[celstar]

Has any one towed a sailplane, glider with there RV?

 

[FrankK90989]

thats a no no

 

[penguin]

Van put a tow release on the first RV-9, so I guess he did some towing with it? In more recent pictures it seems to have gone so I suppose it didn't work out. I have done a lot of towing, and I'm not sure that an RV would make a good tow plane. I think there would be significant engine cooling problems unless the cowl inlets were made much larger than stock. Bear in mind that on tow you would be flying around 65 or 70kt, where as (my) normal climb speed is 110kt. Sure the stall speed is low enough, and the visibility is good, but would the light weight also make it hard work? I'd stick with a Super Cub/ Husky or Pawnee.

Pete

 

[Mike S]

I saw another cool use for a tow hook recently, a friends Aronica without an electrical system.

He just ties the tail down to the hook, starts the engine, climbs in and releases the hook.

Pretty smart these pilot types.

 

[Frank Smidler]

Why not?

Why would it be a no-no? I tow with a Cessna 150/150 and I would have to believe a RV-6/7 with a 0360 would do as well. Of course you would have to develop a tow hook attachment.

 

[DavidBurton]

Van put a tow release on the first RV-9, so I guess he did some towing with it? In more recent pictures it seems to have gone so I suppose it didn't work out. Pete

Van puts a tow hook on all the new models for spin testing. It allows the test pilot to deploy a small chute to recover control if the plane enters a flat spin. The chute is attached to the tow hook and is jetisoned after recovery is made.

Dave

 

[deene]

Most experimental ops limitations prohib towing...

 

[N941WR]

Why would it be a no-no? I tow with a Cessna 150/150 and I would have to believe a RV-6/7 with a 0360 would do as well. Of course you would have to develop a tow hook attachment.

Yes, it has been done but that was in Germany.

Towing with Experimentals in the US is not allowed. Check the FARS for details.

 

[flybill7]

Glider Towing

An RV is way, way too fast for towing. Most of your tow planes are SuperCubs, Scouts, etc. All the tow planes I've experienced tow between 60-70 mph. I've only flown the older steel tube-fabric gliders though. The state-of-the-art glass ships probably could be towed faster.

 

[Steve Sampson]

The back end might just fall off!

Cooling issues aside, the RV in my opinion (and I have done no stress analysis) is much too lightly built to last long as a tug. I have spent a lot of time on both ends of the rope, and while in still air two competent people put little more than 20 lbs force into the rope once the compination is airborne, real world towing is very different. Gliders out of position, and rough air can cause huge jolts. That is why there is a weak link in the rope which I think is usually set around 1000lbs. (It is a while since I looked at that, I might be a bit on the high side.) I think you would soon find yourself with a distorted back end if you were lucky, or otherwise minus a back end. A modern glider with water ballast can easily be heavier than its tow plane.

 

[RV6_flyer]

Why would it be a no-no? I tow with a Cessna 150/150 and I would have to believe a RV-6/7 with a 0360 would do as well. Of course you would have to develop a tow hook attachment.

Operating Limitations are part of the Special Airworthiness Certificate (FAA Form 8130-7). FAA Order 8130.2F change 3 section 153 (starts on page 161) says "(20) This aircraft must not be used for glider towing, banner towing, or intentional parachute jumping." on page 164. The DAR CANNOT remove any of these limitations but can add more limitations to them.

 

[n5lp]

...(20) This aircraft must not be used for glider towing, banner towing, or intentional parachute jumping." on page 164. The DAR CANNOT remove any of these limitations but can add more limitations to them.

To emphasize what Gary says, I have had a couple of experimental licensed gliders, with no engine at all, that have that exact same limitation. You mean I can't tow a glider with my non-powered glider? Who would have thunk it?

Anyway, I think any RV, with the possible exception of a 9 with cooling mods would be a really lousy towplane. Extended full power operation at 55 to 70 knots is too far out of the the design range.