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Old June 2nd 20, 11:51 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Fatal Towplane Accident 5-9-20

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 1:46:59 PM UTC-4, Neal Alders wrote:
-Here's another question about low tow:

-Has a glider on low tow ever pulled the tail of the towplane DOWN and caused the towplane wing to stall?

A: No idea. Never heard of it happening, But, I would think you would need a proportionate amount of altitude to cause that, and a stall recovery is easier at low altitude when already at full power, especially if you dump the glider, than an extreme nose down at a far lower altitude on take off. Imagine the angles. Would you rather be nose up or nose down at 200 feet?


We tested that issue 30 years ago using a Super Cub and a 2-33. We were never able to get to where we were pulling the tail down a significant amount. We tested down to tow speeds that went slightly below where the Cub would stall in free flight. Out conclusion was that the tug got more stable with the glider behind.
It is worth noting that most people fly the tow too low based upon my observation of lots of pilots trained at other sites. If you are not occasionally nibling the wake with the vertical tail, you probably are flying too low.
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