stevegauth30

Hey guys, I am currently building a 1/4 scale rearwin speedster and will be putting way more engine than I need. Every one at the field says it would make a great tow plane for the large scale gliders. My question is, how do I find the ideal point to attach the tow line?obviously that whole area needs to be very strong and solid, and I'm assuming it should be right behind the trailing edge of the wing, but is there a specific point for the hook? The last thing I want to do is crash my plane, or some one else's glider. Thanks, Steve.

bogbeagle

Can of worms.


Tow from the tail. The towing area does not need to be terribly strong, since the forces are not great in normal use. The tow-line is not stretched out tight, but rather hangs in a catenary during the tow. A 10lb glider, with an L/D of 10, needs only 1lb of force to maintain flight ... ball-park ... add a bit for the climb and the take-off.

You can rig the release mechanism to a hard-point anywhere in the fuselage ... then lead a trace wire along a tube to the exit point at the tail. Alternatively, rig the release at the tail end. Just make sure that it's reliable.


On my bipe, the towline exits near to the tailwheel, having been fed along a snake' outer. The release mechanism is affixed to an internal bulkhead.

Here's an example.




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k74EqrITs6E[/youtube]

stevegauth30

thanks alot. good to know.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

We do a lot of aero-towing and I can tell you that I politely disagree. You do not want to tow from the tail.

All it takes is for one glider pilot to get out of hand during the launch and the tail goes up on the tow plane, guess where the nose goes.....

There's an article coming out on aero towing in the next Model Aviation that addresses this but the short version is, right behind the trailing edge of the wing would be great. Keep the line over the stab when you take off.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUIGEay0D0w[/youtube]