Michael Howard <<mickhoward100>>
writes:

Those of us who attend aerotow events such as Cross Country
Clinics and Competitions love what we do. Organizers, hang glider pilots, tow
pilots, mentors, event hosts and the many volunteers form a community bonded by
our common goal of helping each other to fly safe, have fun, achieve personal
bests and enjoy the company of likeminded people.  These reoccurring events
bring people together reuniting distant friends and continues to develop and
strengthen our community each year.

Aerotow events are particularly special because it takes an entire team or
community to make it work, however we are all sensitive to the rising costs
making aerotow events increasingly more expensive for pilots to attend, so we
wanted to explain what it takes to operate and transport Dragonfly Tow Plane.

If only we could attract sponsors similar to commercial sports such as motor
cross racing etc. who attract sponsorship to cover part or all of the costs. Even if we could get sponsorship for transporting tugs or accommodation etc. it
would go a long way towards lowering the expenses and making events more
affordable to participants.

The Aircraft

Tow planes are very specialized as they are designed for slow flight which
makes them less desirable for general aviation/recreational use because most
pilots want faster cruise speeds to fly cross country, so while there are a few
exceptions, many tow plane owners mostly use their aircraft specifically for
towing hang gliders. Since these planes are specialized they are also very
expensive. The current price for a new Dragonfly from
Pitman Air that is allowed to be used for towing is $53,452.80 plus $400.00
for the tow kit plus $400.00 for paint plus sales taxes. However there are a
number of older tow planes in service that were grandfathered in to the FAA
Light Sport rules in 2007, but those aircraft rarely appear on the market and
because they are rare they hold their value, either way tow plane owners have a
significant investment in their aircraft.

Maintenance and Condition Inspections

Tow planes are subjected to high frequency of take-offs and landings and are
typically flown in much more challenging conditions (cross winds, thermal cycles
etc.) compared to aircraft used for recreational purposes. This creates higher
than normal stress and wear and tear to the airframe and undercarriage etc. Tow
plane engines are run at full power for the take off and entire duration of the
tow, which imposes higher than normal operating stress on the engine. Once the
glider releases the tow line, the plane is descended rapidly to fetch the next
hang glider. This means the engine is run at full power and then dropped to
idle during the descent, therefore rapidly cooling the engine and causing
significant and rapid temperature cycles which ultimately reducing engine life. 

There’s extensive scheduled/routine maintenance required for the entire aircraft
including replacing life limited parts, such as spark plugs, carburetor parts,
fuel lines, hoses, fuel pump, cables, tires, brakes etc. plus the engine has a
TBO (Time Between Overhaul) set at 300 hours which includes replacing the
crankshaft and pistons etc. This means removing the engine and removing
exhaust, radiator etc. and shipping he engine to a Rotax Repair facility and
reinstalling the engine after rebuild.

The total cost is typically around $3500. Some aircraft owners carry a spare
engine which is around $5500 without the gearbox and without electric starter
kit etc. and not including sales tax and shipping.

Unscheduled maintenance may include a seized engine, damaged gearbox, failed
stator or something less serious such as corroded exhaust or stone damaged
propeller, the point is that maintenance costs vary and can be very significant.

In addition to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, Tow planes require an
annual condition inspection and 100 hour condition inspection, whichever comes
first, which is only performed by persons holding an FAA Aircraft Mechanic
(A&P/AI Mechanic – Airframe and Power-plant Mechanic with Inspector certificate)
or FAA LSRM (Light Sport Repairman Maintenance) certificate.

Annual/100 Hour Condition Inspections costs start around $400 depending on the
service provider, location, complexity of the aircraft and work needed which
also depends on the condition and quality of records (logbook entries) and
condition of the aircraft – more time spent, more cost.

Hangar Rent/Ownership/Maintenance/Utilities/Pilots

Towing hang gliders in Light Sport Aircraft such as a Trike or Dragonfly
requires a FAA Private Pilot Certificate and an FAA Medical, plus FAA biannual
flight reviews with an instructor to maintain the flying privileges. Obtaining
a private pilot certificate today from scratch start around $6750 plus travel
and accommodation. Example cost of courses are
Freeway Aviation,
Kingsky Flight Academy and
AFIT which meets the minimum allowed flight time to qualify for a private
pilot certificate, but does not include additional time and training that may be
required. Also note that in order to tow hang gliders, the a pilot must have
100 hours PIC (Pilot in Command) time in the category of aircraft used for
towing, which adds additional time and cost to meet this FAA requirement. The
biannual medical is $100 to $150 and the flight review is around $200- $300
depending on the FAA instructor/examiner excluding the cost of the aircraft
which is yet another expense.

Aircraft have to be protected from the elements to prevent damage from wind and
rain which means renting or owning hangar space. The cost of hangar rental is
very dependent on the area and type of hangar and facilities. Hangars in rural
locations are much cheaper than populated areas but hangar space can be from
around $80 to $600 per month. Typically utility costs, property taxes and
hangar maintenance are included in the rent but these expenses should be
considered for privately owned hangars.

Transporting Tow Planes

Unless a sufficient number of tow planes are available at a competition
event location those planes and pilots have to be transported from around the
country. 

A trailer for transporting a dragonfly needs to be 8’ tall to avoid having to
dissemble the tail section of the plane. Most standard trailers are 6’6” so
this means buying a special trailer, or disassembling more parts from the
aircraft, and also equipping the trailer with wing supports and tie downs etc. A cargo trailer recently bought for a Dragonfly was over $8600.00, plus the cost
of installing wing supports, additional tie downs and annual license and
maintenance, plus wear and tear.

Disassembling a Dragonfly and loading it in a trailer is at least two person
task and it takes a lot of time. Preparing a trailer for a road trip is
typically at least two days work depending on the amount of ancillary equipment,
spares and help.  The wings have to be removed and we typically remove the
propeller and the engine (includes disconnecting the wiring), plus remove the
tow mast and disconnect support wires and fold and secure the horizontal
stabilizer to the upright position.

The trailer is also loaded with spares, fuel cans, tow lines and launch
carts and tools etc. and the cost of these items is not insignificant. Depending on space, launch carts are disassembled for transporting, which again
takes valuable time.

Hauling a tall cargo trailer means poor gas mileage which can be as low as 5 mpg
leading to multiple fuel stops. This means several nights in motels to reach a
distant destination, e.g. to travel from Central Florida to Northwest Texas, the
cost of motels and meals must be considered.

There’s also wear and tear on the vehicle (we had a transmission rebuilt for
$3600) and trailer and a risk of damaging the planes during disassembly,
loading, transporting and assembly.

At the destination the cargo trailer is unloaded and equipment and planes
assembled, which must be completed at least one day prior to the practice day –
again, the is at least a two person task.

This entire process must be repeated to return the aircraft to the home base so
the total cost above is doubled. Note that I have only counted 1 day for
disassembling the tow plane and loading the trailer but realistically it can
take almost a week of preparation especially when adding some pre-trip
maintenance.

For situations where two planes are transported in the same trailer we need
another tow pilot often from out of state which means travel (airfare, airport
drop-off and pick-up etc.) plus tow pilots need motels for the duration of the
competition and of course compensation for their services.

Meet organizers aim to have 1 tow plane for every 10 hang glider pilots, and
base the tow fees on the costs of the planes such as expenses
disassembling/assembling planes, transporting planes and tow pilots, motels and
meals for tow pilots, gas and 2-cycle oil for tow planes, the use of the planes
and al the tow equipment such as launch carts and tow lines etc.

Using the Big Spring Texas Competitions as an example, $1584 X 2 = $3168

The tow fee posted for the 2019 Big Spring Nationals is $600.00.

600 X 10 = $6000

600 X 10 = $6000 – 3168 = $2832 to compensate tow pilots, tow pilot travel
expenses, aircraft owners, gas and oil, tow equipment, motels and meals etc. and
to cover the costs of maintenance and annual inspections etc…

So how do we managed to operate? Just like the other volunteers such as the
launch crew, a lot of the work is done for zero or very little financial
compensation. We do it for the love of the sport and for each other. Moreover
we help each other as much as we can such as helping each other with maintenance
and inspections, those who have the knowledge, skills or ratings donate their
time to someone in need. We help each other with disassembling aircraft and
loading trailers or repairing stuff.

We hope this summary explains the typical tow plane operating costs and work
involved in supporting competition events. Tow operators and pilots couldn’t do
this without the help and support of others, thank you for that.