A Cross-Country Glider AeroTow

One way to move a glider from one airport to another one when you don't have a trailer is to fly it there. Since you can't always count on lift to do a soaring flight there, especially in a Canadian November, the easiest way to get it there is to tow it behind the towplane the whole way.

The Air Cadets in Canada do the same with their 2-33's.

For 2 seat gliders, it's best to have two pilots. One will do the takeoff and the other will plan and do the landing. If it is a long flight, they will trade controls to relieve each other along the way.

Normally in Canada we do a high tow behind the towplane, but for a cross-country flight we drop through the slipstream behind the towplane into a low tow position. That way if we get picked up by turbulence we still have sight of the towplane and can easily recover. We are not likely to get into a position that can do a towplane upset.

Flying in the low tow position, as well as descending on tow, is covered in training in Canada, so we all should have had some experience doing this.

It's possible to tow two gliders this way. One glider will have a shorter towrope and fly in the high tow position, and the second will have a longer rope and fly in the low tow position, where they will have a good view of both aircraft above them. When releasing, the glider in the high tow position will release first. Do you know why? Leave a comment in you know.