Timeline for Where must the glider tow line connection be?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2021 at 5:37 | vote | accept | 22flower | ||
| May 11, 2021 at 3:54 | comment | added | Kenn Sebesta | @JohnK, thanks! I am puzzled by your clubmates, TBH. I'll ask at my club if anyone does the same, but I don't think any of our club or private gliders have dual hooks. | |
| May 11, 2021 at 2:51 | comment | added | John K | @KennSebesta I revised my post. @ quiet flyer yeah there are a couple of guys who prefer CG hook for aerotow. They aren't doing it because they think it looks cool. | |
| May 11, 2021 at 1:07 | comment | added | quiet flyer | Re -- "Some pilots in my club prefer to use CG hook for aerotow because they like the glider not being influenced by the pulling on the rope" -- this is the first I've ever heard of such a thing. Disclaimer-- once in a moment of distraction I allowed ground crew to hook the tow rope to the (near) cg hook of a club glider I was flying, that also had a nose hook, for an aerotow flight. The flight was uneventful, and I didn't realize till the glider was being hooked up for the next flight, what had happened. | |
| May 11, 2021 at 0:54 | history | edited | John K | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| May 10, 2021 at 23:32 | comment | added | Kenn Sebesta | The answer says "have hooks near the center of gravity underneath, for better control authority under tow". This is incorrect. The higher performance gliders are designed for the EU market, which is dominated by winches. Thus, the manuf. prefer to avoid the cost, complexity, drag, and weight penalties of having a nose hook which is seldom used. Esp because, AFAIAA, there is no safe case where we can safely winch launch a glider by its nose hook. So if the manuf. has to choose one hook, it is the C.G. hook because it can serve both safely. Instability under aerotow is not a design target. | |
| May 10, 2021 at 17:35 | comment | added | John K | I didn't say it wasn't dangerous. It's obviously dangerous for an inexperienced pilot. But also obviously, you DO have more maneuverability under aerotow, to the extent that there's nothing stopping you from kiting vertically or coming around nearly alongside the tug, if you were crazy enough or couldn't handle. Some pilots in my club prefer to use CG hook for aerotow because they like the glider not being influenced by the pulling on the rope, as if it had its own engine. For the tug driver, these gliders had to be monitored much more carefully. | |
| May 10, 2021 at 16:39 | comment | added | Kenn Sebesta | Downvoting because of the erroneous-- and IMHO dangerous-- claim about CG hooks being used to enhance maneuverability under aerotow. CG hooks are necessary for winch launching, but can be quite the handful when aerotowed. Under aerotow, they have many negative traits: lack of directional stability, lack of pitch stability, and a propensity to back-release when slack develops. I have flown gliders which have both nose and CG hooks, with each hook being used as appropriate for the launching technique. I have flow CG hooks while aerotowed and while it's doable, the downsides are readily felt. | |
| May 9, 2021 at 21:02 | comment | added | Jan Hudec | For aerotow, the nose hook has advantages, but for winch-launched free-flying model it would keep the nose down, so the model wouldn't climb. Hook below and just slightly ahead of CG should be the right solution for that (I did see that on a free-flying model). | |
| May 9, 2021 at 18:42 | comment | added | John K | The tow pilot has to be extra vigilant when launching gliders on CG hooks, and crosswind takeoffs are a challenge. When towing I've had to cut off gliders in the early part of the takeoff because he drifted off and couldn't recover and was still struggling with it as it was pulling the tug's tail around. I haven't flown a glider using a CG hook myself tho. | |
| May 9, 2021 at 14:25 | comment | added | quiet flyer | @JohnK -- a minor quibble/ possible suggestion-- I'd suggest that a CG hook does not in any practical sense offer better handling than a nose hook during aerotow, although yes the responses to yaw and pitch inputs will be somewhat stronger with the CG hook. My answer gives other reasons why some gliders lack a nose hook. | |
| May 9, 2021 at 14:14 | comment | added | 22flower | @John K Yes you were right,glider is imposible to tow even lines are at tips..Glider roll all over the place and crash... | |
| May 9, 2021 at 13:32 | comment | added | 22flower | If I hook at c.g. then I dont need extra force from tail,so glider will fly at lower speeds | |
| May 9, 2021 at 12:41 | history | answered | John K | CC BY-SA 4.0 |