Originally Posted by stercus-accidit
If you wanted to build up hours for a CPL I couldn't think of a bigger waste to time, it's hardly the type of flying you are going to need to be proficient at, either during or after professional flight training.
I'll never be a professional pilot. My day job is too lucrative for me to pitch it and take the pay cut. I will likely earn the USA commercial rating, after I finish up my instrument. Someday I hope to graduate from the glider club 'taking advangage' of me by letting me tow, and move up to letting the local museum 'take advange' of me to fly their stearman, ect on rides. Though I will stick by the glider club, there is no better proficiency flying than towing IMHO.
I have found my towing experience to be a big benefit as I work toward the instrument rating. Instrument flying is a lot different. But what I bring to the cockpit with my 700 hours, about 300 of that with a rope on the back, is a sureness in my ability to handle the aircraft.
As I've been working through the challenge of interpreting and cross-checking the instruments, the part of flying the aircraft to put it where it needs to be is easy. Super-easy when it's smooth, well within my abilities when it's ugly and windy. And the landing is always the easiest part, I stopped logging landings a long time ago.
One of my buddies just left his day job, is now flying charters in a recip twin and a turbine single. He started towing with less hours than I did, he racked up a lot of hours in the pawnee/cub, which in turn opened the doors to him at the local museum, and now flying for a living. Most instructors can size you up by the time the wheels leave the ground, the rest of the checkout is to confirm their first impression. You can bet that when my buddy had the check flight with the people he is flying for now, there was no doubt that he could fly the airplane. That is what towing did for him.
But I'm not going to be a professional pilot. Why do I do it? To quote Owen Money, "cos it's FUN."
-- IFMU