Recognizing and reacting to tow plane engine failure

On Thursday, October 23, 2014 12:38:09 PM UTC-4, Bill D wrote:
On Thursday, October 23, 2014 9:39:53 AM UTC-6, Evan Ludeman wrote:
On Thursday, October 23, 2014 11:30:05 AM UTC-4, firsys wrote:
So there are tuggles (new word) who are insensitive
to change in engine note and do not monitor the tach!
No surprise, unfortunately.

The other possibility is that we (mostly) have tow pilots with enough grit that they don't wave off or release at the first hiccup. This has been my experience.

T8

That "grit" is often an inability to make a timely decision.

Happily, that isn't *my* 28 years of experience. Yours may vary.


A true, recent incident illustrates the point:

Tug (C-182) loaded to gross with survival gear, full fuel and two aboard attempts to tow a heavy glider with two aboard from a high density altitude airport with no off-field landing options. The takeoff runway is 7,700 feet long but uphill and downwind.

It illustrates something, alright, but it isn't relevant here.

T8