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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hashan dis" data-source="post: 18984989" data-attributes="member: 124785">Pushback Tugs Are The Coolest Vehicles At The Airport <img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--S4eKJPLh--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/nahtwoali4l9mbqqdebm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> If  you've ever looked out the window at an airport, you've probably seen  planes being pushed backward by vehicles called Pushback Tugs. Well  there are regular Tugs, and there are SuperTugs — and the SuperTug looks  like the unholy matrimony of a Hummer and a Batmobile, with an ant's  strength/weight ratio. The  common pushback comes in various shapes and sizes, and either runs off  battery-supplied electricity, or diesel fuel. Some are open-wheel, while  others have enclosed cabs. Typically you'll see the enclosed ones in  cold weather cities. <img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OZu3o7i3--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/eq7cuadc1shaafplyxkp.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> JAL Pushback tug by Hideyuki Kamon Pushbacks  all have the same basic functions. The driver sits behind a big steering  wheel, while wearing a headset to communicate with the pilots. The  headset can either be wireless, or connected directly into the  communications box on the nose of the plane by a long tether. Like any  car, there is a horn, lights, parking brake, gear shifter and even a  turn signal. When the  flight is ready to depart, the jetbridge is pulled back. After  completing their pre-departure checklist, the pilots call the tower for  clearance to push back away from the gate. The driver is responsible for  communicating to the pilots that it's safe for the plane to leave, and  will say something like this: "The walk-around is complete, the bypass  pin is in, the safety zone is clear, and all cargo bin doors and access  panels are closed. We'll be doing a 2-person push." The 2-person push  means the pilot needs to check for two people when the push is complete.  In addition to the pushback driver, there is a wing walker, who  provides an extra set of eyes to the pushback driver, making sure there  are no vehicles, people or obstacles behind the aircraft. This can vary  somewhat, based on the airline procedures, and the aircraft type. At that  point the pilot says, "Brakes released, clear to push" which the driver  will acknowledge, and depending again on the airline policy and the  airport configuration, the driver may give the okay to start the plane's  engines. Because some airport terminals are so densely populated by  gates, sometimes planes are towed a good distance from the gate and out  to a taxiway before the engines are spooled up. [YOUTUBE]cIdirHpDheM[/YOUTUBE] SuperTug lifting a Boeing 767 Driving the  pushback itself is pretty intimidating the first few times you do it.  You're sitting there in this tractor-on-steroids, dwarfed by a massive  jet that likely cost anywhere from $40-320 million. But the overall  concept is pretty simple when driving a pushback with a towbar. The  direction you turn your steering wheel will turn the tail of the plane  in the same direction. I've pushed hundreds of planes, and it's kind of a  fun power trip, because even though the pilots might make 4 times what I  do, they're still at my mercy for those few minutes. There is  one major difference between a pushback and a SuperTug (also known as a  high-speed tug). While the regular pushback attaches to the plane's nose  gear via a tow bar, while the SuperTug actually pulls up to the nose  gear, wraps itself around the gear and lifts the nose of the plane off the ground (see the video above). I've never driven a SuperTug, but their strength and speed has always impressed me. <img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QNtp9kll--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/zp8kqm7a9hawcxqjgrss.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> SuperTugs  are used for a couple of purposes. They push the biggest planes, like  the 747 or A380 away from the gate. Or they can be used to tow planes  for longer distances. For example, at some of the big international  airports, airlines share gates. If an international airline has a 8:00AM  arrival but doesn't leave until 6:00PM, that plane might be towed by a  SuperTug off to a remote parking spot called a stand, so that the gate  can be used for other arrivals and departures during that time. Next time  you're at the airport, pay a little closer attention to the vehicles you  see driving around. Airlines hang onto vehicles (and planes) for a very  long time, and you could easily see some trucks and vans from the  1970s. If the airport is a big hub for the airline, a special crew of  Ground Service Equipment (GSE) mechanics keep these things up and  running, while saving money for airlines. If you ask someone within the  airlines why they hang on to planes and vehicles for so long, the answer  is simple: "They're paid for." source - <a href="http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/pushback-tugs-are-the-coolest-vehicles-at-the-airport-1655333766" target="_blank">http://flightclub.jalopnik.com/pushback-tugs-are-the-coolest-vehicles-at-the-airport-1655333766</a> </blockquote>

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