The Airport
- Passengers at the airport, what can they see? Except perhaps the waiting room, reception desks, and the Duty-Free shop.
- Everything that is located at the airport, it all has a complex structure. Various machines, equipment. Unfortunately, people do not understand the seriousness of what is happening.
Airports use a huge amount of special equipment. Perhaps, we can safely say that a large airport has no equal in terms of the concentration of a variety of special vehicles in a territory comparable in area. But now we will talk about only one, but the most charismatic type of airfield special equipment – airfield tractors. Without it, it is impossible to imagine any airport in the world. This machine (although it is actually a tractor) looks like a huge frog because it is low and wide. But without her help, not a single modern turbojet liner will be able to budge if it is parked at the airfield. And the reason is simple: no Boeing, no Airbus, no Superjet can drive in reverse!
Of course, we do not claim to be an exhaustive and comprehensive overview of all types, brands, models and design features. There are several dozen manufacturers of airfield tractors in the world alone, and some of them have dozens of models. Therefore, we will dwell only on the main points of the “genre” as a whole.
Aircraft Towing Technologies
To date, two technologies for towing aircraft are used in the world – classic and towingless. The difference lies in the use of an additional carrier device, or, more simply, a special rigid hitch. Each technology has its advantages and disadvantages, which is why almost all airports, especially large ones, prefer to have equipment for one or another type of towing.
The airfield tractor of the classical scheme has evolved from a car and a tractor, which combines the properties of both for the necessity of its work. Yes, it has its own characteristics. Ultimately, a modern airfield tractor is a specialized machine like no other.
A feature of the classic aircraft towing technology is the use of a carrier. Carrying is not just an “iron stick”. This is a complex and relatively expensive product with its own hydraulics. Movement is the most difficult and difficult moment when towing. The carrier is responsible for preventing damage to the front landing gear.
The disadvantage of this technology is the cost. At the airport you can see a huge number of different types of carriers. After all, there are many types of aircraft, and different types of aircraft need different carriers. Reliability is the biggest plus. In bad weather, it is easier to move the aircraft from its place simply with the help of classical technology. Just as different aircraft are from each other, different tractors are used to service them. Agree: it is one thing to budge a small business jet or a two-seater Cessna, and quite another – Airbus A380. An important requirement for tractors for small aircraft is that they must be low. In the further typology of airfield tractors for classical towing techniques, a gradation is carried out depending on the take-off mass of the towed aircraft. And this, you know, dozens of options. Accordingly, taking into account the number of manufacturers – hundreds of models. But there are several world leaders, and the American company FMC is one of them.
TLD is FMC’s main competitor. Both firms have many models of tractors for all classes of aircraft. Please note: it is the abbreviations FMC and TLD that you most often see on airfield tractors, especially small ones, at airports around the world. The German Schopf is Europe’s leading specialist in super-heavy airfield tractors for huge wide-body aircraft. At any airport you can see the products of this manufacturer.
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Towing Tractors
There are driving and non-driving tractors. And the point here is the presence of the carrier. It is very similar to the pipe that is used in a rigid hitch when towing cars. However, unlike the crashed KAMAZ, the towed aircraft is far from being a hollow tube with two lugs. This thing is equipped with wheels, twist locks to make it easier to “dock” the aircraft, and shock absorbers to reduce jolts when towing.
Each type of aircraft requires a separate carrier, which is a disadvantage of this technology. There are carriers at major airports, but again, this is crazy money for which you can buy a car. Therefore, humanity tried to save money and came up with towing tractors. Their design allows the platform of the tractor to “dive” under the nose of the aircraft. As if the trailer was connected to the tractor saddle. The stand rises above the ground and the aircraft can be towed. But even here there are pitfalls that prevent such a scheme from moving forward.
First of all, many trailer tractors are practically unable to cope with a huge Boeing 777 or A-380 caliber aircraft. And those that can cost a lot and are designed exclusively for these types of ships. You will learn more here. We hope that the article was useful for you!