On Wednesday, October 19, 2016 at 9:13:11 AM UTC-4, Waveguru wrote:
So the question remains unanswered. Why not use longer ropes for added safety? The shorter the rope, the harder the tow.

I was happy to have a longish towrope when the right landing gear of a Pawnee collapsed at 30 knots and prop strike. (Just enough time and space to avert collision.)

The other day I saw a CG hook launched glider go out of position and pull the tug's tail sideways. A longish rope made this recoverable.