motorgliders as towplanes

On Mar 8, 10:03*am, Brad wrote:
I know this has come up before in RAS. But thought I would bring up
the subject again.

For a club looking at long term projections, which at some point will
include either sticking a "new" engine on a Pawnee or getting rid of
it, does it make sense to start evaluating getting a 2 place
motorglider to serve as a tug and also as a touring/training tool?

Can a MG tug pull a loaded 2 place Blanik on a standard day at SL,
from a 1800' grass strip? Or perhaps such a tug could be used to tow
the members single place ships, and the heavier/ 2-place ships stow
behind the clubs remaining pawnee?

We are blessed with 3 towplanes in our club, there are upcoming
factors that will/are causing us to look at several different
scenarios and am wondering if tossing a MG into the mix might be one
such solution.

Brad

You don't say what type of motorglider you are thinking of (seems even
sustainers count as motorgliders if you believe Soaring Magazine)

But having said that there is not one touring (i.e. non pylon style)
motorglider I can think of that I'd want to tow behind in any
sailplane, well certainly not a two place glider. A Kstana or
something with a big engine might be able to tow a light glider but it
is not going to touch a good Pawnee or simmilar and so what then you
are left with a not great tug and a not very good XC trainer (or XC
anything). But I don't understimate how the appeal of being flexible/
multi-purpose and doing something clever/different might just suck
people in...

As a self-launch motorglider owner in general I tend to think good XC
trainers do *not* have motors. Think Duo Discus or DG-1000S class two
seater. Motorgliders are compelx and expensive to operate and most
have more vices than a modern two-seater, so you are not going to let
newer pilots (the very ones you want to be encouraging to go XC) go
fly them solo etc. And if you only do dual in that glider and send
them solo in an a conventional glider you are sending the XC student/
mentoree a very bad signal.

Motorgliders can be great for some things, inluding orientatiion
flights, etc. but you can also do those in a two place power plane.

Darryl