#Runway towing driver#

Pushback tractor is also used for repositioning the aircraft from one aircraft stand to another at an airport. In view of above, pushback tractor is used to bring an aircraft inside the hangar from anywhere on the airport as well as tow the aircraft outside the hangar after all maintenance work is finished.Īnd if you haven’t guessed by now, yes, a pushback tractor can also tow or pull an aircraft and not just push it back as the name suggests.Ī Conventional Towing Tractor towing an aircraft into an aircraft maintenance hangar – a special facility at every airport where aircraft maintenance is carried out (Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Buyong Koto) Aircraft Movements Between Parking Bays

In fact, jet engines are not turned on inside maintenance hangars as an standard operating procedure as there is also a great risk of FOD (foreign object debris) such as a tool getting ingested into the engine. It is because hangar is an enclosed space and it is not safe for aircrafts to enter and leave this space with jet engines on. These hangars are located on airports and maintained by airline and ground handling staff.Īircrafts don’t enter and leave the maintenance hangar with their engines on. Maintenance Hangar MovementĪ maintenance hangar is a large facility where different maintenance activities are performed on an aircraft. Let us discuss these scenarios one by one. They used for movement of aircrafts in other scenarios as well.

#Runway towing driver#

Pilot then gives an okay to disengage signal to the pushback tractor driver at which he unhooks the towing bar and steers the pushback tractor away from the aircraft.Ī Conventional Pushback Tractor pushing back an aircraft (Photo Credit: PXHere) Other Uses of Aircraft Pushback TractorĪlthough, pushback from the bay is the most common use of aircraft pushback tractors, it is not the only use. It pushes the aircraft back and also steers it so that the aircraft ends up in correct position on the taxiway (a connecting pathway between aircraft stand and runway). The driver receives a go ahead signal from Pilot and begins the pushback operation. This is where the pushback tractor comes in.Ī towing hook attaches its one end to the aircraft and the other end to the pushback tractor. We have made a dedicated post to explain the different types of ground handling and support activities that take place at an aircraft stand.Īfter all servicing activities are finished, aircraft needs to get back on the runway to take off, however, it first needs to reverse itself from the aircraft stand. This is where the passengers deplane the aircraft.Īirline crew and ground handling agencies perform different servicing tasks on the aircraft at the bay to make it ready for the next operation. After an aircraft lands on the runway, it finally reaches an aircraft stand (also called an aircraft bay or airport gate) where it finally stops. The most common operation for which a pushback tractor is used is an aircraft pushback operation. Latest Advances in Pushback & Towing Technology.Main advantages of Tow Bar Less (TBL) Tractor.The Tow Bar Less (TBL) Pushback Tractor.Main Specifications of Pushback Tractor.How Pushback Tractor Capacity is Worked Out?.How a Conventional Pushback Tractor Works?.Aircraft Movements Between Parking Bays.Other Uses of Aircraft Pushback Tractor.