Aerotow Regulations and Rope Specifications

thanks for the correction! i'm sure there's a broad range of tow rope inspections going on, but i've honestly never seen the tow *pilot* handle and inspect the rope, only the ground crew

on the hookup side of things, I've had all sorts of different experiences:

everything from the ground crew just grabbing the end rope and giving me hand signals to open/close the release knob

to handing me the glider end of the rope for my inspection, attaching the ring, and giving a glider-moving tug on the rope



On Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 12:42:04 PM UTC-4, kirk.stant wrote:
On Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at 10:59:04 AM UTC-5, Bob Pasker wrote:

The TOW pilot (who probably never sees the rope)?

Bob, whatever makes you think the tow pilot never sees the rope? Aside from the fact that most tow pilots are also glider pilots, it's usually the tow pilot who preflights and attaches the towrope to his towplane at the start of operations, who checks it out during breaks in tows (usually by "snaking" it out behind his towplane), and who winds it up (or coils it) at the end of the day prior to storing it.

Some big operations (and races) may drop ropes and reattach a new one prior to each tow - but those are probably exceptions.

When I'm towing I often end up inspecting the tow rope several times a day - and often find knots and other problems before they become an issue - I consider it part of my job as a tow pilot.

I get the feeling that your experiences with tow pilots has not left you with a very high opinion of the breed... ;^)

Kirk
Pawnee.__________________.LS6