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.

On Nov 16, 11:18 pm, Hal wrote:
On Nov 16, 8:44 pm, Steve Leonard
wrote:
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.

Been there, done that. Unfortunately the &%#$% tow pilot was on a
different frequency. This was during a contest, so briefing & radio
check were implied, not done individually.

Had OK speed to about 500', then we started slowing down, and still
flying straight out, not yet on a crosswind. I'm in a fully loaded
ASW-20B. I immediately started asking for more speed, but no
response. I dropped through the wake with nearly full back elevator,
and stayed in low tow with stick against aft stop, ailerons feeling
like mush, so keeping wings as level as I could (actually, they were
rocking quite a bit) with rudder, and my left hand HOLDING the release
(no worries if I let go too soon) just in case I start spinning. Took
about 20 minutes to calm down while working the start gaggle after
release.

Why didn't I just release and get another tow? Well, although I was
quite worked up and not very happy, I was not in a safe position to
release at first, so I had to hang on at least for another 30-40
seconds. By then, since we were climbing, and I understood my
predicament, I was too busy dealing with a situation I now understood,
instead of creating a new one. So I decided I could calm down much
better in the sailplane in a thermal, than landing with water, on a
hot airport, pushing back to the launch line, yelling at the tow
pilot, etc, etc, etc.

-Tom

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

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

On 17 Nov, 19:31, Mike Lindsay wrote:

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.

A lot of years ago I was given an aerotow retrieve in a Slingsby
Swallow by a tug pilot who was the CFI of a club which shall remain
nameless. Max aerotow speed: 61kt (or some pathetic number about
that). Actual tow speed: 90kt. And the Swallow was twitchy enough on
the elevator at the best of times. Still, I was poor(er) then, and the
CFI knew I was paying by the minute for the retrieve.

Ian

Ian wrote:

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.


I've had the same problem in a 1-26. At 75 MPH IAS the bird gets a
little more sensitive in pitch than I like on tow, so prior to departure
I have asked for a 65 MPH IAS max. 60 MPH IAS is not that easy for a
Pawnee to do, but just letting them know that it makes a big difference
to a 1-26 does help.


Jack

On 17 Nov, 21:49, J a c k wrote:
Ian wrote:
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.

I've had the same problem in a 1-26. At 75 MPH IAS the bird gets a
little more sensitive in pitch than I like on tow, so prior to departure
I have asked for a 65 MPH IAS max. 60 MPH IAS is not that easy for a
Pawnee to do, but just letting them know that it makes a big difference
to a 1-26 does help.

My standard speed compromise with the Sutton Bank tuggy was to go up
with the CHT needles on the red line. Faster than I'd have liked,
slower than he'd have liked, but both reasonably happy!

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