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#1
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CG hook & Low Tow
Sounds like some of you do 'low tow' position with
a CG hook. I've done the 'low tow' only with nose hooks (Schweizer 2-33, 1-26, and Blanik L-13) and wondered what happens when flying a ship with a CG hook. What happens? Can the tow rope scratch the bottom of the ship? Can the upward pull on the rope try to pull the nose up? Anything else? It seems a little strange to be in the low tow position with a CG hook. I think before releasing, it would be prudent to move to high tow, to keep the Tost ring from having a chance of slapping back at the canopy, or at least look like it is coming at the canopy and frightening the daylights out of me. Thanks for any words of wisdom. Ray Lovinggood Carrboro, North Carolina, USA |
#2
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"Ray Lovinggood" wrote...
Can the tow rope scratch the bottom of the ship? Can the upward pull on the rope try to pull the nose up? I've used low-tow on several occasions in gliders iwth CG hooks. It's little different than using a nose hook, as the normal sag in the rope generally keeps it clear of the fuselage. I was once in low tow while passing through an area of moderate turbulence, and ended up with enough slack in the rope to cause the hook to back release. This can be a problem with CG hooks in low or high tow position... Marc |
#3
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Ray,
Apart from the need to carefully monitor and follow the tug bank angle I have not experienced any difficulties with low tow using a belly hook. Sure, the rope occasionally rides along the side of the fuselage if you get too low but this has not caused any scratching (PIK 20B) or marking. Pitch stability on tow is generally good even with CG at 80% aft limit, except in very turbulent conditions where one needs to have quick reflexes. I have seen competition pilots "zoom" from low tow to high tow before releasing and shudder at the implications of just mis-timing the release. My own practice in low tow is to drift out 5-10 degrees to the right, check aispace clear, release then bank hard right, gently climbing to wash off speed to initial cruise speed, say 50 knots. The rope immediately moves away from the glider to the left with little risk of snaking back towards the canopy. I've tried moving into high tow before release but on each occasion got blasted by the tuggie for not following "procedure". On balance the drift out and release procedure works well for me. On 24 Jul 2003 21:16:51 GMT, Ray Lovinggood wrote: Sounds like some of you do 'low tow' position with a CG hook. I've done the 'low tow' only with nose hooks (Schweizer 2-33, 1-26, and Blanik L-13) and wondered what happens when flying a ship with a CG hook. What happens? Can the tow rope scratch the bottom of the ship? Can the upward pull on the rope try to pull the nose up? Anything else? It seems a little strange to be in the low tow position with a CG hook. I think before releasing, it would be prudent to move to high tow, to keep the Tost ring from having a chance of slapping back at the canopy, or at least look like it is coming at the canopy and frightening the daylights out of me. Thanks for any words of wisdom. Ray Lovinggood Carrboro, North Carolina, USA |
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