On Monday, August 27, 2018 at 10:52:43 AM UTC-7, Wyll Surf Air wrote:
On Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 6:15:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Our Club is reworking towing height fees. We are based south of Denver (elevation 7,000' msl). Normal tow heights are to about 9,000-10,000' msl. We have new members who now are asking for tows to 14,000' msl. This is causing up to 45-minute waits for the next tow. Normally, we get about four or five tows per hours, but a high altitude tow drops us to two tows per hour..

How high does your club allow for tows?


Raul Boerner

It depends on the location and the reason for the high tows. In some operations out here in the west a longer tow is required to get into lift on a normal day. Hollister or Santa Ynez for example, I think Williams might be the same way as well but I have not flown out there so I can't comment. I don't think a 7000ft AGL tows are common but I think the 4000ft to 5000ft AGL range is pretty common. If they are towing up into the mountains to get into working lift than it seems acceptable as long as the line for tows isn't to long. On the other hand, if they are just towing that high for a sled ride that seems a bit counterproductive for anyone except a commercial ride operation.

Back in 2001 I was visiting the USA and dropped in at a club near Joliet IL and took a flight with an instructor in a Duo Discus (which I hadn't previously flown, although I had a fair bit of experience in a Janus).

I surprised the heck out of the instructor by releasing in lift at 700 ft AGL!

The thermal turned out to be a bit weaker than I'd expected and it took maybe 10 minutes to get up to 1000 ft, but then it got better and pretty soon we were at 5000 ft and went for a nice cruise around the area.

An instructor on a check ride in a Grob at Omarama in 1994 criticised me for towing straight through a booming thermal at 1500 ft.

Ever since then if I see the vario get pegged on tow [1] I start counting and if I get past ten then as soon as the tug flies out of the lift and drops away below me I pull the pin and turn hard back once I see the rope gone. It saves money, but the only downside is you don't get to practice your slack rope recovery technique :-) :-)

[1] except in a PW5. The vario is always pegged on tow in a PW5 behind a Pawnee.