It was an aerotow, as mentioned in the title, but not clearly (OK, not at all) in the body of the text.
"Into the wind" - yes, actually into the crosswind component to reduce how far you travel from the runway.
180 degrees - only takes you parallel to the runway you just took off from - still need to get over the runway and straighten for a downwind landing.
It made perfect sense to me when I wrote it...
Terry