First glider tow
 

I hope to post a link to the video of my glider being towed. Awesome!!!! Each tow got better. I think the video will be of the first one. Neither the tup pilot of the glider pilot had ever done this. A learning experience for both. Using a senior telemaster for the tug and a Fox glider with ailerons. Rock solid on the take off.

RE: First glider tow
 

I thought it was all flat where you live, Irish. I mean, usually, gliders are flown off of cliffs.. that way, if you lose it, you can't go looking for it.. :D [X(] oops..

Seriously, looks like you started into a new realm of RC flying.

CGr.

RE: First glider tow
 

It is flat and all corn fields. Hopefully the person that was doing the video will send it to me.

RE: First glider tow
 

I used to fly gliders in MI. and at the right time of year / day you can get some really nice flights. If you read much about gliders you will also see a lot of the pkains states mentioned as great places to fly. ENJOY !!! RED

RE: First glider tow
 

My first build was a glider so I am definitely interested in this and a word of advice to the new guys.

Don't have your buddy throw your glider at a 45* angle as your first flight. [:@]

RE: First glider tow
 

It was a lot of fun watching the glider follow the tug.  Very little input on the controls while it was being towed. The release worked great on both the tug and the glider.  After the glider released, the tug came over the field and dropped the tow line.

RE: First glider tow
 

Aerotow is a blast!!! :D :D

I was checked out last year on a 3m KR6 glider pulled by a Pegasus tug. Just keep the wings level and the glider basically flies itself behind the tug. Great way to catch thermals and get some hour long flights. I'm hoping to order an Aerosente 3.3m Hall Cherokee kit later this summer to build for next year.

Irish, you need to build up a 3m - 5m glider and head to Wichita for the annual aerotow event one of the guys in the area has. Lots of guys come up from as far away as Texas, and the private field the event is held at is one of the best fields you can ever fly from.

Hogflyer

RE: First glider tow
 

One of our club members converted a trainer to a glider tow plane, only he puts the plane on a mount on top of the tow plane, something like what they do with the Space Shuttle when transporting it from coast to coast. It looks pretty cool.

He has a rig set up with a servo that when he operates one of the switches on his transmitte, it operates the servo, which I believe is a landing gear servo, to release the plane. He takes off, climbs up to altitude then goes into a mile climb, releases and dives at the same time. The glider keeps going up as the tow plane goes down. Cool operation.

CGr.

RE: First glider tow
 

Hogflyer

Do they provide the tug? We have two. A senior telemaster with a 120 4 stroke and a Sweet and Low Stick with a 55 gas. We are going to try a double tow in a couple of weeks. Bummer I have to go to a family outing in Missouri. Keep the wife happy. She does most of the covering for me.

RE: First glider tow
 

A couple of our older club members have done that before. They have never towed.

RE: First glider tow
 

Just in passing we have several interested parties with gliders and no tow release. We were able to tow these by using self adhesive Velcro. We put one side of the Velcro on the underside of the fuselage near the nose and used a smaller strip of the opposite Velcro on the tow line. Separation is easy the tow pilot asks if the glider pilot is ready then on the count of three the tug reduces throttle and commences a descending left turn while the glider pilot makes a level right turn. The Velcro peals apart and the tow is complete. On the tow line use just enough Velcro to stay connected under tow but small enough to peal away when necessary. This is a good method for beginners as well as the tow will part easily if things go wrong.

Dennis

RE: First glider tow
 

I can tow or carry gliders with the same cradle mounted on the top wing of my Lazy Ace. The Lazy Ace is an ideal tow plane for small to medium gliders. The largest so far has been a 3 meter glider on the cradle. The cradle comes off when not in use and the same release can be used for a tow line providing a safety incase the glider and towline will not disconnect. The cradle is the easiest as it requires nothing for input from the glider until release. Slow the Lazy Ace to just above stall then release and the tug drops out from under while the glider floats off straight and level. The cradle provides enough drag I can come straight down with engine at idle without exceeding max airspeed usually to level off and land at my feet. I close the release and unplug the release servo, drop another glider on and stretch the retaining straps in place and I am back in the air with the second glider in about 30 seconds. In this way I have launched 5 gliders before having to refuel not having to restart the engine makes things very quick.

Dennis

RE: First glider tow
 

Here's a Go-Pro video we did with my Hangar 9 big Pawnee and my friends KA8 glider.

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