The first $100 tow...

Stewart,
100% concurrence about guys in expensive gliders complaining about
cost of a tow. Especially since a round of golf costs this and isn't
nearly as much fun!

Dean

At 21:42 31 August 2005, Hl Falbaum wrote:
Actually, our numbers are 'block to block' averaged
over time. We usually
leave the mixture full rich, and have a Tost internal
tow rope winch. Land
opposite take off direction, turn around, hook up and
go!


Guenther Jacobs at Parowan has refined his technique
one step past this...the glider is staged on the active
with the second rope hooked to it, pilot strapped in
and ready. The towplane lands facing the glider, taxis
up and drops it rope on the side of the runway, spins
around and is hooked up. Tightens the rope and goes.
Hard to waste time on the ground this way.

Stewart Kissel wrote:
At 21:42 31 August 2005, Hl Falbaum wrote:

Guenther Jacobs at Parowan has refined his technique
one step past this...the glider is staged on the active
with the second rope hooked to it, pilot strapped in
and ready. The towplane lands facing the glider, taxis
up and drops it rope on the side of the runway, spins
around and is hooked up. Tightens the rope and goes.
Hard to waste time on the ground this way.

He used that technique quite a bit during the contest it seems. But
when a group of us flew there a week later, we were a bit more lazy
about it.

Then again, most of us were taking higher tows anyway. Damned smoke and
inversion!

Jeremy

At 21:42 31 August 2005, Hl Falbaum wrote:
Actually, our numbers are 'block to block' averaged
over time. We usually
leave the mixture full rich, and have a Tost internal
tow rope winch. Land
opposite take off direction, turn around, hook up and
go!


Guenther Jacobs at Parowan has refined his technique
one step past this...the glider is staged on the active
with the second rope hooked to it, pilot strapped in
and ready. The towplane lands facing the glider, taxis
up and drops it rope on the side of the runway, spins
around and is hooked up. Tightens the rope and goes.
Hard to waste time on the ground this way.

In my honest opinion the cost of av-gas for tows is really not the
major cost of operation. But for the sake of doing the math, an aero
tow to 3k and return to airport with a 250hp engine might take .25 hr @
12 gph. Let's say this fuel today costs $3.25 per gallon that's about
$9.75 per 15 min aerotow, 2-3 years ago it would have been about $6.00
using the same math and $2.00 per ga gas. Let's say this tow plane
uses 20 gph then we're at $16.25 for a .25 hr 3k tow. On a $60 3k tow
that's about 15-25% cost of operation. Everythig else goes up now
also.

This is simply a pay me now and I'll be around next year. I own a 10
truck ( big Peterbilts & tankers) company I'm today @ 22% fuel
surcharge - 25% tomorow and probably 26-28% buy the end of the month.
We use about 180,000 ga of diesel fuel per year. Pay me now and I'll
be around to help put food on our tables next year.

This does put the hurts to the new pilots learning and the schools
losing the business and adds to our comute costs to the gliderports.
Hope their around next yea I sure want to be doing this for many years
to come.

Insurance says no.

Frank Whiteley
Colorado

Dual tows

Frank Whiteley wrote:
Insurance says no.

For years, each fall our flat land club would move lock stock and barrel
about 200 km into the mountains for a few weeks. Most of the gliders
were relocated using dual tows with one glider on a 200 ft rope and the
other on a 300 footer - one glider would be on the left on high tow, the
other right on low tow. It worked great.

One day, being curious about this, we asked our insurance agent. We were
told that the policy did not specifically forbid this and if there was a
claim resulting from a dual tow, it would probably be paid. However, he
said that it would be highly likely that the policy would not be renewed
the following year. We haven't done a dual tow since. Bummer, man.

Tony V.

You shouldn't have asked :-)


"Tony Verhulst" wrote in message
...
Dual tows

Frank Whiteley wrote:
Insurance says no.

For years, each fall our flat land club would move lock stock and barrel
about 200 km into the mountains for a few weeks. Most of the gliders
were relocated using dual tows with one glider on a 200 ft rope and the
other on a 300 footer - one glider would be on the left on high tow, the
other right on low tow. It worked great.

One day, being curious about this, we asked our insurance agent. We were
told that the policy did not specifically forbid this and if there was a
claim resulting from a dual tow, it would probably be paid. However, he
said that it would be highly likely that the policy would not be renewed
the following year. We haven't done a dual tow since. Bummer, man.

Tony V.

Thank goodness I fly at a place where a 1,500 foot tow is usually more
than enough.

ditto, or a winch launch;^)