McLeodAviation

My Feedback: (70)

Hi RCUniverse,

Has anyone ever used a vehicle to pull a RC sailplane to altitude. I think this will work?

Obviously it can't be done at my local RC club flying field. I know of a perfect road for this and has a nice landing area too.

Can't wait to here some comments!

Cloudbound, Mike

CHassan

My Feedback: (13)

I've launched a 2m this way. Only had about 50' of string but it worked. Also only had about 500' or so of driveway to use

seanpcola

My Feedback: (11)

A few years ago I saw an article in one of the usual R/C magazines (can't remember which one) about someone launching a large scale sailplane by car but not the way you are refering to. They had a van and would remove one of the rear wheels and replacing it with a wheel that had a long length of towline spooled onto it. They would lay it out and one person would fly the glider while another ran the engine, regulating the pull by the accelerator. Probably not the safest way to do it and I can readily see some pitfalls but that was in the early days of giant scale gliders and aerotow had not been perfected, let alone towplanes. Of course they do tow full scale that way. You could check out www.SSA.org and search their site. That might give you some ideas on how it is done. I would also check into any insurance issues with AMA.

McLeodAviation

My Feedback: (70)

Hi RCUniverse,

Now that I have put some thought into automobile towing, I think this is a bad idea.

Best to use hi-starts, winches, and motor pods.

Cloudbound, Mike

ghee-grose

Me and my sailplaning brother thought of doing that one time with his Oly 99. Of course we both agreed that sounded like something Jeff Foxworthy would make a joke about....so we didn't try it.

Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Let's see now, I've read here of people wanting to try it with a motorcycle and beer, a jet-ski, by bicycle, rocket, of course another plane . . . and now by car . . . hey how about by horse? Or some other farm animal, a chicken maybe...anyone want to try that?
As you see the car idea wasn't the wackiest one by far. A pick-up would work rather well but you'd need at least three to pull it off with any kind of saftey for you, the truck and driver the plane and the launch man. To get any altitude you'd still need 500'+ of line so you might as well just stay with the high-start and not need anyone else. Why bring something dangerous into our otherwise very safe sport? With a Hi-start about the only danger ya face is you might get zapped in the atenna by a bolt of lighting or fall out of a tree trying to recover an missflown plane. Adding any motor vehicle along with the distraction of everyone involved wondering what the plane's doing is just begging for trouble. Look how many morons crash their cars or run over someone every day trying to use their cell phones while driving. Please reconsider this one.
Rick K

McLeodAviation

My Feedback: (70)

Hi Rick,

Don't worry, I won't be towing my sailplanes with my pickup. Just a crazy idea but is getting some interesting replies.

Cloudbound, Mike

Rick K

My Feedback: (6)

Yeah Mike you are . . . the beer and motorcycle story is true. A guy posted here a couple of months ago saying how he wanted to try towing with his bud's cycle and went on to say how 'smashed' he was from drinking beer all day! I could just see these two trying it out after a few rounds of suds some Saturday afternoon . . .Yikes!!!!! It'd be great to watch and bet on all the possible hillarious/disastrous outcomes tho.
Rick K

Jeff Thompson

I flew full-size sailplanes in the late 80's/early 90's & helped with auto tows one weekend at the Rockmart, GA airport (as small as it sounds.) The runway was 4000 feet, the tow line was 1400 feet and the gliders would release at 1300 feet! We used an old, beat-up Ford sedan with a big-block engine. We had a man next to the glider to signal the launch, a driver, emergency tow release operator & a second spotter in the car (with a hatchet in case everything else failed.)

Takeoffs were dramatic, to say the least. I can only imagine what it looked like inside the cockpit! The car, 1400 feet down the 4000 foot runway, had to accelerate to 60 mph as quickly as possible without breaking the rope, wait until the glider released & then STOP before the end of the runway, all in less than 2600 feet. When the glider reached 'apogee' you could feel it pull up on the rear of the car. We probably stopped about 300 feet before the end of the runway, and a large Ford sedan with three passengers going 60 mph would take about 300 feet to stop, which would mean the glider reached its 1300 foot altitude by the time we had traveled about 2000 feet. That's a pretty steep ascent angle for a plane with a man in it!

VinceC

This is a picture I found on the net of a scooter towing up a half scale Doppelraab. The 'Pilot' is sitting on the back seat facing rearward!!

VinceC

mmm!! well, maybe it will show this time

McLeodAviation

My Feedback: (70)

Great picture! This is certainly testing many skills of the pilot!

Cloudbound, Mike