It is advised that before any deployment operation is attempted that the operator become an "expert" with the simulation program contained in the operating software. Please consult the manual for further information.

With a moderate amount of instrumentation attached to the Acrobat^TM, one person can manually lift and lower/recover the model LTV-50x over the stern or side of a small boat. If the survey area is in very shallow water (10 to 20m) then the tow cable can be attached directly to the control and computer system by using Sea Sciences' Safety Rope Clutch Cable Towing System which has sufficient holding power to prevent cable slip during normal operations but pays out additional cable in case of an emergency to prevent a tow cable break. Maximum tensions experienced during normal operations are on the order of 200 lbs. However this figure is dependant on boat speed, payload, tow cable, wing size, and configuration.

Also the use of a cable storage reel with slip rings is recommended.  The reel will properly store the cable preventing damage.  The slip rings allow the user to deploy the Acrobat without first disconnecting the tow cable from the deck command units and then reconnecting after deployment.  Sea Sciences has supplied several customers with this relatively inexpensive option.

Although the towing cable has a rated break strength of 2000 lbs, the copper conductors will fail before the cable parts. The conductors are helically arranged around a strengthened center conductor. This central conductor will most likely be the first to fail if tensions become too high. For safety, Sea Sciences has wired this conductor to pin 2 which is used with the payload rather than control of the Acrobat^TM.

Deeper operations will require a small winch (either manual or electric) with an 8 conductor slip ring assembly and not less than 100m (150m is optimal) of 9 mm Vectran 8 or 10-conductor cable.

Power for the Acrobat^TM model LTV-50x is provided by a 30 VDC converter module powered by AC line voltage. Power for this module can also be supplied by a 12VDC battery using a small solid state DC to AC pure sine wave inverter. The power from one automobile or gel-cell battery will run the system (including the Acrobat^TM Control Command Module, GPS, and some low power consumption instruments, ( i.e. micro CTD) for 8 hours or longer.

The Acrobat^TM should be approximately horizontal or slightly "tail down" during towing operations. An easy check is to observe the wing angle indicator during auto undulation on the computer screen. If the indicator moves equally about the center then the system is in balance. If the indicator remains close to one end or the other of the wing angle scale, then a load redistribution and or adjustments are advised for best performance.

A quicker response to directional change commands can be obtained by limiting the wing travel to just the amount required for maximum "lift". Any angle exceeding this limiting wing angle leads to stalling; in order to then change Acrobat^TM direction, the the wing must first travel through the stall zone again.

Greater detail is provided in the Acrobat^TM operations manual. The customer can also request in-the-field training from Sea Sciences, Inc. We will gladly provide a quote.