August 2013
When you take flying lessons, you learn the basics of moving an airplane on the ground. At first, you’ll help your instructor, then you’ll do the moving under his or her supervision.
If your trainer is kept on a tiedown, most of what’s involved is just taxiing but from time to time you’ll have to move the airplane without using the engine. Where modern trainers are concerned, this is just a matter of muscle power—attach the tow bar to the nosewheel, and push or pull on the prop, near the hub. Older tailwheel trainers are even easier—just lift the tailwheel (or skid) and push or pull as required.
As you graduate to bigger airplanes, though, more muscle power is needed. Most of us can comfortably move a small two- or four-place single, but it gets tougher as you move up to heavier airplanes. By the time you get to a six-place single or twin, forget it—especially if you have to push uphill!
A few years ago, I moved up from a four-place single to a retractable, and into a new hangar that was uphill. I could still manage it with a running start, but my wife couldn’t. She had to ask passing pilots for help. (For some reason, they’re more likely to be around when she needs help than when I do!)
Neither of us is getting any younger and I could easily see the day coming when I won’t be able to get the darned thing in there by myself, so I started looking for mechanical assistance. I found three main options: gas-, electric- and muscle-powered tugs, vehicle tow bars and winches—and even a new device that looks for all the world like a scaled-up model of an armored tank!
Tugs
The most popular option by far for moving light airplanes (at least in my neck of the woods) is a tug. Tugs look like lawn mowers and are usually powered by a small gasoline engine with a pull starter, though electric powered variations are available. The gas-powered variants seem to be more popular (probably because they don’t require charging, and many hangars don’t have electricity). Some tugs require adapters to work with particular airplanes, so it’s a good idea to check before ordering.
There are many tugs available from a bunch of different manufacturers, priced from under $1,000 to over $3,000.
Dragger™ (formerly Skyline Aviation) offers low-profile tugs for both nosewheel and tailwheel aircraft, in gas and electric variations.
Wag-Aero’s Tow Buddy is a cordless electric tug that comes with a trickle charger.
Powertow has gas and electric tugs that will handle airplanes weighing up to 12,000 pounds, with options that include snow chains and headlights.
Aircraft Dynamics offers several Robotow models, including an 18V cordless version that’s portable (29 pounds with battery and adapter), and a 120V version that comes with an 80-foot extension cord, among others. Sporty’s Pilot Shop sells the Robotow and several aircraft tugs in electric and gas variations.
Airtug offers gas and electric powered tugs with a winch/ramp design that doesn’t require an adapter.
Besides the adapter, you should check to make sure that any tug you look at has enough horsepower to handle your airplane. Entry-level models usually have a 4 hp engine (or motor) that’s adequate to move a four-place single, but would be hard-pressed to handle a twin.
Vehicle tow bars
The next option—and the least expensive, if your car or truck has a tow hitch—is a vehicle tow bar. Basically, this is an oversized version of the tow bar that comes with your airplane, with a ring on one end for a standard vehicle tow hitch. Your vehicle provides the motive power to move the airplane. The downside is that towing isn’t the easiest thing to do, particularly when backing up.
It’s cheaper than a tug or winch (often just a few hundred dollars) because there’s no gas engine or electric motor, and provides an easy, inexpensive way to move your airplane from one point to another on the ground without an unnecessary engine start.
Wag-Aero’s Universal Joy Bar is a good example of a vehicle tow bar. It has an adjustable fork that will fit most light aircraft, a 7-foot, 6-inch bar, and a standard tow ring. My mechanic uses one of these with an electric golf cart to move airplanes between his shop and tiedowns or hangars.
I seriously considered this option—I have experience with trailer towing courtesy of the Ohio Air National Guard—but my wife wasn’t comfortable with it, so I had to pass.
Winches
Most of the trouble people seem to have moving airplanes involves pushing uphill into a hangar. That being the case, another option is to use an electric winch that’s attached to the hangar’s back wall. Pull out line from the winch, attach it to the tail tiedown, and you can winch the airplane into the hangar.
As with vehicle tow bars, this is a less expensive option than tugs. Wag-Aero sells a standard aircraft winch rated for up to 3,000 pounds and a heavy-duty model rated for up to 8,000 pounds. Both models come with a remote-control cord and switch so that you can control the winch at a distance.
I know one pilot at my home airport in Modesto, Calif. who uses a winch and swears by it. The only downside is that you must have electric power, and the winch only works to pull the airplane into your hangar—it’s no help moving it out of the hangar, or moving the airplane elsewhere.
A robot tug (that looks like an armored tank!): AC TrackTech
Years ago, my brother and I built model tanks with motorized treads and remote controls, with which we re-fought many famous battles. My model-building days came to mind when I saw a video of the AC TrackTech—a remote controlled, battery-operated tug with tank-style treads that’s capable of towing an airplane weighing up to 5,000 pounds.
The TrackTech tug weighs about 45 pounds, which may solve the problem of using a battery-operated tug if you hangar lacks electrical power: you can put the tug in your car and charge it at home (according to the company, one 2.5-hour recharge allows over an hour of continuous operation—enough to pull an airplane out and put it back several times). Pricing starts at $3,750. –JDR
John D. Ruley is an instrument-rated pilot and freelance writer. He holds a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota Space Studies program (space.edu). Until recently he was a volunteer pilot with ligainternational.org and angelflight.org, two charities which operate medical missions in northwest Mexico and provide medical patient transport, respectively. He hopes to fly with both organizations later this year. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
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PFA Supporters
AC Air Technnology
(855) 884-7222
acairtechnology.com
Sporty’s
(800) 776-7897
sportys.com/PilotShop
Wag-Aero Group
(800) 558-6868 (orders only)
or (262) 763-9586
wagaero.com
Other Suppliers
Aircraft Dynamics
(800) 874-4702
robotow.com
Airtug
(800) 972-5563
airtug.com
Avinex
wingwalker.co.za
Dragger™ (formerly Skyline Aviation)
(800) 972-5563
dragger.com
Powertow
(800) 635-5565
powertow.com
