cable length, then click the “Spawn Winch Object” button. Let’s see what happens.

You can see the winch has moved BUT THE CABLE HASN’T. In order to complete the winch moving process you need

to restart the flight. It is always a good idea to have the X-Plane command “Glider Winch Start” assigned to a

keystroke or a joystick button so you don’t have to leave the scene

Here’s what happens when I restart the flight. The cable jumps to the correct winch location

Once you have set the correct cable length, the new length will be “remembered” for the rest of the session, so if

you change launch positions or move to another airfield, do remember to reset the cable length to your new desired

length. We will be asking LR to provide us with a dataref that tells us the length of the runway in use, so hopefully, in

a later release we will be able to set the cable length automatically.

Demonstration video of how to change the cable length and winch position

Let’s go flying!!

The Launch Sequence

In X-Plane when you select a glider, you have the option to choose a winch launch as your launch method (the other being an

aerotow). When Winch is selected, the glider appears at the chosen runway position with the cable attached and the

wings level. If you do not launch within 30 seconds, one wing will drop to the ground which is not a safe way to

launch – particularly on grass strips where the wingtip might catch in long grass and groundloop (recommended

maximum 4 inches).

The X-Plane Winch experience is further hampered by the fact that a) the winch is revving its guts out at 300 BHP

(check the datarefs) and a message pops up on screen saying “release Brakes to initiate launch” Now the problem is

that the ASK21 – and indeed many gliders in current production have their airbrake coupled to the wheel brake.

Closing the airbrake is part of the pre-flight checks, but unfortunately it’s not THE LAST pre-flight check, so when you

close the airbrake, X-Plane will start to launch the glider and YOU will still have your canopy open. Moreover,

winches are never parked up for the day with their engines revving at 300 BHP just waiting for a glider to release its

brakes. For one thing we would burn out £18K engines in less than a season and for another 300 BHP is Waaayyy too

powerful and is probably the reason that every winch launch in X-Plane will send you supersonic. (in real life –

anything over 100Kts and both the aircraft and the pilot are at risk of irreparable damage)

In Reality. A glider will be parked at the launch point with a wing down and NO CABLE attached. The pilot climbs into the

cockpit (canopy will be open to allow this) and will then be required to complete a series of Pre-Flight Checks before

closing the canopy and asking for the cable to be attached. From the point at which the cable is attached,

responsibility for the launch will be in the hands of a launch controller (called by many different names, Launch

Marshal, Ground Ops, Ground Controller etc. etc.) Essentially, he/she is where the buck stops if anything goes wrong

So, with X-Winch when you start a glider flight:

1. the glider will appear and the canopy will pop open. This is by design and will allow you to complete the pre-

flight checks – part of which is to close and lock the canopy.

2. The script also sets the Winch BHP to zero so there’s no risk of you closing the brakes and being catapulted

into the air unexpectedly

Once you have completed your pre-flight checks and are ready to launch, press the key/button you assigned to start

the launch sequence.

When the launch sequence starts, the following will happen.

a) There will be an initial check to ensure you’ve closed the canopy. If it’s not closed there is a warning message

and the sequence stops. Rectify the mistake and restart the sequence

REMEMBER – If you are flying an open cockpit glider, you still need to complete the final “C” in CBSIFTBEC

by declaring “Canopy Not Present” (See button assignments above)

b) There will be an initial check to ensure you’ve closed the Airbrakes. If they are not closed there is a warning

message and the sequence stops. Rectify the mistake and restart the sequence

c) With canopy and airbrakes closed, you will hear the cable being attached and a voice saying “Cable is on and

secure…. You have a weak link” (See Notes on “Weak Link”)

d) After a short delay of about 4 seconds, you will hear the launch controller say “All clear above behind and in

front …. Take up slack” This requires a little explanation

In the real world, The launch controller will check the skies to make sure there are no incoming gliders on

circuit. Once he is satisfied that it is safe to launch, he will tell you. The phrase used is the recommended

phrase in use at UK gliding clubs. You may create your own sound file to reflect the standard practices in

your own country/club

The “Take Up Slack” bit is there for the pursuit of reality. In real life, cables are hardly ever pulled out direct

to the waiting aircraft. Mostly, they are pulled out in 2’s or 4’s depending on the winch configuration (you’ll

notice, our SkyLaunch winch has two drums) and usually pulled to the side of the launch-point vehicle –

maybe some 30-50 mtrs away. When a glider is ready to launch someone will drag a cable over to the

aircraft and there will be some slack in the cable. When the winch driver receives the “Take Up Slack” signal,

(s)he will put the winch in gear and apply a small amount of power to take the slack out of the able and

ensure that when (s)he receives “all out” and applies some serious acceleration, there is no “snatch” at the

aircraft end. A “Snatch” could result in the pilots head banging against the bulkhead behind him/her causing

loss of control of the glider.

e) After a further short delay of about 4 seconds you will hear the launch controller say “All Out”. The aircraft

will then begin to accelerate away

Controlling the actual launch. At about 40Kts, the aircraft will leave the ground and will be airborne. You should keep the nose low until a safe

height is reached and the airspeed is between 55 and 59Kts, at which point, rotate into the climb (about 45 degrees

angle).

The script attempts to emulate a real launch so if at any time the speed drops to around 55, lower the nose back to

the horizontal. This is a visual signal to the winch driver to increase the revs and doesn’t rely on the comms system

working.

If the speed drops below 50Kts, pull off (release the cable) and initiate your “Launch Failure” eventualities *Note In

real life – with 1200 metres of 4mm steel cable hanging from the airframe, the extra wing loading means the stall

speed will increase to around 50Kts. It is not clear whether X-Plane takes the cable weight into account when

calculating stall speeds. The above procedure should however be adhered to in the sim – especially if you intend to

try gliding for real one day as your life may well depend on getting it right.

Likewise – if the speed increases above 70Kts – pull of and again carry out your “Launch Failure” eventualities. Some

modern, heavy gliders like the DG600 are ok at 70Kts but with lighter wooden ships such as a K8, you risk serious

damage to the airframe if you go much above 70Kts.

At the top of the launch as the glider gets closer to the vertical, the cable will start to pull the nose of the glider

down and the horizon will come into view. Lower the nose to below the horizontal and release the cable (in real life

this will put some slack into the cable, releasing tension and ensure that the glider doesn’t “ping off” and pitch nose

up - it allows you to release elegantly and be on your way with the minimum fright and normal blood pressure.

Notes for the benefit of simmers new to gliding 1) So why do we say “You have a weak link”? well, actually, we don’t. What we say is “you have a [colour] link.

But let’s start at the beginning. First, the cable isn’t JUST a cable it’s a cable, originally 4 or 6mm steel

stranded, now more likely Dynema - a kind of super strong impregnated rope. Very light in weight and worth

about an extra 300ft on the launch height (or about an extra minute and a half flying time to find your first

thermal.

Next, attached to the glider end of the cable is a small drogue parachute and a shock rope. The ‘chute has a

slatted design so it doesn’t deploy whilst the launch is in progress but does deploy when the cable is

released at the top of the launch. It keeps some tension on the cable whilst the winch driver pulls it back to

the winch and helps prevent “throwing loops” off the main drum onto the drive shaft.

Finally after the ‘chute comes the weak link. About 2 metres of stranded steel inside a coloured sheath, a

special shackle arrangement and an in-line, special piece of metal, computer tested to a pre-determined

breaking strength which is designed to protect the glider and the pilot from both environmental

catastrophes and the pilot’s own stupidity. Each glider manufacturer specifies the type of weak link that

should be used and the person hooking the cable on to the glider will confirm to the pilot what colour weak

link is attached.

Unfortunately, there is insufficient data held in the .ACF file for X-winch to determine the correct weak link

to use. So until Laminar Research provide that data – or at least give the aircraft developers a slot in

Planemaker for that data to be recorded, the X-winch script saying “You have a weak link” is a compromise.

To find out more about Weak Links visit https://www.tost.de/blog/category/towing-launching-

equipment/?lang=en

Oh …. And if anyone from Laminar Research ever gets to read this, a “Max Winch” (speed) and a “Max

Aerotow” (speed) would be good. Again, the X-Winch target speed is 60 which is another compromise. But

if you care to take a look around the cockpit of a glider, you’ll find both speeds are recorded on the

placard.

The Pre-Flight Checks

C. B. S. I. F. T. B. E. C.

First up – we get in the glider and get strapped in. In a glider it will be a four, or five-point harness. Once strapped in

we go the sequence in the Mnemonic above.

Controls. Here we are checking three things a) that we haven’t accidentally fouled any of the control rods or wires

that go to the tail end of the aircraft (or to the rear seat in a two seat trainer) b) that we haven’t inadvertently left

the rudder lock on, and b) our legs and clothing will not get in the way of being able to recover from a spin or other

maneuver which requires full control deflection. With full left rudder applied, we take the stick completely round the

box to the full extent of it’s travel. forward Left, down to back left, across to back right and up to forward right, then

reverse the rudder and do it all again.

Ballast We check our weight (including parachute) to ensure we are not outside the limits for the aircraft. In a two

seater trainer it’s important to check the weight of the back seat instructor because his/her weight will affect the

weight loading for the front seat.

Straps – may sound daft after the opening paragraph – but you’d be surprised. If you are in a two seater, ASK THE

QUESTION of the person in the back. “Are you strapped in and are they secure” If you are a trainee – it will earn you

brownie points

Instruments We check we have no cracked glass facias, no condensation behind the glass which might indicate a

possible failing instruments or a leak somewhere, Check we have the electrics switched on, Audio Vario on and

finally that the altimeter is zeroed, making a note of the subscale reading in case you need to transition from QFE to

QNE at some point.

Flaps Check you have full travel and they are set for take-off

Trim Check you have full travel and that you are set forward for Landing. WHY? Because if you have a launch failure,

you will need to get the nose down to a “Landing Approach” attitude and build up flying speed quickly so you can

assess the picture and decide on either a land ahead or a go round.

Brakes – Airbrakes that is. Looking left and right, Check that they open and close together (no differential) and

finally that they are closed and LOCKED (not easy in a sim unless you’ve built your own airbrake lever – but again,

good habits ……

Eventualities Taking into account all factors, weather, wind speed and direction, the topology of the airfield, decide

what you are going to do in the event of a low, medium and high launch failure. (did we mention in X-Winch, you

have a 5% chance of a launch failure – just to keep you on your toes ) It’s also a good idea to decide what you

are going to do when you get to the top and release that cable because in real life, you’ll only have 3 or 4 minutes

flying time to find some lift before you are at circuit height. So unless you have lots of dosh, it’s a waste of a launch

fee to wait until you are off the wire and then start wondering what to do/where to go. Tick … Tock … Tick … Tock

Canopy. Finally, unless you actually like X-Winch making fun of you – close the canopy

… And Finally

We do hope you enjoy X-Winch. IF you are serious about learning to glide – X-Winch will hopefully provide you with

all the resources you need. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be adding a lot of “How To” videos that will

demonstrate every aspect of real-world winching. From how to control the winch speed, how to handle cross wind

launches, and how to handle cable breaks correctly.

Of course, we recognize X-Winch won’t be for everyone. Some will just want to get into the air and bumble around, some will get impatient because we start with the canopy open and it is a pain to have to keep closing it. BUT, that’s what real world pilots have to do every flight – just in the same way that real world commercial airline pilots and G.A pilots have to carry out their rigorous pre-flights before every take-off. We make no apologies for that. For those that come along for the ride – stick with it, do your pre-flights correctly and who knows – one day we might find you paying a visit to a real gliding club to experience for yourselves the thrill of silent soaring flight.

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for

there you have been, and there you will always long to return”

That’s it …. Press your previously assigned Launch initiation key or button and take to the skies. Happy winch

Launching – and happy gliding.

The X-Winch Team