On Thursday, August 21, 2014 5:02:41 PM UTC-6, son_of_flubber wrote:
Not the rile the conservative feathers of the tow plane experts, but I wonder if anyone in the USA has a scenario where a combination tow plane motor-glider trainer like the Phoenix makes sense? http://www.phoenixairusa.com/Specifications.php

This makes a lot of sense. The far better aerodynamics and lower weight of a touring motor glider airframe makes up for about half the HP of a Pawnee.

I believe it has a bigger engine option if you need the pull for towing.

Interestingly, a group of pilots visiting the 15m/Open Nationals at Montague told a story they were testing a higher HP version of the ROTAX - they said as much as 140HP. That would make the Phoenix a dandy tug.