Towpilot Appreciation. Was: Variometers for tugs.

Ever think of the service the towpilots are providing for you? In my club, we are short of towpilots. Anyone that is qualified and can safely operate the towplane is appreciated. If they go through lift on the way up, you are above pattern altitude, and can make it back if you loose the thermal, what are you waiting for? Get off! It is far easier to center a thermal than to find it and then center it. And you can make your towpilot's day if you help him make a circuit in less than 5 minutes. They have contests among themselves, too, you know. If they don't go through lift, we are soaring pilots, right? We find thermals all the time, right?

Where would we be without towpilots? Lift finders or not, we need them. Some of us, more than others. My main sailplane (Zuni II) will not auto tow well at all. It's towhook (nose only) will automatically release if the rope pull is more than about 20 degrees below horizontal. Know of any Tost instl's with that kind of safety feature? Thank you, George, for helping protect the tuggies!

And Thank You to all the towpilots who have given me a lift!

Here, here. Add my thanks to yours. My club is very fortunate that over one fourth of the members are qualified tow pilots. Most of these guys are ATPs and/or ex-military with more unrecorded time than I'll probably accumulate in my entire flying life.

I've heard radio calls from these guys suggesting to me (low time pilot) that we're approaching a good release point. In my first year of flying I can only remember one relight when others were staying up and that was very early in solo student days. I've also heard the 'do you remember when' type stories about very high-timers (on both ends of the rope) thermaling on tow.

This entire thread has once again made me how fortunate we are in my club. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Your club is never any better than its members.

Steve the other