This compact winch design has been proven over 20 years operations.

Design team with over 80 years/300,000 launches professional winch driving experience.

Skylaunch winches are operating with great success all over the world at civilian and military sites.

Robust design with many safety features ensures a reliable, easily operated and maintained long life machine.

Lightweight winch is easily towed on soft airfield or legally on highway with a 4 x 4 vehicle (or similar).

Chassis pivoting wheel chocks (with starter interlock) and trailer handbrake ensures safe/rapid set up for launching.

To minimise equipment costs, towing vehicle is detached and used for retrieving the cables (no lorry is required as prime mover).

Simple colour coded controls are ergonomically positioned for safe/accurate launching.  Both cable drum brakes are controlled by a single lever.

Unique preset selectors for glider air  speed/tension and head wind speed to launch ALL weights/speeds of glider – any glider type is accurately launched with ease. (throttle is damped to control acceleration rate).

Existing winch drivers are typically converted to Skylaunch operation within 6 launches.

Comfortable safety cab with good visibility, filtered heating (cooling), luxury driver’s seat and training seat.

Laminated glass all round, steel mesh guards, flashing beacon, remote control signal lamp and siren.

Bodywork and covers are easy access with gas springs or rubber grommets for instant opening.

All designs are for maximum safety in operation and minimum maintenance.

Latest generation MKVI engines are new marine units (ski boat type engines have proven to be the best type for glider launching).

Engine cooled by large radiator and reverse pitch fan with thermo switch, hot air exits downwind.

Engine/transmission combination gives excellent acceleration and smooth power delivery to control cable speed from vintage to the heaviest twin seat gliders with the same accuracy (the 3 gear changes are not noticeable in the glider or the winch).

Heavy duty 3 speed auto transmission with industrial cooler unit.  Long life exhaust system, self contained on engine, exits downwind, also ensures compact engine/transmission power pack.

Cable roller box with spring/damper to give glider suspension and ensure smooth launches. 

Flat hardened rollers are very long life type and do not damage cable and joins and are suitable for steel or synthetic cable. (Optional synthetic cable pulley/roller system)

Cable entry/exit height is low level for safety and easy access.

Heavy duty guillotines, with stainless steel trigger mechanism and activated by powerful spring

Lightweight steel cable drums are reinforced, large diameter and narrow width with anti-loop guides.
 

 No cable pay-on mechanisms are required.
 

 Cable feeds onto bottom of drum for safer, trouble free operation.
 

 Will easily accommodate all materials of cable up to 3,000 metres long.
 

 Fully machined and balanced drums produce launches of exceptional smoothness.

Final drive of robust design specifically manufactured for launching gliders to give outstanding reliability.
 

 Features include hardened spline male/female couplings for drum selection and standard Lockheed disc brake system.
 

 All bearings, seals and fasteners, etc are standard metric components.

For simplicity, reliability and ease of maintenance no computers, high pressure air or hydraulic systems are incorporated on these winches.
 

 Controls are simple trouble free rods and levers (not electronic, hydraulic or pneumatics).
 

 All machines are supplied with on-site training and detailed Operator’s and Maintenance Manuals.

Skylaunch winches combine high specification with simplicity that other manufacturers cannot match.

It’s like going up on rails!