Narrative:

After practicing some ground reference maneuvers I decided to land at cvh. The winds were favoring runway 24 (3150 feet x 100 feet). I had landed to a full stop and taxied back to runway 24 for takeoff and return to [another airport]. There was a lot of activity at cvh that day with glider operations. I was waiting at the hold short line for a glider tow to depart on runway 24. After watching the glider tow takeoff I announced my takeoff on the CTAF and entered the runway. I checked for traffic on upwind - it appeared clear - I did my cockpit checks and began take off roll. Shortly after I heard the glider pilot announce on the CTAF that he was stopped at the other end of the runway. (Following that call were two more calls from landing traffic in the pattern for runway 24; a powered aircraft and a glider.) he had released from the tow plane prior to take off. What I saw take off turned out to only be the tow plane. My situational awareness of what was happening was clouded by what I thought I saw. Heat waves coming off of the runway pavement made it hard to discern what was at the other end of the runway. I made the decision to take off and cleared the glider by several hundred feet.things that would help prevent this situation from occurring again. Making sure traffic has really cleared the area before entering the runway for takeoff. If in doubt don't enter - make a radio call to see if the takeoff traffic has cleared. Being prepared for the unexpected and allowing enough time to react to it. React in the safest way.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 pilot reported taking off over a glider he failed to see before starting his takeoff roll.

Narrative: After practicing some ground reference maneuvers I decided to land at CVH. The winds were favoring runway 24 (3150 feet x 100 feet). I had landed to a full stop and taxied back to runway 24 for takeoff and return to [another airport]. There was a lot of activity at CVH that day with glider operations. I was waiting at the hold short line for a glider tow to depart on runway 24. After watching the glider tow takeoff I announced my takeoff on the CTAF and entered the runway. I checked for traffic on upwind - it appeared clear - I did my cockpit checks and began take off roll. Shortly after I heard the glider pilot announce on the CTAF that he was stopped at the other end of the runway. (Following that call were two more calls from landing traffic in the pattern for runway 24; a powered aircraft and a glider.) He had released from the tow plane prior to take off. What I saw take off turned out to only be the tow plane. My situational awareness of what was happening was clouded by what I thought I saw. Heat waves coming off of the runway pavement made it hard to discern what was at the other end of the runway. I made the decision to take off and cleared the glider by several hundred feet.Things that would help prevent this situation from occurring again. Making sure traffic has really cleared the area before entering the runway for takeoff. If in doubt don't enter - make a radio call to see if the takeoff traffic has cleared. Being prepared for the unexpected and allowing enough time to react to it. React in the safest way.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.