The ideal towplane?

On Monday, October 29, 2012 12:15:03 PM UTC-5, Nick Olson wrote:
At 12:53 29 October 2012, Nick Olson wrote: http://www.airteamimages.com/piper-p...te_130280.html i.e. 2 seat pawnee with certified 230hp diesel engine - is this the ideal tow plane?

Unless it's got a good air-conditioning system it will be hell to fly on a hot blue day! I like bubble canopies, but at least make it a sliding one so the towpilot can get some fresh air on the way down and can talk to someone on the ground without opening a big heavy bubble. Or just make it an open cockpit, like a P-26! That would be totally cool!

And two seats? Really? For a Pawnee? I guess it would be useful for aero retrieves when you take along a wing runner, but otherwise, a Pawnee is really not that difficult to fly... Seems like the extra weight of the second seat, controls, and instruments would be a waste most of the time.

Kirk
66
Happy Pawnee Pilot