Did you know...

[davidsinn]

That you can tow a CAP Blanik Glider 4.5 hours cross country? INWG sent ours to Oshkosh. Sounds cheaper than trailering especially because the tow bird(172P) needed to go anyway.

[Al Sayre]

Why not?  Worked at Anzio and again in Normandy...

[davidsinn]

Why not?  Worked at Anzio and again in Normandy...

I kind of figured that our safety nazis weenies Officers and/or the FAR would have prohibited it. That's why I'm surprised it happened.

[cap801]

The Silent Wings Museum, which is built for the gliders in WWII, is in nearby Lubbock, and I've visited it a couple of times for Boy Scouts.  Very interesting stuff.

Speaking of gliders and Indiana, where is the nearest unit to South Bend that has an airplane, and what's the time requirement to be a CAP tow pilot?  I'm going to college there in the fall and I have absolutely no idea what sort of flying opportunities I'll have.  The squadrons part of the Indiana Wing website requires a username and password---definitely not cool to someone who isn't in Indiana Wing.

[davidsinn]

The nearest aircraft is basically in Gary(can't say where: OPSEC.) The glider is based down near Indy. If you are going to be here I suggest that you email the webmaster and request a login.

[SarDragon]

They air towed the two gliders in to GLR-N last week. I watched one leave Saturday after PIR. (Or maybe it was Friday; it was all a blur by then.)

[rightstuffpilot]

What does your groundspeed slow to for a trip like that?

[Frenchie]

What does your groundspeed slow to for a trip like that?

I would think you'd want to keep the glider at about 70 kts airspeed nominally, so it may be irrelevant even if the tow plane could do better.

4.5 hours is just about the longest leg I'd want to fly without a tow.  I can't imagine going that long with one.  It would be more stressful on the glider pilot I would imagine.

[Eclipse]

The more I think about this, the more I think it is a bad idea.

My guess is that doing this puts the flight at the edge of the ORM scale, and were there to be an accident, it would be hard to justify the activity.

At 4.5 hours you're going to have a plane coming in on fumes, with a pilot on "full". 

Also, If weather or an in-flight emergency becomes an issue, you now have two aircraft to worry about (plus a big rope on the one).

This is the kind of "seemed like a good idea at the time" kind of stuff that causes IG's to be much too busy.

[Flying Pig]

If everyone stays straight and level it wouldnt be to bad.  Flying  glider on tow really isnt to big of a deal.  If an inflight emergency occurs, its no different than if you were on a regular to to altitude, you just release.  Weather?  Flight planning. If the weather gets sketchy, turn around.

[SarDragon]

I talked to one of the pilots, and he said that it was pretty taxing because he couldn't ever let go of the stick. It would get into an unsafe situation quickly. With two cabin occupants, it's better, since they can trade off.

[IceNine]

I was worn out in less than an hour between the tow, and the glide time.  I can't imagine fighting the extra forces involved with the tow for that long.  I agree with Eclipse with the disclaimer that I am not a flight guy.  This seems too much for anyone to handle even if you can hand off. 

I am hearing "hey watch this" and seeing duct tape about now