Pawnee Tow Release

On 8/4/2019 11:16 PM, Bob Youngblood wrote:
I am currently rebuilding another Pawnee and converting from a spray plane
to a tow plane. Extensive work has been completed on this bird, and I am
about ready to install the tow hook. This is the third Pawnee that I have
converted and I have used the hopper dump handle as the tow release handle
which provides a huge amount of leverage and also a easy to get to
location. I most cases the tow handle release is located on the floor,
which causes the pilot to reach down to get to the handle. In this case the
hopper release handle is just to the left side of the pilot and requires no
bending down and allows the pilot to keep their eye on flying the plane. It
requires just a bit of modification to make this conversion and in my case
the inspector was impressed with the application. If any of you are
considering converting a Pawnee you should consider this modification.

"What (the other) Bob said."

The engineer in me can't help but wonder why the original designers of spray
planes put *their* 'emergency release' handles within easy release of their
ships' Joe Pilot. Every (ubiquitous in the USA) Air Tractor I've seen
similarly has this design. What a concept!

Bob - not a power pilot - W.

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On Monday, August 5, 2019 at 11:28:05 AM UTC-4, BobW wrote:
On 8/4/2019 11:16 PM, Bob Youngblood wrote:
I am currently rebuilding another Pawnee and converting from a spray plane
to a tow plane. Extensive work has been completed on this bird, and I am
about ready to install the tow hook. This is the third Pawnee that I have
converted and I have used the hopper dump handle as the tow release handle
which provides a huge amount of leverage and also a easy to get to
location. I most cases the tow handle release is located on the floor,
which causes the pilot to reach down to get to the handle. In this case the
hopper release handle is just to the left side of the pilot and requires no
bending down and allows the pilot to keep their eye on flying the plane. It
requires just a bit of modification to make this conversion and in my case
the inspector was impressed with the application. If any of you are
considering converting a Pawnee you should consider this modification.

"What (the other) Bob said."

The engineer in me can't help but wonder why the original designers of spray
planes put *their* 'emergency release' handles within easy release of their
ships' Joe Pilot. Every (ubiquitous in the USA) Air Tractor I've seen
similarly has this design. What a concept!

Bob - not a power pilot - W.

---
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https://www.avg.com

There is no doubt that this release is the safest for the Pawnee. No fumbling around for the release, and with a 3 foot extension makes the pull load much easier. I hope to post a pic soon. Bob Y

In the 3 Pawnee’s I fly 2 use the floor mounted dump lever which I like. The other one uses a shorter lever mounted in front of the throttle which I like even more!

On Monday, August 5, 2019 at 7:44:32 PM UTC-4, Charles Longley wrote:
In the 3 Pawnee’s I fly 2 use the floor mounted dump lever which I like. The other one uses a shorter lever mounted in front of the throttle which I like even more!

Our Pawnee floor lever lies almost on the floor. There is a tab with a hole which looks like it should have a tension spring to keep the handle more upright. Anyone know if there is supposed to be a tension spring here? Where would the other end attach? Part number?
Thanks in advance,

Bob 7U

On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 11:57:16 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Monday, August 5, 2019 at 7:44:32 PM UTC-4, Charles Longley wrote:
In the 3 Pawnee’s I fly 2 use the floor mounted dump lever which I like. The other one uses a shorter lever mounted in front of the throttle which I like even more!

Our Pawnee floor lever lies almost on the floor. There is a tab with a hole which looks like it should have a tension spring to keep the handle more upright. Anyone know if there is supposed to be a tension spring here? Where would the other end attach? Part number?
Thanks in advance,

Bob 7U

I do not recount seeing one with a spring. There should be enough tension on the release cable to keep the handle in the closed or locked position.

Install a Tost reel system and you can use a simpler “release� setup due to the use of a guillotine. Very little force needed to cut the tow rope so the release lever can be smaller and mounted right in front of the throttle. Both our Pawnees have been equipped for several years and I would not like to go back to the Elmira Death Hook!

Plus you get a built in Tost release for when you just have to drag a 200 ft rope behind you...

Kirk
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