Originally Posted by
JediDude
Correct me If I'm wrong but surely a tug towing an aircraft and an aircraft powering itself are going to use exactly the same amount of energy over the same distance?
In fact I believe turbine engines are more efficient than many other gas engines. They have been considered for use in hybrid cars...
http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleanciti..._gas_turb.html
However I'm not sure if they are more or less efficient in this application.