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The visibility that the pilot has in the Pawnee is soooo much better than a high wing airplane. I like the fact that I can see in almost a 360 degree radius around me. The rear view mirror works well to see when the rope is taught and you can see the wing runner as well while on the ground. During tow, the glider is in view in the mirror if it is in a normal tow position behind the towplane. If the glider is boxing the wake or doing slack rope maneuvers, the pilot cannot see the glider. The tow pilot can also see when the glider releases.
The Pawnee is definitely a different breed than the C-182. As Larry mentioned in the previous message, we found out just how uneven our grass runway is. Accelerating down the runway, the pilot feels every bump in the runway. Sticking the nose down and keeping it down without having it pop into the air and settle back down on the ground takes some practice. I finally got the feel of it after about my 5th tow while playing with different trim settings for takeoff.
Finally, on my last tow for the day I did a really nice wheel landing, it was a thing of beauty :-). Something I haven’t done since 1986. The key, is trim and power. Trim nose down and fly it onto the ground with a little bit of power. Once the mains are on the ground reduce the power to idle and the tail will settle to the ground. If you want to keep the tail up, push the stick forward and add a little power.
Overall, I think our tow pilots will come to really like towing with the Pawnee and our glider pilots will like towing behind it. It is showing that is accelerates quickly and gets off the ground fast. It has good climb rates, comes down quicker (like Larry said), lands at a slow speed (I use 65mph over the fence w/full flaps) and I never saw the oil temperature get over 190 degrees.
Certain precautions are needed when maneuvering the Pawnee in and out of the hanger. Where and what you can hold while pushing or pulling will be briefed by your towpilot. The wingtips on the Pawnee are made of wood and require extra care when operating around them.
Safe Flying
DonMark. Looks like the weather will keep us from flying today. Rain this morning and low clouds this afternoon and gusty winds.
We’ll try for a weekday operation. Maybe Wednesday.— Don
On Sep 15, 2019, at 06:37, Sky Soaring <webmaster@skysoaring.com> wrote:John and BOD,
I called the Hampshire post office and they are holding the mail during construction or until they can safely deliver it. We can pickup mail every Wednesday and Saturday at the downtown Hampshire post office located at:
196 WASHINGTON AVE
HAMPSHIRE, IL 60140–100P.S. I will stop by there this morning on my way to the gliderport.
Another enhancement to the website has been completed. You will now find a link to the current and up to date Membership Roster on the Member Directory Page. The new roster has been updated to show the CFI-G’s and Tow Pilots along with the address and phone data. You can view it or download a PDF copy. Remember, it is for club use only.
Don Grillo
WebmasterThanks for working on that John. We
also need an additional charger for that radio so we can keep
both radios charged at all times. We have one and it is plugged
into the wall outlet in the pilot lounge. Maybe we can find a
second one on ebay.On a side note. The Lark tail dolly
looks and works great!!!. It was used the other day extensively
and made towing the Lark up and down the field easy. Rubber
padding will have to be added to the upper portion of the dolly
as without it, it is leaving scratches on the fuselage and tail.Don
Sunday is not looking good.
https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/us/il/hampshire/KILHAMPS7
Connor,
Keep an eye on the weather. The
forecast is calling for a chance of scattered showers in the mid
morning hours and mostly cloudy the rest of the day. Here are a
few weather links for you to use. If the weatherman is wrong,
hopefully, we’ll have enough people out for an operation.https://www.aviationweather.gov/progchart/sfc
https://www.aviationweather.gov/fcstdisc
http://skysoaring.com/soaring-links/
Don
home is setup for the weekend. I’ll be here through Monday. The grill is up for cooking anything you want all weekend at any time you like. I brought a supply of dogs brats and burgers. Bring any food you like to share or bring your own steaks. If we run out of food we’ll get more. BYOB.
The feature movie tonight is The Sunship Games. Soaring competition in the 70s featuring some soaring greats of the time.Tomorrow’s movie will be Cloudstreet.— Don
On Aug 30, 2019, at 11:14, Sky Soaring <webmaster@skysoaring.com> wrote:Mark. We’ll be there. At least some of us will. See you at the field.
— Don
On Aug 24, 2019, at 17:16, Sky Soaring <webmaster@skysoaring.com> wrote:
