Drug Test

[TheSoccerMom]

That's pretty amazing, huh Brian?  I figured you would appreciate that!   

I was used to moving airplanes at this one place I worked, and so when I started at this survey company, I was surprised when the head mechanic said I should call him whenever we were ready to fly -- and he would tow the plane out.  It was going to be late in the day, so I said "No biggie, if you run me through your tug, I'll do it.  You can go home."  Oh you would have LOVED this -- I swear EVERY drop of blood drained out of his face and he just stood there, and stared at me, and said in a quiet voice "NO pilot here EVER moves any of these airplanes!"

After I had been there about a month, I could see his point!  He's a REALLY smart guy.   

[Baradium]

I used to move airplanes at the flight school.   We used a JD gator with a tow bar.   The flight team washed airplanes and we'd move them to the washing area.


Funniest thing I've seen with trying to move an airplane was the company contracted to move the 727 when they wanted to move it from the temp spot to a permanent pad.


They really believed the Ford commercials and show up with this F350.   After doing some burnouts with the towbar attached to the 727 they ponder for awhile, pile a bunch of people in back and try again.  This still doesn't work so they show up with an F-600 rollback... which procedes to do the same thing.


Eventually they brought in a twin screw sterling big truck wrecker, which did move it.    8 hours for 5 minutes of actually moving the airplane....     


Bonus:  the F350 did manage to move the 72 about 2 ft... off of the steel plates that were put there to prevent it from sinking into the ramp (which wasn't setup for that heavy of an a/c)... so as all this was happening the thing sank into the ramp and ended up leaving 6 big dips in the ramp.


Trivia:  A 727 has a higher ground pressure than a 767.

[tundra_flier]

Hanging around for coffee at my favorite FBO is somewhat dangerous.  You're liable to get recruited to help move planes.  In the winter they don't want to leave the hangar door open any longer that possible.  So it's all hands to push one plane out, often on skis, and push the next one in.  volunteers just push, the owner or a mechanic does the steering.  If the snows' soft or it's something REALY heavy like a C-207 or 185 on skis a pickup may be providing assistance.  And of course float planes on the launching trailer get moved very slowly and carefully with at least on person assigned to watch the tail clearing the door   

Phil

[Baradium]

You guys hear about Mesa's Beech 1900 mishap last week?

Had one hooked to a tug (apparently they actually push back in a 1900  ) with the #2 engine running and the tug got hit by jet blast from "another large aircraft" (read: a much larger aircraft) which sent the tug sideways and into the spinning propeller.  Fortunately for the driver it was one with a cab and every blade broke off at the hub.  Damage to the tug actually looks relatively minor, the towbar and that engine were trashed though... wonder if it damaged the nose wheel as well (there is a turn limit).

We have some pictures at work, but no electronic copies (sorry!)

And apparently it's against their company policy to start an engine with the tug hooked up...   

Poor passengers probobly thought the world was ending as well...

[Gulfstream Driver]

GULP!

[airtac]

AH, The joys of hauling freight..........
If we needed to "push back" reverse thrust took care of that (don't need no stinking tug) 
Best part is cargo don't whine about delays, crappy landings, or rough air