Anyone want to tow and build time?

Thanks for posting this. I've looked into the club and I want to start towing. I'm building TW hours now.
 
yetti said:
So say there is someone that would want to do this and is based pretty close by. Would someone with the soaring club be willing to train on the tail wheel endorsement?
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Don't know the answer to that, but will check.
 
If you search for how many Glider fatalities there have been in the last few years around Houston, you'd start thinking otherwise.

I wanted to work on a Glider Rating, but after hearing some horror stories from the two major facilitators of training, I decided otherwise.
 
FlyingIsGood said:
If you search for how many Glider fatalities there have been in the last few years around Houston, you'd start thinking otherwise.

I wanted to work on a Glider Rating, but after hearing some horror stories from the two major facilitators of training, I decided otherwise.
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Interesting. Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

I know about the 2012 GHSA accident - absolutely terrible and a lot of lessons to be learned from that one. Also know about a fatal in 2014 of a privately owned ship.
 
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I looked on the NTSB website but did not see the findings on the glider crash that killed three.

What I found is a news page clearly showing the tail dolly was still attached and is credited with being a possible cause. Also, the three year old had no individual seat which is a no-no according to guidelines.

Very tragic and the pilot had time. How could this have happened?

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...n-glider-crash-that-killed-3-near-3643035.php
 
txflyer said:
I looked on the NTSB website but did not see the findings on the glider crash that killed three.



What I found is a news page clearly showing the tail dolly was still attached and is credited with being a possible cause. Also, the three year old had no individual seat which is a no-no according to guidelines.



Very tragic and the pilot had time. How could this have happened?



http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...n-glider-crash-that-killed-3-near-3643035.php
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It was totally stupid and a waste of life. The tail dolly was the cause of 3 lost lives. Tragic. I am not a member of that club, wasn't there, so anything I could say would be purely a guess. It is still talked about at my club and the ground crews brief the joint responsibility for launch safety every day we fly.
 
Nsconductor said:
It was totally stupid and a waste of life. The tail dolly was the cause of 3 lost lives. Tragic. I am not a member of that club, wasn't there, so anything I could say would be purely a guess. It is still talked about at my club and the ground crews brief the joint responsibility for launch safety every day we fly.
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Flying is totally unforgiving of gross mistakes.

I'll call ahead and fly in one day when it cools down.

I went out to my hangar today and it was so hot that when I went inside I just checked everything, and went home. ;)
 
The tail dolly did not cause the accident. Gliders fly just fine with tail dolly on. It's everyone's panic and how the pilot handles it. Landing may get a little squirrelly with a free castoring wheel.

That accident was doomed from the start. The glider was not built for 3. Can you imagine a toddlers foot jamming the stick full forward while sitting in moma's lap? Those little legs are strong.
 
BillTIZ said:
The tail dolly did not cause the accident. Gliders fly just fine with tail dolly on. It's everyone's panic and how the pilot handles it. Landing may get a little squirrelly with a free castoring wheel.



That accident was doomed from the start. The glider was not built for 3. Can you imagine a toddlers foot jamming the stick full forward while sitting in moma's lap? Those little legs are strong.
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I'm new at this but it seems to me anything that brings the CG way aft of design might be an issue. And I would wager that a dolly that far aft had the CG way out of limits. Don't disagree at all of the stupidity of a lap baby in a 2 seat glider. As I said, I wasn't there and didn't witness anything.
 
txflyer said:
Flying is totally unforgiving of gross mistakes.



I'll call ahead and fly in one day when it cools down.



I went out to my hangar today and it was so hot that when I went inside I just checked everything, and went home. ;)
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I flew a couple of Hours this morning, and it was toasty.
 
you can fly a grob with the dolly on. Our experience was that the dolly will hang on until over a lake
 
SkyDog58 said:
And here I thought that the magnetic nature of water only worked on golf balls.
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You obviously have never worked on a boat.:rofl: Water does not have magnetic force, it is a concentrated gravitational attraction that will suck in anything that comes within 6" of the rail.:lol:
 
Henning said:
You obviously have never worked on a boat.:rofl: Water does not have magnetic force, it is a concentrated gravitational attraction that will suck in anything that comes within 6" of the rail.:lol:
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Watches are very susceptible to this...:yes:
 
The crash picture indicates the tail dolly was strapped on so it wasn't coming off.

The report says the glider immediately nosed over after release so I tend to agree with the earlier post that maybe the flight controls were compromised by the unrestrained toddler.

Logically, if the C.G. were aft, it would pitch up immediately and sort of 'falling leaf' to the ground in a tail first attitude. :dunno:
 
Jeez, a lot of nasty replies over $159 in annual fees.

That being said, the $180 "initiation fee" is a bit much.
 
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3393RP said:
Jeez, a lot of nasty replies over $159 in annual fees.

That being said, the $180 "initiation fee" is a bit much.
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They do the same thing in Briggs, Texas and I think up here at the glider place south of Dallas so it seems fairly standard.


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It looks to me that you get to fly the club's aircraft for free other than the membership fees?

Sounds cheaper than rental for a non-owner who wants to fly.
 
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I don't like the idea of donating my time and paying for it so a glider can get into the air which is why I didn't join in Briggs. Down in Boerne it was considered that the tow pilots were doing a favor to the glider guys by essentially volunteering their time for free to be available to launch gliders when needed. I think that's why some guys are offended. It's essentially a subsidy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nsconductor said:
I'm new at this but it seems to me anything that brings the CG way aft of design might be an issue. And I would wager that a dolly that far aft had the CG way out of limits. Don't disagree at all of the stupidity of a lap baby in a 2 seat glider. As I said, I wasn't there and didn't witness anything.
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Run the numbers, especially on most 2seat gliders, even single seat, the CG does not move aft beyound what is needed for reasonable control.

Watched a Janus C launch with the dolly, they flew a normal pattern and landed with the dolly.
 
BillTIZ said:
Run the numbers, especially on most 2seat gliders, even single seat, the CG does not move aft beyound what is needed for reasonable control.



Watched a Janus C launch with the dolly, they flew a normal pattern and landed with the dolly.
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Looks like the CG was within limits, even with the Dolly. NTSB probable cause was a coronary event. Now, let's thread creep into the medical discussion.

http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/GeneratePDF.aspx?id=CEN12FA378&rpt=fi
 
My wife and I went out there to visit yesterday but got there after most of the flying was done. Seems like a great group and would be a fun way to fly. I've got lots of flight time but only 1 hour of tailwheel. Can you recommend somewhere to get my tailwheel endorsement and build the time that'd be relevant for a single-seat Pawnee? I know some tailwheels are docile and some are not!
 
fire11 said:
My wife and I went out there to visit yesterday but got there after most of the flying was done. Seems like a great group and would be a fun way to fly. I've got lots of flight time but only 1 hour of tailwheel. Can you recommend somewhere to get my tailwheel endorsement and build the time that'd be relevant for a single-seat Pawnee? I know some tailwheels are docile and some are not!
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Pawnee is not bad, compared to a C-188 it's docile, basically it's a low wing Super Cub, most with more horsepower. Getting instruction in a Citabria is fine, just watch throttling up too fast in the higher horsepower Pawnees as it can swing you beyond what the rudder can control until you get some speed up.
 
Definitely going to fly in soon and check it out.

See if I catch the soaring flu again. :drool:
 
My take on the $180 fee is to prevent guys/gals (interesting I know as many gals towing as I do guys) from coming and getting trained for towing and then never be available for towing, they wan't people that are willing to make some committment to it. If they decide never to fly, they at least covered their costs of training them.

Brian
 
I don't see a whole lot wrong with the deal. My experience with my glider club is that tow pilots must be club and SSA members (insurance requirements), and pay dues like everyone else in the club.
 
fire11 said:
My wife and I went out there to visit yesterday but got there after most of the flying was done. Seems like a great group and would be a fun way to fly. I've got lots of flight time but only 1 hour of tailwheel. Can you recommend somewhere to get my tailwheel endorsement and build the time that'd be relevant for a single-seat Pawnee? I know some tailwheels are docile and some are not!
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Just sent you a PM.

Texas Taildraggers in Arcola, Tx.
 
Sugarland also does tailwheel training. I don't fit into their plane though....
 
brcase said:
My take on the $180 fee is to prevent guys/gals (interesting I know as many gals towing as I do guys) from coming and getting trained for towing and then never be available for towing, they wan't people that are willing to make some committment to it. If they decide never to fly, they at least covered their costs of training them.

Brian
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Sounds like "Pay for Training"......




jimson said:
It looks to me that you get to fly the club's aircraft for free other than the membership fees?

Sounds cheaper than rental for a non-owner who wants to fly.
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Correct me if I am wrong, but you don't actually get to "fly the club's aircraft for free" anywhere but DIRECTLY back to the runway as quickly as possible.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Sounds like "Pay for Training"......






Correct me if I am wrong, but you don't actually get to "fly the club's aircraft for free" anywhere but DIRECTLY back to the runway as quickly as possible.
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Well, doesn't everyone "pay for training"? Is there anyone left outside the military that doesn't pay for their training to the point a few hundred hours in when they can get their first flying job? These people are paying enough to qualify to build time to get that job.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
It's still relatively free (or cheap) flight time.
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But you don't get to take the club's planes and go flying.

You are performing a task, using tools provided by others, on a schedule set by others, under the direction of others.

If we had an employment attorney on board, that may provide the litmus test for an employee relationship, requiring pay, workman's comp, etc...... There may be minimum wage laws in effect.....


Who knows....
 
Henning said:
Well, doesn't everyone "pay for training"? Is there anyone left outside the military that doesn't pay for their training to the point a few hundred hours in when they can get their first flying job? These people are paying enough to qualify to build time to get that job.
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Yes, but how many threads are there with "pay for training/time/hours" schemes are "frowned upon" and the applicants resume would be tossed by hiring managers?
 
JoseCuervo said:
Yes, but how many threads are there with "pay for training/time/hours" schemes are "frowned upon" and the applicants resume would be tossed by hiring managers?
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That references more the now defunct Gulfstream Airlines (now Silver) and other such regional carrier programs. In those regards, I know several guys that went the ComAir route (Delta's PFT commuter) who are currently flying for majors.
 
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