To Pawnee or not to Pawnee...that is the question...

On 16 Oct, 13:54, Martin Gregorie wrote:
Dan G wrote:
Why is it only old Pawnee vs. new Husky? Are there not used efficient
180hp tugs available in the US?

I was up at Milfield with my Libelle a week ago, where they run three
tow planes: 150 Pawnee, 180 Supercub, 235 Pawnee. I couldn't see much
difference between the Supercub and the 235 Pawnee but the 150 Pawnee
had a much slower climb rate than either of the others: more like my
club's 160hp Rallye.

It's actually a 160hp Pawnee - it was uprated a few years back.
Although there have been 150bhp - 180bhp conversion in the US, 160bhp
(it's a helicopter engine) was as far as the CAA would allow without a
complete new set of stress calculations.

When the wee Pawnee arrived it had a four blade prop and a good
silencer: amazingly silent but couldn't pull the skin off a rice
pudding. I remember circling overhead in weak wave for some time
before landing once, waiting for it to get a Bocian off. Three
circuits of the airfield, got to 350', gave up.

Ian