Regulation Text
(a) No person may operate a civil aircraft towing a glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle unless—
(1) The pilot in command of the towing aircraft is qualified under § 61.69 of this chapter;
(2) The towing aircraft has:
(i) A standard airworthiness certificate and is equipped with a tow-hitch of a kind, and installed in a manner, that is approved by the Administrator;
(ii) A special airworthiness certificate for which a type certificate has been issued, and is equipped with a tow-hitch of a kind, and installed in a manner, that is approved or otherwise authorized by the Administrator; or
(iii) A special airworthiness certificate, for which the aircraft has not been previously issued a type certificate, and is equipped with a tow-hitch of a kind that is approved or otherwise acceptable to, and is installed in a manner acceptable to, the Administrator;
(3) The towline used has breaking strength not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not more than twice this operating weight. However, the towline used may have a breaking strength more than twice the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle if—
(i) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the towline to the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle with a breaking strength not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not greater than twice this operating weight;
(ii) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the towline to the towing aircraft with a breaking strength greater, but not more than 25 percent greater, than that of the safety link at the towed glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle end of the towline and not greater than twice the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle;
(4) Before conducting any towing operation within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport, or before making each towing flight within such controlled airspace if required by ATC, the pilot in command notifies the control tower. If a control tower does not exist or is not in operation, the pilot in command must notify the FAA flight service station serving that controlled airspace before conducting any towing operations in that airspace; and
(5) The pilots of the towing aircraft and the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle have agreed upon a general course of action, including takeoff and release signals, airspeeds, and emergency procedures for each pilot.
(b) No pilot of a civil aircraft may intentionally release a towline, after release of a glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle, in a manner that endangers the life or property of another.
[Docket 18834, 54 FR 34308, Aug. 18, 1989, as amended by Amdt. 91-227, 56 FR 65661, Dec. 17, 1991; Amdt. 91-282, 69 FR 44880, July 27, 2004; Docket FAA-2023-1377, Amdt. 91-381, 90 FR 35220, July 24, 2025]
Research Notes
Section 91.309 — Towing: Gliders and unpowered ultralight vehicles — establishes the rules for aerotow operations.
Paragraph (a) — General requirements: No person may operate a civil aircraft towing a glider or unpowered ultralight unless:
- (1) The pilot has logged at least 100 hours as PIC and has a tow endorsement OR has been instructed by an authorized instructor
- (2) The tow pilot has within the past 12 months: (i) made and logged at least 3 actual or simulated tows in an aircraft with a glider on tow; OR (ii) been instructed by an authorized CFI
- (3) The towrope used is appropriate for the aircraft and glider being towed (with strength and breaking-strength limitations per paragraph c)
Paragraph (c) — Towrope: The towrope must have a breaking strength of at least 80% but not more than 200% of the maximum certificated gross weight of the glider. This range ensures the rope breaks before the glider structural limits are exceeded, but doesn't break so easily as to be useless.
Glider tow operations: Routinely conducted by sailplane clubs and commercial glider operations. The tow aircraft is typically a piston-engine Pawnee, Husky, or similar utility aircraft. The tow pilot signals via aircraft attitude (rudder wags signal release).
Reference: FAA-H-8083-13A (Glider Flying Handbook); SSA Glider Flying Standards.
Amendment History
Amendment History Coming Soon
Every time this regulation changes, we'll record it here — the date, what was amended, and a plain-English summary of what shifted.