Auto-Towing - why is this not more popular?

On Monday, October 5, 2015 at 8:30:06 AM UTC-4, Tango Eight wrote:

When I was a student pilot, we did 2-33 "cat shots" off Harris Hill with two old tow ropes spliced together, later with a proper 400' cable, into gentle late afternoon ridge lift, all powered by an old 307 Chevelle with questionable brakes (thanks Dave!). A total gas, never to be forgotten. Driving the car (which I did a lot) was even more exciting than flying the glider. The brow of the hill slopes off in a fashion that makes the nerves a little uneasy... especially with those rusty four wheel drum brakes.

-Evan Ludeman / T8

That reminded me. The far end of our runway had a steep dropoff into a corn field. On one tow, as I eased off the gas and got on the brakes... there weren't any. Or not much. Went all Dukes of Hazard and luckily landed safely on the downslope, ending up with the hood in the corn. Funny now, but actually a pretty dicey situation. So driver/observer safety in the tow vehicle is definitely another consideration depending on the field conditions/configuration.