Civil Air Patrol Ends Glider Program

ahw01 said:
They fly the GippsAero (being phased out) the Beaver and the Maule, so I guess they wanna be an all Cessna outfit…
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Yeah, the GA8 does not make sense for what they do, nor does the Beaver (though it's cool) - the Maule maybe? I'm not sure what they're rocking, maybe an M5? But even then, finding tailwheel qualified guys to drive them around and do more bushy stuff seems... like it wouldn't be reasonable.

All Cessna fleet is probably a good idea to be perfectly honest with you.
 
ppragman said:
Yeah, the GA8 does not make sense for what they do, nor does the Beaver (though it's cool) - the Maule maybe? I'm not sure what they're rocking, maybe an M5? But even then, finding tailwheel qualified guys to drive them around and do more bushy stuff seems... like it wouldn't be reasonable.

All Cessna fleet is probably a good idea to be perfectly honest with you.
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I have towed gliders in Cessna's and tailwheels, I strongly prefer doing it in a taildragger. I've towed CAP cadets before, and CAP is probably better off finding glider clubs to do tows for them. The clubs just have more expertise, since they are doing it more.

The biggest reason for using a taildragger is prop clearance. The glider is in the air well before the towplane is, and whatever that glider does moves the towplane. If it gets too high on tow when the tug is still on the ground, I really don't want a prop strike. Way less likely with a taildragger. Aerotow from turf is fairly common, and taildraggers are just better suited to the grass.

All around, the Pawnee is the best airplane to use for glider tows. Gains altitude faster, which builds in a lot more safety margin for the tow pilot. Better climb rate also means better efficiency - more tows per hour. And it takes some effort to ground loop the Pawnee (it has been done, but not common).
 
Would think can use a ground launch system for glider tow. One of the dirt runways out here at the nearby glider field has one of these.
 
MikeD said:
Would think can use a ground launch system for glider tow. One of the dirt runways out here at the nearby glider field has one of these.
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Way more common in Europe to do winch launches. There are pros and cons. The winch launch can't get as much altitude as aerotow, so the odds of the flight being a "sled ride" without finding lift to keep the glider aloft are much higher. Glider operations in the US tend to be from regular airports, where there are already facilities for powered airplanes to do the tows. The winches also take more labor to operate, so they are a bit more practical at glider clubs in Europe where the field is pretty much dedicated to glider operations anyway.

Aerotow lets the tow pilot put the glider in lift when it releases, which is preferred. In the US, there generally is no shortage of power pilots that can do the towing. And the operating costs of a towplane are much lower.
 
ppragman said:
That's hilarious, I didn't know Noem was a CAP cadet.

I was a CAP Cadet for like 5 years? I kind of out grew it around the age of 17.
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I don't know if she was a cadet but there's a thing called Legislative Squadron where Legislators become Lt Cols due to the fact that "they support CAP" But rarely do you see any of those State elected officials attend meetings regularly or really participate in the organization......there's a RARE few but overall, it's a feel good thing and the rank of Lt Col is somewhat in line with the Commemorative Air Force, but ya don't have to have 10K in pocket....so to speak....
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Way more common in Europe to do winch launches. There are pros and cons. The winch launch can't get as much altitude as aerotow, so the odds of the flight being a "sled ride" without finding lift to keep the glider aloft are much higher. Glider operations in the US tend to be from regular airports, where there are already facilities for powered airplanes to do the tows. The winches also take more labor to operate, so they are a bit more practical at glider clubs in Europe where the field is pretty much dedicated to glider operations anyway.

Aerotow lets the tow pilot put the glider in lift when it releases, which is preferred. In the US, there generally is no shortage of power pilots that can do the towing. And the operating costs of a towplane are much lower.
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The place with the winch here is a glider port, they have a tow plane, but also have a winch-launch runway. Interesting to see in operation.
 
MikeD said:
The place with the winch here is a glider port, they have a tow plane, but also have a winch-launch runway. Interesting to see in operation.
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I've never had the chance to do a winch launch myself, but that will probably happen this year. Not easy to find in the US, if you get the chance to do one, you should!
 
MikeD said:
I might have to, just to experience it. There are pilots out there who do these seriously long soaring cross country flights, actually quite interesting to see.
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My longest ever, I never went more than 3 miles from the airport. Only landed when I needed the bathroom.
 
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