Tow Pilot qualifications

In New Zealand the local Civil Aviation requires a minimum PPL and 200 hours PIC (100 aeroplane 100 anything else - gliders, microlights etc). Before you can get a tow rating.

We think it is *&^^$% rediculous and want to get it put back to where it was (100 PIC).

What are the minimum legal requiremments in your Country?

Just a thort - when nothing else will do 'the Baldman'

In the US:

FAR 61.69

a) No person may act as pilot in command for towing a glider unless that person: (1) Holds at least a private pilot certificate with a category rating for powered aircraft; (2) Has logged at least 100 hours of pilot-in-command time in the aircraft category, class, and type, if required, that the pilot is using to tow a glider;

<<<portions of FAR 61.69 snipped>>>

In the UK there is no 'tow rating', so the minimum is a PPL. Clubs and insurance companies usually set their own requirements though.

While these are the minimum USA requirements, I have found towing to be the most unnerving and dangerous flying in my career (incluing radar low levels in the mountains at 500' AGL). The glider pilots at the other end have a bad habit of trying to kill the tow pilots, especially the student glider pilots. As a CFIG, I am constantly advising my glider students about staying in the proper position. I don't want them killing me when I am towing.

Do you really want a pilot with so little experience in a towplane?

IIRC, insurance minimum was about 50hrs P1. That was 1980. Any different now in the UK?

Frank Whiteley

Insurance companies decide this rather than the FARs. Our policy says 500hrs SEL and if a tail-dragger is used, then 100hrs tail-dragger time.

Our club's insurance company set a minimum of 25 hours towing before you can tow! This meant we could only accept new tow pilots who learnt at other clubs. We negotiated with the insurers and came up with the following:- Minimum 100 hours (P1 + P2) power. 5 hours solo circuits on tow plane. Planned training program of new tow pilot with tug master, of one named pilot at a time. Restricted towing until 25 hours towing complete. Our club also requires that the tow pilot is currently solo in gliders.

... and I have long been of the opinion that a Silver C should go into the requirements for a tug rating. I get a certain comfort knowing that the driver up front has some inkling of what's going on at the other end of the rope!

I agree with Paul wholeheartedly. While towing is not difficult when everything is right, things can go to hell in a handbasket real quick.

In my opinion, towing is not a way to build time early on. Later with more experience under your belt it is great, but not at 100hrs.

My first response to 'wanna be' tuggies is 'are you COMPLETELY comfortable flying the aircraft at the very limits of the envelope?' If not, don't even think about it, especially in an underpowered tug. If a two seat tug is available, several circuits with greatly reduced power to simulate performance with a glider attached to let them get a good view of the tree tops with a few rudder stomps and elevator jabs to simulate the glider can be a good weeding tool. Not that we want to run them off, but better to let them see what it is like than to have them end up in a smoldering hole in the ground. Save those for bin Laden! I want a tug driver that will stick with it when things get a little crazy, but one that has the experience to know when to 'feed the rope' Being fed the rope at 50 to 100 feet because the tug hit a little gust or the trees looked a little bigger than normal is not acceptable. Only experience will help you make those decisions correctly. I have watched our Pawnee drag a G103 with full spoilers to altitude without the giving the glider a rudder signal. The tug driver's reasoning was that he knew the glider pilot was a student and figured that if he did signal, the student might missunderstand the signal and release and end up in the trees. He knew the tug and knew it could continue the climb, so he took him up until he released. The glider pilot figured it out and made it home safely. That is the kind of tug driver I want pulling me.

I can't remember anyone with 100 to 200 hours PIC that I have flown with as a power CFI that I would feel comfortable turning loose in a tug. Maybe at 500 hr PIC, but even then they would be the exception rather than the rule.

The insurer for our Citabria requires for non-commercial towing 750hr total time/100hr make&model/150hr tailwheel and wants 50 to 75hr per year in make/model. For commercial they want a Commercial or ATP, 1000+ hr total/100hr make&model/250 tailwheel and again lots of current flying. Bottom line is they REALLY don't want to insure it, but will with STRICT qualifications. Each of our tow pilots must fill out a lengthy pilot history form that is reviewed individually, and be named on the policy. No exceptions! This particular group has been towing with the same aircraft for about 4 years with ZERO accidents/incidents and still the high requirements. By the way, the underwriter who reviews us is a rated glider pilot!

I also agree that if at all possible, the tuggie should also be a glider pilot so as to have an understanding of what happens on the other end of the rope. Being dragged downwind with no response to tail tugging or constantly turning back and forth with 45 degree banks 'looking for lift' with a student flying the glider is enough to drive any CFIG crazy.

Sorry for the long response/soap box, but we need to keep our sport safe.

Cheers- Deputy Dog

In Finland:

At least PPL (SEP) and GPL When a PPL holder wants to fly GPL validation, minimum is 10 flights / 2 hours.

Tow pilot must have total experience of 150 hrs, of which at least 100 hrs in powered aircraft. Max 30 hrs of previous can be flown in TMG's (one can calculate 50% of logged time in TMG). Remaining 50 hrs can be glider time.

Tow pilot validation requires 20 tows of which at least 5 must be flown with instructor. Tail-dragger or not is not any kind of issue for insurance companies. Clubs are just not giving their valuable towplanes to anyone.

BTW, towplanes can be experimental as well. Two of my clubs use PIK-tugplanes (PIK-15 and PIK-23) http://www.tky.hut.fi/~pik/lekot/pik-koneet-frames.html

Jouni Laukkanen FI (GPL, MGPL) PPL(A) SEP, TOW

,snip> Guess I wouldn't qualify then (only 400 hours of which 300 are towing

I wish people wouldn't use hours as a measure of ability! Surviving regular A to B trips for 500 hours, say spread over 25 years is NOT a better subject to a 25 year old with 150 hours PIC who has just finished a 6 month training course and loves areobatics (chose aerobatics to show someone who understands the limits of his/her airplane).

By the way our club with 2 tow planes has had ZERO towplane accidents in over 20 years and until a couple of years back we have had plenty of 100PIC types.

Maybe our training and SOP's are better?

Just a thort - when nothing else will do 'the Baldman'