Tag Archives: Pawnee

Gliding at Arlington

Arlington Municipal Airport has a steady stream of light aircraft activity, but it is also home to a gliding community.  At weekends, it is not unusual to see some Piper Pawnees tugging gliders into the air.  Depending on the suitability of the conditions, these might be some pretty short flights, or they might be up for quite a while.  I have been up there at various times when the gliders are operating off the grass next to the main runway.  Usually, I am there for something else, so the gliding photos are taken when the opportunity arises.  Here are some shots of the Pawnee tug planes and the gliders themselves.

Pawnee Tow Plane

I went up to Arlington one Sunday to see if Eviation was up to anything.  Their hangars were closed up but I did see a Piper Pawnee in an open hangar as I nosed around and I hoped it would be in action.  It is used by the local gliding club and, sure enough, it was going to get some use.  Ahead of any towing activities, the pilot took it up to get some circuits in.  I took a few shots of it as it hit the pattern.  The Pawnee is a really strange looking plane.  Very functional but not too elegant.