Pawnee Tow Release

Originally Posted by Bob Youngblood

On Monday, August 5, 2019 at 1:16:45 AM UTC-4, Bob Youngblood wrote:
I am currently rebuilding another Pawnee and converting from a spray plane to a tow plane. Extensive work has been completed on this bird, and I am about ready to install the tow hook. This is the third Pawnee that I have converted and I have used the hopper dump handle as the tow release handle which provides a huge amount of leverage and also a easy to get to location. I most cases the tow handle release is located on the floor, which causes the pilot to reach down to get to the handle. In this case the hopper release handle is just to the left side of the pilot and requires no bending down and allows the pilot to keep their eye on flying the plane. It requires just a bit of modification to make this conversion and in my case the inspector was impressed with the application.
If any of you are considering converting a Pawnee you should consider this modification.
Kirk, that is in fact a very nice system. Take yours off the Pawnee and send it to me. Times are tough and I am running low on cash, thinking about calling JJ Wentworth for a small advance. Bob

Bob, the system on your Yellow Gorilla should be the standard throughout the towing world. Everyone agrees the handle down, parallel to the floor is difficult to access in an emergency and unsafe. The Schweizer tow hook standardly installed is equally unsafe. While there is no way to make towing completely safe for the tow pilot, at too low an altitude a kiting glider is a death sentence and there is no justifiable reason for any facility to continue with a release system proven to fail when it needs to work the most. Just my humble opinion.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now happily flying helicopters.