The Piper Pawnee was the tug of choice when I was gliding .... designed as a crop-sprayer so a good tough workhorse and plenty powerful for the job .... converting to aerotow it was drummed into you that your glider was well capable of overwhelming the tow-plane's elevators and nosing it over if you drifted high. I loved the winch launch though ... really dramatic being snatched off the ground in about 6 feet by a big old lorry-winch .... the angle of climb and the drama was the closest a civvy would get to the feel of a tail-standing climb in a military jet 🙂

Used to drive and operate the winch as well if I wasn't flying ... good fun too ... improved my double-declutching shifts no end!!

K