Tow truck on fire
Join Date: May 2018
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So how does the pilot on the flight deck control the steering on the tug?. And I am still not clear what the benefits are of this system - replacing the tug driver with the pilot steering the tug gains what?. The tug driver is still there the cab and the tug driver does the pushback so what do you achieve by allowing the pilot to drive in a straight line rather than the tug driver.
I get the feeling that this is a great piece of technology that is looking for a purpose.
I get the feeling that this is a great piece of technology that is looking for a purpose.
And I am still not clear what the benefits are of this system - replacing the tug driver with the pilot steering the tug gains what?. The tug driver is still there the cab and the tug driver does the pushback so what do you achieve by allowing the pilot to drive in a straight line rather than the tug driver.
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The same way the pilot controls steering when the aircraft is taxying - with the tiller. The TaxiBot detects steering forces on the nosewheel and turns the tug accordingly.
Think of it as being at about the same stage of development as autonomous cars, which are only just emerging from the stage of needing a safety driver. The two main issues, neither insurmountable, which currently prevent a driverless TaxiBot are visibility in the pushback phase and the reluctance of airport authorities to allow the tug to return to base autonomously after releasing the towed aircraft at the runway.
Think of it as being at about the same stage of development as autonomous cars, which are only just emerging from the stage of needing a safety driver. The two main issues, neither insurmountable, which currently prevent a driverless TaxiBot are visibility in the pushback phase and the reluctance of airport authorities to allow the tug to return to base autonomously after releasing the towed aircraft at the runway.
So we have a tug that costs probably double that of a normal tug (due to the NWS sensor technology) but still needs a driver - so no cost saving at all, in fact the opposite. I dont see any market for this until totally automated cars are mainstream - come back in 20 years.
Join Date: Oct 2017
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I just had a look at the website for this product and given that the pilot has no direct control over the tug I dont see how it would be allowed on an airport without a driver in the cab. If the tug sensing mechanism fails or gets a fault there is no way for the pilot to control the direction of travel as he cannot remotely shut down the tug. Same with the engine, the pilot has no way of stopping it except by relying on the aircraft brakes.
So we have a tug that costs probably double that of a normal tug (due to the NWS sensor technology) but still needs a driver - so no cost saving at all, in fact the opposite. I dont see any market for this until totally automated cars are mainstream - come back in 20 years.
So we have a tug that costs probably double that of a normal tug (due to the NWS sensor technology) but still needs a driver - so no cost saving at all, in fact the opposite. I dont see any market for this until totally automated cars are mainstream - come back in 20 years.
In a competition between an aircraft and a tug, there is only ever going to be one winner, and it's not going to be the aircraft.
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I can assure you it will do that without hesitation. 😂
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So we have a tug that costs probably double that of a normal tug (due to the NWS sensor technology) but still needs a driver - so no cost saving at all, in fact the opposite. I dont see any market for this until totally automated cars are mainstream - come back in 20 years.
Aircraft not having a Pilot in Control (PIC) when towed by a normal tractor: which is unacceptable for safety, accountability and regulatory reasons
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1. It is a regulatory problem if it is not the pilot taxiing the plane.
2. There is a driver needed to bring the tug back.
It is about saving money on big and busy airports (imagine ORD) . You save maybe 30-45min engine runtime (fuel and engine time). Of course the tug needs a lot less fuel than 2-4 big jet engines running in ground idle. Of course that is good for the environment as well.
2. There is a driver needed to bring the tug back.
It is about saving money on big and busy airports (imagine ORD) . You save maybe 30-45min engine runtime (fuel and engine time). Of course the tug needs a lot less fuel than 2-4 big jet engines running in ground idle. Of course that is good for the environment as well.
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