Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: woodflier(at)aol.com
Dispute the cold gray day- had a greatvisit with Mr. Cuy over the weekendFirst time I've seen the plane in personIt really is a beautiful job!Thanks again Mike for taking the timeAnd all the infoEarl--------Earl BrownI may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where Iintended to be.Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ttachments: http://forums.matronics.com//files/imag ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: Re: Towing Gliders

Original Posted By: "Cuy, Michael D. (GRC-RXD0)[Vantage Partners, LLC]"
Paul, this may have already been covered, but I would think that if glider towing is including in the Operating Limitations, you could legally do it. You may not be able to do it for hire, though. I'm a glider pilot and a tow pilot for our glider club. If the ultralight glider can be towed at speeds of 55-60 mph, a Piet with a 75 or 85 hp engine might be a good towplane. I would hesitate to tow with my 65 hp. Piet unless I was operating out of a long strip with no obstructions. You need good climb performance in a towplane, so more power would be a good thing since that's about all that added power does for a Piet, increase the climb rate. I'd also want the release lever on the towplane end to be easily accessible. If it was on the floor, where many towplanes have them, it would be a struggle to reach it quickly. I'd want a knob on the panel or just below it, very much like the red knob in the center of the panel in the sailplane I fly. If you're going to do a lot of towing, make sure your cooling is a good as you can make it. If you're using a Continental, make sure you have the inter-cylinder baffles installed. A mechanical CHT gauge wouldn't be a bad idea also. Matt Paxton________________________________________________________________________________