I have enjoyed reading a lot of the comments in this thread...
As a Silver C / NPPL I am interested in getting the tug pilot thingy written on my PPL(A) when I upgrade...
Biggest problem is logistical! My 100kg body mass makes a K13 fall(?) into the non aerobatic category, so the more demanding exercises are a no-no.
Current practice is doubly hard to attain if you are one of but two club winch drivers, the whole Tweedledum/Tweedledee scenario threatens.
One snag about being aware of the best bits of sky to use when climbing in tandem, is simply that someone else may have got there first... and I wouldn't guarantee seeing another glider until it was quite close! He might not see me either, under the nose.... or tail.
Rules... high speed goalposts are making aviation quite hard to follow.
Some gliding CFI's have been authorising tug pilots for many years... but they are no longer able to do so under new rules.
So, I have to get a glider pilot licence, at least 100 hours P1 for insurance purposes, and taildragger time for the Pawnee.
My first solo flight 40 years ago was on a Rollason Condor, no flaps, G-ATAU
It was simpler then....
By the way, I worked at Lasham in 1998 as a winch driver/groundsman, and the sheer size of the place and number of members (800) made for a rather impersonal feeling, nobody spoke to me until I got fed up and wore my Silver C on my overalls.... lots of nice people there, but all strangers!!