TOW PLANE Accident

On 3/12/2019 7:55 PM, AS wrote:

I'd love to be further educated by those more knowledgeable than I
regarding tow-position-methodology taught in Germany and France, AND
someone's 'reasonably-knowledgeable-thanks-to-longer-term-interest in
such safety data' take on Germsny's/France's aerotow fatality histories.

snip...

I can't provide any 'aerotow fatality history data' but the tow position we
were taught in Germany was 'keep the wheels of the tow-plane on the
horizon'. I towed behind a Taylorcraft Auster, Pa-18, Morane Ralley,
Remoquer DR400, etc. and it always worked well for me - and the tow pilot.
The tow ropes were always 60+m.

Thanks for the feedback!

Since this thread seems 'to have natural drift' (kinda like some glider pilots
when towing!), indulge another anecdotal input.

'Somewhen along the line' I towed in a lightish glider behind a significantly
more powerful/new-type-to-me tug. The sight picture minorly flummoxed me for a
bit, to the point where I had time to ponder 'the weird intermittent
vibration' I'd not before noticed in the ship. It was the wake, of course, a
fact I proved to myself by 'vertically messing about with it' by way of
establishing 'that tug's proper sight picture.'

The (one) time (on a BFR) I messed about with 'below the wake' towing, it was
immediately obvious when one's sight picture 'needed vertical refinement' from
the empennage entering the wake as one 'drifted too high.' Too low, and
'visual alarm' and a crick in one's neck were obvious telltales!

Bob W.

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