Mooney

My Feedback: (30)

Does anyone have any experience towing gliders with another plane. I have a Bird Of Time arf glider that I have installed a release unit in the nose. I have a 1/4 scale Cub and intend to make a tow pylon on the top of the wing. Any advise from anyone that may have done this.l

Tomcat_AL200

Also, where can we find info on how to set up towing?

tomfrazier

check out [link=http://www.sailplanes.com/Tips/aerotowing.htm]Aerotowing Information[/link]

Tom

theox

Here's some more:

http://www.scalesoaring.net/tow.html

http://www.soaringissa.org/aerotowsheet2.htm

rscarawa

Snippet from one of the above links:

Sailplanes appropriate for towing
Almost any glider can be towed aloft. I have towed Gentle Ladies, Spirit 100's,Weston Magics, and 2 meter Icare 2 meter ASK-21's. It works. Polyhedral ships should probably be avoided, as they tend to continually correct their attitude on the roll axis making for an almost uncorrectable wallowing on tow. Slowing the tow down helps, but these ships are best launched from a bungee or winch. They are not generally suited to aerotowing. The smaller scale gliders (2meter) are somewhat trickier to tow for a beginner, as everything happens faster.


Does your BOT have Ailerons?

jerry dotson

I have towed a Spirit a lot. Works ok if the tow plane is slow enough. Gets really squirrelly if it goes too fast. I tow with a Kadet senior with ailerons. As said before works best with a HI-Start or winch. I have a winch now. Again you can tear your glider up. Don't ask me.

J3FAN

SUGGESTION do NOT tow a BIRD OF TIME !
don't ask how I know
BUT I KNOW......
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE
the 1/4 Scale Piper is particularly not suited for towing
UNLESS you are extremely , and I mean E.X.T.R.E.M.E.L.Y !!!!!! dextrous with the use of the RUDDER......unless you are using the rudder on your 1/4 scale CUB as the "primary" control
and you mostly control both the ailerons and rudder independently or in unison, as needed,
you will probably destroy the BOT before it goes up 10 feet in the air.
For example : did you know that on T/O the CUB will stall and snap "easily" unless you can stay off the ailerons, mostly ?....without the proper amount of right rudder, the CUB will steer left
if you are too quick with the elevator, the nose will rise too soon, and the plane will pivot to the right. At that moment you "may" catch it but most likely you will overcontrol and produce a stall to the left.
Let's be positive and assume that you have made the CUB take off and the BOT is following behind at the end of around 100' of cable.....
Because this Glider has no ailerons, the nose will begin to HUNT, sideways and up and down, just because w/out ailerons you cannot keep those dihedralled wings LEVEL. Unless the CUB has FLAPS, the minimum speed at which it will sustain flight will far exceed the glider's capability and the oscillations will increase in a geometric progression until the final oscillation will take it over the circle and into a dive in reverse.
All this story is NOT a fiction, it is a true story. The Piper in question has FLAPS and the G-23 for the motor. at 18Lbs it is considered light for its size, and it STILL wasn't slow enough with the Flaps fully deployed. the BOT was totalled.
1/4 CUBS can either be : BUSA - SIG - (old time)BYRON - HANGAR 9 ARF.....none have flaps
Now you have latest PATRICK 1/4 scale super cub WITH flaps. if that is the one you have then your chance of towing is improved, but slightly and with caution.
To close I would like to say " read and heed" and proceed with caution.
I have been there and DONE that.
as a substitute : try a cradle/carrier on TOP of the CUB
try HISTART
try WINCH
Best of luck.............believe me I HATE to bear bad news but I am trying to save you from a bad experience.
POST !

Wayne22

My Feedback: (2)

I have seen a situation described above...the glider whipped around, finally stalled and hung on the end of the tow line like a dead fish.....which pulled the tail of the towplane down, it stalled, and both crashed....

However, a couple of things to note....

The 1/4 scale cub is a very decent tug for scale towing. However, it won't give you the ballistic launches like dedicated tugs do.

At any sign of trouble, the tug pilot pulls the release and lets the glider fend for itself. At worst, only half as many planes crash.....

J3FAN

The 1/4 scale cub is a very decent tug for scale towing. However, it won't give you the ballistic launches like dedicated tugs do.
UNQUOTE......
just WHAT IS :
'''''''BALLISTIC LAUNCHES LIKE DEDICATED TUGS DO""""""""""""""

not criticizing, just CURIOUS ?

Landi

My Feedback: (1)

Hi

We had acidents as described and we found a solution. All u have to do is fly very slow and scale also use a towline of at least 100 feet this will eliminate the propwash.

"Balistic launches"


Well this works as follow. Tahe a 1/4 scale glider and a tug with a at least 80 cc engine on front. With this setup u will be able to tow vertical and get to 1500 feet in less than 60 seconds.


Saludos,

Landi
(http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299913)

hangaround

I've done several hundred tows with a 1/4 BUSA cub and a 1/4 size clipped wing cub, engines from OS 120 to ZDZ 40, gliders ranging from 1.2 meter slopers, to 5 meter scaleships, I can tell you that a 1/4 cub is a very good choice for towing most normal sized gliders. Even with the ZDZ 40 slow speed for Rudder Elevator gliders is not a problem. Check your weight/CG if you can't slow it down.

E.C.

I have had this happening too. The problem, like said before, is too much speed for the glider. This one just couldn't fly at at the speed of a powered plane. Single dehedral, 2m span, 1,5 Kg (quite havy).

Having no ailerons, a multi dihedralled wing or too little weight has little or nothing to do with it.

I never had any problems with my 0,8 Kg 2m Gentle Lady. Towed it behind 22cc gas-powered Big LIfts, 38 cc Piper Cubs, 4cc Little Sticks, 7,5cc Curares, 50cc Extras...... never had any problems.

Also, a big Piper Cub is a great towplane. It can fly very slow and climb fast, just what you need.

Eelco