Our ground launch winch is itself a piece of history. Originally designed for use by the military to deploy and retrieve balloons for weather and observation missions, it was converted for use in launching training gliders at Twentynine Palms during World War II. After the war it was purchased as surplus. It has since been modified; it's original engine has been replaced with a 350 cubic inch V-8 engine with automatic transmission. Light weight stranded and armored cable, originally used by the Navy to tow target drones, was used until recently. It is our exclusive method of launching at Torrey Pines on light wind days.

In 2006 the winch was extensively refurbished by club members and outfitted to use Spectre, a light weight synthetic stranded fibre replacement for steel cable. Club members are still in the process of tuning the winch for optimal performance, however launch heights of up to 1700 feet AGL have been achieved in test launches.

AGCSC also sponsors Winch Clinics for licensed pilots that want to remove their Aero Tow Only restriction. Photo courtesy Dan Donley.