C-172 as tow plane?

Under discussion at the club is selling the Cub and using a C-172 as a tow plane. Does anyone have experience with this? Good, bad, ugly?

Thanks,

Search before type... a lot of info already out there.

Stock works OK at low density altitudes with light gliders. 180hp do better with a little hotter and heavier but you'll probably be wishing for more with a draggy two seater. Nice thing is anyone can fly them.

On Saturday, April 20, 2013 3:21:35 PM UTC-5, Tony wrote:
Stock works OK at low density altitudes with light gliders. 180hp do better with a little hotter and heavier but you'll probably be wishing for more with a draggy two seater. Nice thing is anyone can fly them.

I've towed with 180hp 172 and a 180hp A150L. I much prefer the A150L. I wouldn't even consider a 172 with less than 180hp as the 180hp one I towed with was barely adequate.

Owned a share of a C-175 (same airframe as 172), with 180 hp engine, droop tips, stol kit. It is a mediocre tug.

Was in a club that had a C-172, with 150 hp, climb prop. Not a good towplane.

When you hash out all the factors, it always comes down to three good choices for tugs:

Pawnee,
Pawnee,
Pawnee.

On Saturday, April 20, 2013 7:08:12 PM UTC-5, WB wrote:
Owned a share of a C-175 (same airframe as 172), with 180 hp engine, droop tips, stol kit. It is a mediocre tug.



Was in a club that had a C-172, with 150 hp, climb prop. Not a good towplane.



When you hash out all the factors, it always comes down to three good choices for tugs:



Pawnee,

Pawnee,

Pawnee.

a "good" towplane is one defined by me as one that will a)climb sufficiently given atmospheric conditions and glider attached and b)has an available towpilot

my friends who between them own a stock 172, apis, and russia, sure enjoy their stock 172 as they tow at low DA's with light gliders and if it wasn't for that 172 they would have to drive at least an hour or possibly more to the next closest towplane. now THAT's a "good" towplane, one at the closest airport to where you live instead of the club field 1.5 hrs away.

My other friend with a Salto, 1/2 a std. Cirrus, and a 180hp 172 has checked out his boss (they work at the airport) to tow. Nice to be able to get a tow over the lunch hour and take the afternoon off thats another very "Good" towplane.

What's a bad towplane? one that won't safely climb with a given glider/weather combination OR one that isn't where you are or one that is sitting because no one is qualified to fly it. Pawnee requires a tailwheel endorsement and probably has higher insurance requriements. Cessna pilots are a dime a dozen. I can't count how many soaring days I missed in my old club because no tailwheel qualified pilots were available to fly our Super Cub, while the FBO was full of pilots and had 4 C-172's parked out front. Oh how I wished one of those had a towhook!!!

On Saturday, April 20, 2013 8:08:12 PM UTC-4, WB wrote:
Owned a share of a C-175 (same airframe as 172), with 180 hp engine, droop tips, stol kit. It is a mediocre tug.



Was in a club that had a C-172, with 150 hp, climb prop. Not a good towplane.



When you hash out all the factors, it always comes down to three good choices for tugs:



Pawnee,

Pawnee,

Pawnee.

Add the Cessna AgWagon to the list. It is a Pawnee on steroids and has 300+HP - if you can't get air-born behind it, it wasn't meant to fly! ;-)

On Saturday, April 20, 2013 9:08:55 PM UTC-6, wrote:
On Saturday, April 20, 2013 8:08:12 PM UTC-4, WB wrote:

Owned a share of a C-175 (same airframe as 172), with 180 hp engine, droop tips, stol kit. It is a mediocre tug.







Was in a club that had a C-172, with 150 hp, climb prop. Not a good towplane.







When you hash out all the factors, it always comes down to three good choices for tugs:







Pawnee,



Pawnee,



Pawnee.



Add the Cessna AgWagon to the list. It is a Pawnee on steroids and has 300+HP - if you can't get air-born behind it, it wasn't meant to fly! ;-)

Add the Pawnee PA-36 "New Brave" 400HP. Tows like a rocket but can consume a significant fraction of an airport's AVGAS supply in a weekend. http://www.airliners.net/aircraft-da...ts.main?id=400

Add the Zlin Turbo Cmelak. Scariest tow I ever had with constant 8 m/s
climb rate. Went up like a rocket.

Used to tow in a C-172, 150hp, both regular and climb prop. This was in Georgia and North Carolina, hot humid days. Everything from Open Cirrus, Blanik, 1-26, 2-33, Libelle. No heavy 2-seat glass.

The regular 172 was OK for single seat. Not spectacular but not scary and you quickly learned to find a thermal and use it until the glider pilot got the hint and released.

Towing a loaded 2-33 on a hot afternoon was marginal to dangerous.

Modified with a climb prop made towing the two-seaters a little more comfortable. Still had to optimize the climb with judicious thermalling, but it wasn't scary anymore.

Now the problem was that you hit redline RPM at about 95 knots, so going crosscountry in the climb-prop equipped 172 became a bit of a chore!

But if it's all you have available, it's better than nothing.

Kirk
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