Tug Pilots

[captainbirdseye]

I have a PPL and am looking for sponsorship in the meantime I would like to become a tug pilot for a gliding club . I think I can do this as most clubs dont pay tug pilots. Any one have any ideas how many hours/ what experience clubs would noramlly want to let you lose towing their gliders? I have done quite a lot of gliding and am solo - just not a member of a club at the moment.

Cheers

Only the best crew pass the birds eye!

[yellowperil]

Birdseye,

I think it varies from club to club, and how many tugs they operate. Lasham claim all their tug pilots have at least a silver c, while at Portmoak where I fly, they're (nearly) all instructors.

I get the impression tug pilots tend to be club members; therefore glider pilots with PPL's rather than PPL people who fly gliders (if that makes any sense...!?!)

That is not to say some places don't hire tug pilots, but if they do (especially if they pay them) it's usually at the beginning of the season... not that we've had much of one this year with FMD etc... You may have missed the boat there though

Perhaps get yourself along to your local club/ clubs and ask them. I'm sure that if you mentioned you wanted to do more gliding as well as build hours this would go down well.

Alternatively, have you tried www.gliderpilot.net (http://www.gliderpilot.net) ? the uras forum is for UK gliding, and this might yeild results. Sailplane and Gliding magazine also has classified adverts and sits. vac.

Hope that helps,

yp

[Dude~]

Be aware that many tug planes are taildraggers so unless you have tail time, many operators won;t be interested, unless you buy some time on their plane beforehand to practise tail landings. Just a thought.

[aidybennett]

CaptainBirdsEye
Most clubs want their tuggies to have at least a bronze in gliding .
Most season tuggie positions will have been filled long ago for this season.
Could be worth asking round-some club may have lost their tuggie to an airline or giving them the boot and they may need someone. Its good fun, but hard work when the weather's good. Great experience as long as you keep your brain engaged-a keep your hand near that release-someone WILL try to kill you sooner or later! :)

[Autofly]

If your a tug pilot on a PPL can you get paid for it??? How do you get round the PPL regulations on not making money from your flying??? I assume you don't have to pay for the aircraft yet you will get credited hours on your licence. :confused:

[rob_frost]

Hmm The current main tug pilot at the London Gliding club in Dunstable ( pretty big ) has very little glider experience.
Saying that , aside from him, there are about 20 other members that have the qualifications to fly tugs, so they proably aren't looking, but you never know.

You need some knowledge of gliding so you don't tow the glider into a crap area with loads of sink, plus up need to maintant a fairly fixed rate of climb and speed.

Hope this helps

rob

[wysiwyg]

Booker GC seem to take summer season tuggies each year with little or no gliding experience.