Long Tow Rope Pros & Cons

[chris]

Janusz Kesik )wrote of using 30m [98ft]
tow ropes as standard and 20m[65ft] for experienced pilots in Poland.

In the US I'm accustomed to being aerotowed behind a 150 to 200 foot
tow rope[45-61m]. However my club has been experimenting with using a
longer rope: 275ft[84m]. This struck me as non-standard and made me
wonder where the standard of 200ft came from and the possible
advantages/disadvantages of the longer 275ft rope.


275ft vs 200

Advantages
1. longer time to react to tow plane positional changes - easier for
beginners.
2. can be easily shortened as the ends fray/wear.
3. more room to turn away from towplane for an on-the-ground aborted
takeoff.
4. ?


Disadvantages
1. uses 75' more runway length - less room to land ahead or land back
incase of a rope break.
2. possibly lull pilots into complacency - will later be confronted
with 150'.
3. longer tow rope hanging behind towplane during its landing.
4. more rope to handle and untangle - I've had to clear it off the
runway in a hurry to allow a power plane to taxi onto the runway.
5. glider is smaller in towplane's mirror.
6. I've noticed the middle of the towrope continue to drag on the
runway at the beginning of the tow while waiting for the towplane to
takeoff. This is additional wear on the rope in the middle where it
gets inspected less.
7. ?


Can it make a glider that zooms too high easier or harder to recover
from - for either the towpilot or gliderpilot?

chris

[dbrown]

added advantages:
less debris hitting the canopy of the glider
less debris chipping the leading edge of the wings
less debris chipping the tail
you have to be out of position more before you endanger the towpilot's life

So, other than being cheaper and safer, there's no reason to use a long rope.




In article >,
(chris) wrote:
>Janusz Kesik )wrote of using 30m [98ft]
>tow ropes as standard and 20m[65ft] for experienced pilots in Poland.
>
>In the US I'm accustomed to being aerotowed behind a 150 to 200 foot
>tow rope[45-61m]. However my club has been experimenting with using a
>longer rope: 275ft[84m]. This struck me as non-standard and made me
>wonder where the standard of 200ft came from and the possible
>advantages/disadvantages of the longer 275ft rope.
>
>
>275ft vs 200
>
>Advantages
>1. longer time to react to tow plane positional changes - easier for
>beginners.
>2. can be easily shortened as the ends fray/wear.
>3. more room to turn away from towplane for an on-the-ground aborted
>takeoff.
>4. ?
>
>
>Disadvantages
>1. uses 75' more runway length - less room to land ahead or land back
>incase of a rope break.
>2. possibly lull pilots into complacency - will later be confronted
>with 150'.
>3. longer tow rope hanging behind towplane during its landing.
>4. more rope to handle and untangle - I've had to clear it off the
>runway in a hurry to allow a power plane to taxi onto the runway.
>5. glider is smaller in towplane's mirror.
>6. I've noticed the middle of the towrope continue to drag on the
>runway at the beginning of the tow while waiting for the towplane to
>takeoff. This is additional wear on the rope in the middle where it
>gets inspected less.
>7. ?
>
>
>Can it make a glider that zooms too high easier or harder to recover
>from - for either the towpilot or gliderpilot?
>
>chris

[Wallace Berry]

Long tow ropes lessen the effect of tow plane prop blast on the glider.
Less chance of the glider dropping a wing on takeoff. This is a very
noticeable effect with my Libelle.

Tow ropes less than 200 feet long are just too short. 275-300' seems
about right to me.

Got towed with a 60' rope once (really short field). No problems but it
required much more precise flying.

[W.J. \(Bill\) Dean \(U.K.\).]

For the U.K. the B.G.A. give advice to be found in "Laws and Rules for
Glider Pilots" 14th edition June 2003.

Under "Recommended Practices":

RP12. The minimum length of aerowtow rope recommended is 150ft. However,
under special circumstances a short rope may be used. The operators'
attention is drawn to the following factors which may cumulatively
contribute to a hazardous situation:

(a) Low experience of glider and/or tug pilot
(b) Gliders fitted with C of G hook only
(c) Glider's C of G towards the aft limit
(d) Turbulent air in the take-off area
(e) Rough ground in the take-off area
(f) Significant cross-wind component.

RP13. After releasing the cable, the glider should turn away so that the
tug aircraft pilot can see clearly that the glider is free.

Under "Operational Regulations":

4.16 The sum of tows made by the tug pilot and the glider pilot, in their
respective capacities, shall not be less than six.

W.J. (Bill) Dean (U.K.).
Remove "ic" to reply.

>
> "Wallace Berry" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> Long tow ropes lessen the effect of tow plane prop blast on the glider.
> Less chance of the glider dropping a wing on takeoff. This is a very
> noticeable effect with my Libelle.
>
> Tow ropes less than 200 feet long are just too short. 275-300' seems
> about right to me.
>
> Got towed with a 60' rope once (really short field). No problems but it
> required much more precise flying.
>

[Liam Finley]

(chris) wrote in message >...
> Disadvantages
> 1. uses 75' more runway length - less room to land ahead or land back
> incase of a rope break.

Actually the length of the rope does not effect the amount or runway
available to the glider. Think about it.

[BTIZ]

> Actually the length of the rope does not effect the amount or runway
> available to the glider. Think about it.

so true...

BT

[chris]

(Liam Finley) wrote in message >...
> > Disadvantages
> > 1. uses 75' more runway length - less room to land ahead or land back
> > incase of a rope break.
> Actually the length of the rope does not effect the amount or runway
> available to the glider. Think about it.

OK, I thought about it. [ouch that thinkin' kinda hurt]

And yes there is still the full length of the runway available to the
_glider_. But that is only half the story. The glider+towplane
combination does not gain altitude until the towplane takes off. In
the case of our "cezzna" 175 the towplane does not take off until
signficantly after the glider.

[I like to at least pretend that I care about the safety of the
towpilot also. The shorter the rope the more engine out options he
has.]

As an extreem example to illustrate the point: If you used a 1000'
tow rope on a 2000' runway the towplane would not have climbed very
much by the end of the runway.

Chris

[Wallace Berry]

In article >,
(chris) wrote:

> (Liam Finley) wrote in message
> >...[i]
> > > Disadvantages
> > > 1. uses 75' more runway length - less room to land ahead or land back
> > > incase of a rope break.
> > Actually the length of the rope does not effect the amount or runway
> > available to the glider. Think about it.
>
> OK, I thought about it. [ouch that thinkin' kinda hurt]
>
> And yes there is still the full length of the runway available to the
> _glider_. But that is only half the story. The glider+towplane
> combination does not gain altitude until the towplane takes off. In
> the case of our "cezzna" 175 the towplane does not take off until
> signficantly after the glider.
>
>
>
> As an extreem example to illustrate the point: If you used a 1000'
> tow rope on a 2000' runway the towplane would not have climbed very
> much by the end of the runway.
>
> Chris


50 to 100 feet of extra runway is probably not significant unless the
runway is really short. Having towed on ropes from 60 feet to 300 feet,
I'll vote for the longer rope everytime.

By the way Chris, Tim brought the Pawnee in on Sunday afternoon.