Socata Rallye 235C - towing operation experiences

Hello!

I have a certain experience of this beast in France, and, to add to
what has been told already, I would say that this is a relatively
complex airplane from a manufacturing standpoint, and this adds to the
maintenance costs.
As a towplane, it is quite a good performer, especially with Nimbus 4,
ASH-25 and the like, and not far from a 235 Pawnee, but with the
capability to cruise a lot faster, and to carry four persons, which
may be useful.
If you use the standard tricycle gear version, beware of the propeller
which stands very close to the ground, especially with a tired forward
shock absorber. In my club where the ground is very rocky (Vinon in
France) we have damaged at least three Hartzell propellers this way...
If you can seize the opportunity to get one of the unfortunately
ultra-rare classic gear A/C, this problem will disappear, as the
propeller is a good 12 inches higher from the ground! The other
advantage of the classic gear A/C is obviously the disappearance of
the shimmy problem, and also that it is very easy to fly and land, as
the ship is quite tail-heavy, so it is almost impossible to nose over.

JV Masset


On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:41:42 +0100, Artur Rutkowski
wrote:

Hi,

Is here anybody who has experience with Socata Rally 235 as tow-plane?
Have you been flying this plane as tow-plane or being towed behind? What
are pros and cons? How does this plane look in comparison to competitors
like Pawnee, Maule, Husky, Wilga, Robin and so on.
I'll appreciate any relevant information because my airclub is
considering purchase of such a plane and we don't want to "miss"

Artur