ORIGINAL: SeamusG
I'm working up a reply to Ed's ''anything missing'' question. Luv a challenge.
Can you do a good hi-start with trashed rotator cuffs? I used to be able to whack the kids in the back of the head with a snow ball at 15 yards. I'm lucky to get it 10' and that's with excruciating pain. How about hand starts?
With a condition like this just release the model with as much as you can manage without pain. But lower the angle of the nose to much closer to horizontal so the initial pull is used to accelerate the model to flying speed. Up to around 10'ish degrees nose up will give a good safe launch even with heavier models. With the build up in speed the nose will rotate up naturally. If the hook is nicely back to the best position bigger and heavier models will want to over rotate and possibly snap off the line. On those be ready with a little bit of forward stick pressure to kill that tendency. Smaller and lighter models won't show that sort of behaviour as much but it pays to be ready.
You still want to start with the model back over your shoulder with your body sideways to the launch path. Get the model back over your shoulder with your body sideways just like an Olympic javelin thrower so the line passes in front of your chest. From that point throw as well as you can with comfort but mostly just guide the model for the first 3 or 4 feet of motion up to the release point so that the model leaves your hand with some decent forward and slightly upward speed and the nose pointed up about 10'ish degrees. THis method will let the line pull do the work but you're ensuring that the wings have some air flowing over them which is good for long term survival. The last thing you want to do is hold it with the wings in front of your face and just let go. I've seen far too many models busted by trusting that this will work.
You'll loose some of the final altitude with this method since you won't get the nice vertical climb right from release where the pull is the most. But other than the little ones such as the Fling it sure sounds like you won't be able to give them the healthy upwards javelin like throw that is needed with the bigger and heavier ones to avoid a stall and snap roll into the ground. And if you can't give the model that energy then it has to come from somewhere. In your case that somewhere will be the high start rubber or the winch motor. You'll just need to learn to find thermals better than the others to make up for the difference....