On Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 2:30:24 PM UTC-6, wrote:
Dont forget people Towing is not that dangerous and there are plenty of Happy towpilots out there and not just happy helicopter pilots

Hightime, you're kidding right? Towing is not that dangerous? Please tell that to the poor chap who died recently in California. Or to the tow pilot at Front Royal Virginia or any of the tow pilots who have perished due to a mistake on the part of the glider pilot in tow only to then be amplified by the failure of a device meant to save their life. Towing is not "that" dangerous until it become THAT dangerous.

It's not THAT dangerous until someone in back of the tow plane makes a big, stupid mistake. It's not THAT dangerous until a poorly trained student (in my case) or an inattentive, distracted instructor or one of the many squirrels who abound in the soaring community SCREW UP. Then it becomes THAT dangerous and for the record, how do you define "that?"

Plenty of Happy tow pilots? I'm sure there are and they will be happy until the s--t hits the fan and they find themselves a second or two from the end of their life, happy will go out the window. The fact of the matter is we don't know what we don't know and what we don't know can kill us. Every tow has the potential to end in disaster. Towing

Towing is not that dangerous, what a dumb f--king statement to make. Flying helicopters is dangerous too but not THAT dangerous? The difference is that I am responsible for my mistakes.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot

No Its not dangerous, I have been part of a club for many years , we have high standards of training, so no student or pilot ever does this, its trained out of them from a very early on . When I solo them Im confident in their abilities. Sure it can happen by a pudknoker but its not statistically "dangerous" to tow a glider. Its statistically dangerous to fly helicopters , come back to towing you will be much safer