Originally Posted by
cats_five
OK, we don't do them even though we have plenty of excellent alternative field choices. But I do like the idea if the instructor does that to one rather low of choosing the field ahead...
PS we had a glider in an adjacent field when P2 dithered slightly with a very awkward height simulated break from a winch launch.
Don't have a problem with the student choosing a field ahead as long as it's a good choice compared to the option of turning back to the airfield. Always a difficult trade between "get home-itis" and landing in a field which you may not necessarily know what state it's in.
From an instructor's perspective, when doing a simulated launch failure (winch or aerotow), is checking that: (a) the student has recognised what's happened (as posted elsewhere, sometimes pilots go into denial mode!); (b) that they make a decision; (c) that they take the time to review if the decision is a good one; (d) that they get on with it. Main challenge is engineering a simulated failure that provides the student with the opportunity to go through the (a) - (d) cycle whilst still giving the instructor time to take control if needed in order to ensure that the flight is conducted safely (ideally including sufficient time to turn it into a learning exercise if possible, but the critical thing is to keep it within the instructor's capability/comfort zone).