Glider towing

Started glider towing yesterday. It included 5 tows in a glider (a Grob 103A), check ride in a Piper Pawnee (PA-25-235 Pawnee B) and 10 test towings in which I now have 5. I need 5 more tows with "seasoned" glider pilots, and I will be a certified towing pilot. Those will be done on Friday. Ordinary I would also need 10 solo tows in a glider, but I already have those from a loong time ago.

The Pawnee exist only as single seater, consequently the check ride also had to be done solo. This was an experience (of the finger nail biting type) in such a special airplane with a Spitfire sized nose, but once airborne for the first time, I felt right at home. It is a delight to fly. LN-NTH is equipped with a silencer and 4 bladed low noise propeller. The towing itself was surprisingly uneventful, but I guess the rugged and powerful Pawnee had something to do with that.

The gliding club is NTH Flyklubb. They have 5 gliders and the Pawnee. They were in urgent need of towing pilots, and sponsored everything. In exchange I have to tow at least 10 days the next year. So lots of Pawnee flying for me the next year. The flying is at Oppdal, a mountainous area of Norway where the gliders can stay up for ours and ours on mountain waves.