Ronald,
as others have noted, Tiger Moths (and Chipmunks and Austers) were used
fairly extensively in earlier times in the gliding movement in Australia,
however gliders were generally lighter wing loading and slower in those days
too.
A quick look at the aircraft register shows:
Callair 2
Cessna 150 2
Cessna 182 3
Husky 1
Super Cub 2
Pawnee 31
Owned by Australian gliding clubs (probably not a complete list and maybe
not used as tugs either. I have also seen a Wilga and a Rallye here in SA
with hooks, both privately owned so there would be other potential
towplanes).
The popularity of the Pawnee and lack of Tigermoths must indicate something!
The 150s are at Boonah and Kingaroy, you could call them to find out more.
Second part to your question:
How long is a piece of string?
While more horse power is generally better, thats not the full story. The
towplane should be matched to the gliders they are towing and that depends
on things like the towplane speed for best rate of climb etc.
I occasionally fly a Hutter 17 which has a max aerotow speed of 60kts. About
60kts is as slow as some Pawnees can safely go. While this is an extreme
example, you can see how interesting this situation could be. Similarly some
comparatively low powered ultralights (and motor gliders) are beginning to
be successfully used as towplanes for lighter and mid range gliders but it
would be a big ask for them to launch a fully ballasted open class or two
seater. In reality there doesn't appear to be a single towplane which is
good for ALL gliders, some sort of compromise must be reached.
There was an article in the US Soaring magazine comparing different
towplanes many years ago and I think I have seen a more recent, but limited,
comparison on the internet.
And finally if you are thinking "cheap" you may have to be a bit careful.
Tigermoths (for instance), being vintage aircraft are not particularly cheap
to buy and spares cost and availability are affected by their age.
Some aeroplanes (eg Pawnees) are available at a comparatively low up front
cost but their running costs can be a bit of a shock (eg Pawnee, approx 70
litres/hour fuel consumption when towing and $2500 for a new fuel shut off
valve, if required).
Regards
SWK
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, 26 March 2004 13:01
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Aus-soaring] Aero-tow question(s)
G'Day,
To anyones knowledge, (both here in Australia, and overseas) has anyone ever
used a Cessna 150 or TigerMoth for Towing?
(These are very low power acft and available very cheaply)...
This then leads on to the question, if an aircraft is able to be fitted with
a hook, how does one work out the engine power requirement? Is it a hit and
miss affair? Or is there a calculation that can be done?
Cheers-
Ron.
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