ESW-2B electric winch

    An electric winch without its own power substation which does not require enormously expensive, ultra-thick cables running right along the airfield ¨C is that possible? The ESW-2B electric winch from J¨¹rgen Volck (Ulbrich Industrieelektronik GmbH, Weinbach) manages just with batteries. The first electric winch from industrial series production is in service in Bad Neuenahr. Its power, simple operation and low maintenance requirements make it very attractive.
     Even heavy two-seaters can be handled by the dual drum winch. The launch unit is fitted with a 90kW three-phase AC current standard motor with a peak output of 210kW and is designed and certified for aircraft weighing up to 850 kg.
     So has J¨¹rgen Volck come up with the ideal winch? In principle an electric winch is almost the ideal launch winch. The electric motor is virtually maintenance-free, wear and tear is negligible and the poor cold start performance that is only too familiar on combustion engines is not a worry here ¨C the unit is fully operational immediately. It is also light and does not give off any exhaust fumes. Nor does the electric winch have a vulnerable torque converter transmission, something which on conventional launch winches has to make up for shortcomings forced onto the design by the regulations, while at the same time swallowing up 30% of the power output. In the electric winch, the electronic controls ensure that the glider is pulled with the correct cable force, while at the same time this makes operation very simple.