July 2005- 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 like a Cessna 172, 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 couple of years ago, I moved up from a four-place single to a retractable, and a new hangar that’s uphill. I can still manage it (with a running start), but my wife can’t. She has to ask passing pilots for help (for some strange 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 can see the day coming when I won’t be able to get the darned thing in there by myself—so I’ve started looking for mechanical assistance. I’ve found three main options: gas- and electric-powered tugs, vehicle tow bars, and winches; plus a surprising low-tech variation. In this article, I’ll explain the tradeoffs among the three.
Tugs
The most popular option by far for moving light airplanes (at least in my neck of the woods) are tugs. These 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). One catch is that some tugs require adapters to work with particular airplanes—it’s a good idea to check before ordering.
There are many tugs available, from a bunch of different manufacturers. Skyline Aviation offers low-profile tugs for both nosewheel and tailwheel aircraft, in gas and electric variations. Prices range from $925 to $1,265.
Wag-Aero’s Tow Buddy is a cordless electric tug that comes with a trickle charger and retails for $899.
Power Tow has gas and electric tugs that will handle airplanes weighing up to 12,000 pounds, with options that include snow chains and headlights, at prices ranging from $970 to $4,500.
Aircraft Dynamics offers two RoboTow models—an 18V cordless version that’s portable (29 pounds with battery and adapter, $995), and a 120V version that comes with an 80-foot extension cord ($895).
Sporty’s Pilot Shop sells the RoboTow, and also a larger Deluxe Steerable Aircraft Tug that’s powered by a DeWalt cordless electric drill ($1,299, not including the drill).
Airtug offers gas-powered tugs with a winch/ramp design that doesn’t require an adapter. Its small model (1,000-pound nosewheel weight) goes for $1,995, while a larger model (one-ton nosewheel weight) runs $3,095.
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 four 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 now provides the motive power to move the airplane.
It’s cheaper than a tug or winch as there’s no gas engine or electric motor, and provides an easy (and cheap) way to move your airplane from one point to another on the ground without an unnecessary engine start. The downside is that towing isn’t the easiest thing to do, particularly when backing up.
Wag-Aero’s Universal Joy Bar is a good example. It has an adjustable fork that will fit most light aircraft, a 7 foot, 6 inch bar, and a standard tow ring. At just $286.50, it’s a bargain compared to any of the powered tugs! 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 back wall of the hangar. Pull out line from the winch, attach it to the tail tiedown, and you can winch the airplane into the hangar.
Wag-Aero sells a standard aircraft winch (rated for up to 3,000 pounds) for $324.95, and a heavy-duty model (rated for up to 8,000 pounds) for $50 more. 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 (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 out of the hangar or moving the airplane elsewhere.
A hand-cranked tug: The Avinex Wing Walker
By far the most unique option I’ve found to move light airplanes uphill comes from South Africa—maybe because gasoline and electricity are both expensive and hard to find there. The Wing Walker is basically a hand-cranked tug that uses a pulley system.
If that sounds crazy, check out the video on the company’s website—it shows a fully fueled Beech Baron (about 5,000 pounds) being moved, with apparent ease, by an average-sized woman. It’s also lightweight (26 pounds) and it folds up so that you can put it in the baggage compartment and take it with you. It’s not cheap—prices start at 4,795 South African Rand (about $800 U.S., depending on the current exchange rate), which doesn’t include shipping from South Africa.
I am really tempted by the Wing Walker. The flexibility of a tug, without the need for either a gasoline engine or electric motor really appeals to me. My wife likes the idea too, not least because it will see to it that we both continue to get some exercise moving our airplane in and out of its hangar.
How do you move your airplane? Write and let me know!
John D. Ruley is a freelance writer, instrument-rated private pilot, and volunteer pilot for LIGA International (ligainternational.org). Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
Resources
Skyline Aviation
dragger.com
800-535-8640
Wag-Aero Group
wagaero.com
800-558-6868 (orders only) or 262-763-9586
Powertow
powertow.com
800-635-5565
Avinex
wingwalker.co.za
+27-41-583-3445
Aircraft Dynamics
robotow.com
800-874-4702
Airtug
airtug.com
800-972-5563
Sporty’s
sportys.com
800-776-7897
