Picking a tow plane?

[LRFitch]

Over the last few years, there have been many tow planes built on this forum. There have been Decathalons, Payload 100, 1/3 scale Pawnees, Carbon Cubs, and of course the Pilatus, regular and turbo, and currently the Bidule, is a couple sizes. Any chance some owners of these airplanes might be able to list, rate, and discuss these and others as to which makes a GOOD tow plane now that they have been used for a season or more?
I currently have a Pegasus, powered by a 3W-157 engine. It is tough, powerful, flies very well, and can tow nearly anything. It isn't very pretty,very boxy, and clearly not scale. Please help me understand what the other options are.

​Larry Fitch

[JimD]

Larry,

To give a simple answer, it pretty much comes down to the size of the fuselage. I come to this conclusion after building and flying many tow planes from small to large and non-scale to scale. Scale planes have much larger fuselages than non-scale models. Look at the Pegasus and Bidule compared to the Pawnee and Decathlon.

My general experience is that larger models fly better, especially in the case of scale models.

All fly best in calm air.

Where the big differences come into play is with strong wind and especially so with cross wind landings.

The Decathlons do not like cross wind landings and are especially unstable in turbulent air. On the other hand, they are big, bold, and beautiful and tow extremely well in calm air or light breezes right down the runway.

The Porter kind of doesn't count at this point since it is no longer available, but it proved to be probably the best all around tow plane. Good speed envelope for both slow draggy sailplanes and fast slippery sailplanes. Good windy weather performance. Scale looks, but really not often used as a tow plane full-scale.

The Pawnee does particularly well in windy conditions, but is not the best for towing big, fast, slippery sailplanes. Given a larger engine, 120cc vs 100cc, and keeping the overall weight as light as possible seem to help a lot.

The Cubs are my favorite in terms of looks. So far, I have not owned a Cub tow plane, but the ones I have seen in action impressed me.

The Bidule seems to be the best tow plane currently available...down side is that it is not scale.

I have ideas for a better scale tow plane and there are plans in the works...more on that later. 😉

[lenb]

Hi Larry.

My views are pretty much in line with Jim's with a few exceptions.

Scale Planes,

The Porter was a great tow plane!!! You could put just about any power combination in the nose and it would tow beautifully. Unfortunately, its no longer an option.
The Aeroworks Carbon Cub was also a very good tow plane, for that matter, its a very good plane in general. Powerful, scale, GREAT flight characteristics and lands like a dream. The downside is its expensive and the gear is a bit fragile. Of course if you land easy its not a problem. ( just try to do 150 landings in a weekend and not get one bummer )

Decathlons are good. The H-9 fly's well, hates the wind and requires some mods to get perfect for towing. The Hempel Decathlons are a better choice for long term durability.
Pawnees are just cool.. Albeit real draggy. Power it with a 120 and it will pull pretty well. ( I have a 100cc on mine and its OK )

Non-Scale Planes.
In my opinion the Bidule is the best tow plane out of all of them, unfortunately its not scale, but it does resemble an Aircoup!
Having 85 hrs on the Bidule in since The middle of July, I can tell you its predictable, stable, and the best for windy or calm conditions. Due to the dual rudders it handles the wind perfectly and will yaw instead of roll. The nose wheel allows the pilot to relax a bit after each touchdown, not fighting the tail wheel. Over the course of a long day that really helps out. Available in 170, 111 and 55 cc versions.

Miss Tractor, good flying tug, 85cc version will tow pretty large planes due to the low drag design..

Another excellent tug is the Payload Master from AMR. Its a KIT built plane and flies fantastic. The landings are a blast.


Having flown Porters, Decathlons, Pawnee's, Peg's, Cub's and quite a few others, I would fly any of the above again without hesitation but prefer the Bidule's.

You need to break it down to choices.
What do you wand for motor size, span and what do you want to pull?


LEN

[lenb]

A few more photo's

[Joel]

For years I flew tow using a Frisch 1/4 scale Wilga with a 3w 60i. It was a fun plane to fly and towed well. I always preferred at least semi scale to play with.

Joel

[Bongose]

I fly the VQ-Pichler Pilatus Porter 2,75m Patrouille Suisse but since it is my first tow plane I am not able to compare. In my opinion it tows great and handles rough condition without a problem. The 2 large shock absorbers do their job very good. AUW 8kg powered by 10s. Love the looks!

[JimD]

My Tow Planes from 2009 to 2015:

2009 Hobby Lobby Telemaster 40 standard kit with 4-stroke OS .52 glow engine (background)

2013 Hobby Lobby Telemaster 40 Deluxe Kit with BL-60 motor on 6s (foreground)



2011 TopModel 2M Porter with 4-stroke OS .91 glow engine



2011 Hobby Lobby Telemaster Electro with Rimfire .80 motor on 6s



2010 TopModel 3.3M Porter #1 with DA-85 gas engine (background)

2012 TopModel 3.3M Porter #2 with DA-85 gas engine (foreground)



2013 Hangar 9 36% Super Decathlon with DA-120 gas engine



2014 TopModel 3.3M Porter #3 with DA-120 gas engine



2014 Hangar 9 36% Super Decathlon with DA-120 gas engine

[kd4jaz]

Over the last few years, there have been many tow planes built on this forum. There have been Decathalons, Payload 100, 1/3 scale Pawnees, Carbon Cubs, and of course the Pilatus, regular and turbo, and currently the Bidule, is a couple sizes. Any chance some owners of these airplanes might be able to list, rate, and discuss these and others as to which makes a GOOD tow plane now that they have been used for a season or more?
I currently have a Pegasus, powered by a 3W-157 engine. It is tough, powerful, flies very well, and can tow nearly anything. It isn't very pretty,very boxy, and clearly not scale. Please help me understand what the other options are.

​Larry Fitch

I've flown my 33% Pawnee going on 4 yrs and love it. It's powered by a DLE 111cc swinging a 27x10 carbon fiber prop. Heaviest sailplane to date was 57 lbs. Routinely tow 6M Ventus' that weigh around 26 lbs with no issues. Very pleased, but wish I could build it as a kit, several things that I would do differently from a structural perspective.

[Stevenson]

good heavens, so many tow planes. awesome.

[Valiant Aerotowing]

Hangar 9 Valiant

http://www.hangar-9.com/Products/Def...ProdID=HAN5060




SPECS FROM THE HORIZON SITE

Wingspan: 108.3 in (275 cm) Overall Length: 78.2 in (199 cm) Wing Area: 1663.0 sq. in. (107.3 sq. dm.) Flying Weight: 16.5 - 17.5 lb ( 7.48 - 7.94 kg)

[lenb]

Fix a couple things and added link.

How do you like the plane? Haven't seen one towing yet although it looks like a great platform

Len

[Valiant Aerotowing]

Thanks Len, As far as a Tug, You wont find a better one in its size. I routinely tow anything from a ParkZone KA-6 to 6.7m glass ships. Even towed Dan's 50% Hemple KA-6 once, but not very high....lol. Ive flown the BH 40% Decathalon, H9 Pawnee and various others. The Valiant is the best behaved and easiest flying Tug (and towing) Ive ever flown in my 35 yrs in this hobby.
And if I could fing the guys at H9 that designed this plane I would give them a big ol hug. The Valiant is the best behaved plane and encompasses everything Ive ever wanted in a STOL Bushplane / Towplane combo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAkAFr1CiI8

[stevekremer]

Nice video. What engine are you using in the Valiant?

Steve K

[Valiant Aerotowing]

Hi Steve, Im using the DLE-40 twin turning a Zoar WW2 20x8 prop at 7500rpm.

[Charlesd]

Hi Bongose,

Hows the VQ Pilatus Porter holding up? Servos are in mine and I'm working on installing the power plant.