Being towed too slow?

Seems to be a common thing at contests or any other
time you are flying something different than what the
pilot is use to pulling. How about the next time it
happens to you, have your radio call be 'Towplane pulling
Glider (Insert your callsign here), please speed up
5 MPH' or some such if you aren't clearly able to identify
the towplane. Most of those guys know what glider
they are pulling at the time. They keep track so they
have a record of how many tows they made.

Or better yet, spend a little time talking with the
towpilots and getting to know them. When it is your
turn, watch and see who comes by to pull you into the
sky. If you are being pulled too slow or too fast,
call the towpilot by name with your request. But do
it very nicely, please. As John pointed out, these
guys work hard so we can go play. And sometimes, they
even get to go play, too.

Thanks again to all that have towed me!

Steve Leonard
Wichita, KS

On Nov 16, 8:44 pm, Steve Leonard
wrote:
Seems to be a common thing at contests or any other
time you are flying something different than what the
pilot is use to pulling. How about the next time it
happens to you, have your radio call be 'Towplane pulling
Glider (Insert your callsign here), please speed up
5 MPH' or some such if you aren't clearly able to identify
the towplane. Most of those guys know what glider
they are pulling at the time. They keep track so they
have a record of how many tows they made.

Or better yet, spend a little time talking with the
towpilots and getting to know them. When it is your
turn, watch and see who comes by to pull you into the
sky. If you are being pulled too slow or too fast,
call the towpilot by name with your request. But do
it very nicely, please. As John pointed out, these
guys work hard so we can go play. And sometimes, they
even get to go play, too.

Thanks again to all that have towed me!

Steve Leonard
Wichita, KS

If you are carrying water and the tow plane slows down below the stall
speed what would happen. I felt things were close once and used the
radio to request speeding up. Can't imagine rocking the wings when
you are in that situation.

Steve Leonard wrote:

have your radio call be 'Towplane pulling
Glider (Insert your callsign here), please speed up

Even better would be to know the callsign of your tow plane. I consider
a short radio check with my tug before taking off a basic safety rule, YMMV.

On 17 Nov, 04:44, Steve Leonard
wrote:

Or better yet, spend a little time talking with the
towpilots and getting to know them.

I tend to have the opposite problem - tug pilots may not tow much
wood, and often go rather fast. So whenever I can, I make a point of
talking to the tuggy beforehand and letting them know my ideal speed
range.

Ian

Hi Folks,

I'm new to this list.
I'm the towpilot at Great Western Soaring in Crystalire which is in
the Mojave desert, right up by the mountains, in California.
Come and see us, you can find us on the web.

Tow speed is always an issue.

I have found very often, when glider pilots complain of incorrect
speeds, it is because their AIS are not working properly.

Yes it is a good idea to communicate with the towpilot, but how many
glider 'renters' have their own radios??

Les H


On Nov 16, 8:44 pm, Steve Leonard
wrote:
Seems to be a common thing at contests or any other
time you are flying something different than what the
pilot is use to pulling. How about the next time it
happens to you, have your radio call be 'Towplane pulling
Glider (Insert your callsign here), please speed up
5 MPH' or some such if you aren't clearly able to identify
the towplane. Most of those guys know what glider
they are pulling at the time. They keep track so they
have a record of how many tows they made.

Or better yet, spend a little time talking with the
towpilots and getting to know them. When it is your
turn, watch and see who comes by to pull you into the
sky. If you are being pulled too slow or too fast,
call the towpilot by name with your request. But do
it very nicely, please. As John pointed out, these
guys work hard so we can go play. And sometimes, they
even get to go play, too.

Thanks again to all that have towed me!

Steve Leonard
Wichita, KS

Hey, glider pilots, go back to your FARs -- they require you to agree
with the tow pilot on four points before taking off: "airspeed
limitations, emergency procedures, signals, and maximum angles of
bank." (FAR 61.69). Some of this is standardized, so you don't have
to say you'll use specific signals, but speeds vary according to
ballasting, etc. So not only is it a good idea to talk to the tow
pilot, it is actually a requirement. When I'm towing I want to talk
to the glider pilot prior to hookup anyway so I know he has a working
radio and I know who will be billed. So to standardize, I like
towpilots to establish radio contact as you are being hooked up and
find out WHO the pilot is and Where he wants to go. A third item is
obviously the radio check, but if you've passed the name and
destination along, you've also established that your radio is
working. And this is the time to pass on your required tow speed.
Fred

On 17 Nov, 16:55, wrote:
Hey, glider pilots, go back to your FARs

Our ... whats?

Ian

wrote:
Hey, glider pilots, go back to your FARs -- they require you to agree
with the tow pilot on four points before taking off: "airspeed
limitations, emergency procedures, signals, and maximum angles of
bank." (FAR 61.69). Some of this is standardized, so you don't have
to say you'll use specific signals, but speeds vary according to
ballasting, etc. So not only is it a good idea to talk to the tow
pilot, it is actually a requirement. When I'm towing I want to talk
to the glider pilot prior to hookup anyway so I know he has a working
radio and I know who will be billed. So to standardize, I like
towpilots to establish radio contact as you are being hooked up and
find out WHO the pilot is and Where he wants to go. A third item is
obviously the radio check, but if you've passed the name and
destination along, you've also established that your radio is
working. And this is the time to pass on your required tow speed.
Fred

Fred, I assume you've worked some contests (which is what this
discussion is primarily about), you know what it's like. You can't just
amble over and talk to the tow pilot prior to each launch, nor are you
supposed to even do a radio check. You get hooked up and go, and if you
have any issue with that, you go to the back of the grid.

That said, I've had tow pilots I know quite well (with a tow slip that
clearly says I want 65 knots), yank and bank at 50 knots while I'm still
rolling on the ground in the Duo with a passenger. Even tow pilots have
bad days, and despite some assurances to the contrary, many heavy
gliders are bears to handle on tow at 50 knots...

Marc

In article
s.com, Ian writes
On 17 Nov, 04:44, Steve Leonard
wrote:

Or better yet, spend a little time talking with the
towpilots and getting to know them.

I tend to have the opposite problem - tug pilots may not tow much
wood, and often go rather fast. So whenever I can, I make a point of
talking to the tuggy beforehand and letting them know my ideal speed
range.

Ian

A lot of years ago I was towed at 80 KPH when the glider had a placard
reading Ne jamais depasser 65KPH. Nobody seemed the least bothered.
--
Mike Lindsay

Ian wrote:
On 17 Nov, 16:55, wrote:
Hey, glider pilots, go back to your FARs

Our ... whats?

F@ckin' American Rules :-)


Shawn