DG Flugzeugbau GmbH
Flight manual DG-500M
4.5.3 Launch
Due to the towhook position being in the middle of the fuselage and the
excellent effectiveness of the ailerons and rudder, the possibility of wing
dropping or ground loops, even on a slow starting aerotow is reduced.
Take-off with strong crosswind is possible.
Aerotow
a) Aerotow is permitted only using the nose tow release. Set trim to
neutral for aerotow.
b) Set the wing flaps to + 10°.
Pull the stick until the nose wheel lifts off from the ground. Then
control the airplane so, that nose wheel and tail wheel don't touch the
ground. Don't try to lift off before you reach an airspeed of 80 km/h
(43 kts) (without ballast). On a rough airfield hold the control stick
tight. The undercarriage can be retracted at safety height during the
tow.
Normal towing speed is 120-130 km/h (65 - 70 kts).
For a cross country tow the speed can be as high as 197 km/h
(106 kts), the flaps should be set to a negative setting (see sect. 5.3.4).
Warning: Aerotow with high take off weight requires a powerful tow
plane. Many tow planes are not certified to tow gliders with high take
off weights. Reduce the take off weight if necessary!
Issued: April 1997 App. 4.16
To Next Page
Loading...