Remotely controlled aircraft tug

[Groundfeeder]

Just saw something at DJ BNE last Thursday (Ugh, another party was paying - haven't been down that end of BNE Dom since my Golden Wing days!)

I was idly watching a DJ 737 pushing back and realised there was no front tug controlling it. Couldn't be using reverse thrust thought I, then noticed a 3 wheeled device attached to the rear of the port landing gear.
That would give the driver a good blow-wave I thought as he was right behind No.1 engine. When it unhitched I noticed that there was no driver and the device was obediently following the ground engineer back to the gate. Ah well, another ground staff job gone to technology.

How long have these been in service??:?:

 

[markis10]

They have been in use since DJ started and are often used around the world as it saves manpower:

SCHOPF! Tractors. Loaders. Stairs. And more.

Its called a powerpush.

 

[Groundfeeder]

They have been in use since DJ started and are often used around the world as it saves manpower:

SCHOPF! Tractors. Loaders. Stairs. And more.

Its called a powerpush.

I see, but how does the asymmetric tug work on the starboard wheel and not just spin the craft around in a circle - does the pilot use a bit of rev. thrust on No.2?

It looks like this tug lift the port wheels off the ground - some feat.

 

[markis10]

The captain steers the unit, a good article here:

Delta - Air France Partnership Brings New Technology To The States | Market Wire | Find Articles at BNET

we actually had a case of the operator grabing the wrong remote, some damage was done by the unit that decided to move that was not meant to

 

[samh004]

I saw a similar thing on a JQ flight in MEL on Sunday. Assumed it wasn’t that new though. Quite a cool little contraption. The operator moved to the far wing to let the plane past and then got on the device to bring it back, instead of remotely controlling it back.

 

[ReLoad]

I saw a similar thing on a JQ flight in MEL on Sunday. Assumed it wasn’t that new though. Quite a cool little contraption. The operator moved to the far wing to let the plane past and then got on the device to bring it back, instead of remotely controlling it back.

Yeah JQ use them at the end of the second finger of the QF Dom terminal down at the non aerobridge gates.

I was laughing this morning as the ground controller had to run almost flat out to keep up with the JQ flight to CNS or OOL which was robo tugged. while we were powering up on QF 400 out on a taxi apron.

Quite funny to see a guy running on the ground after a plane, its almost as if he forgot to put the park brake on

 

[harvyk]

Yeah, I first saw AirNZ using these at WEL a couple of years ago... It looked sort of funny, like the engineer had a really big remote controlled toy plane.

 

[Groundfeeder]

Quite funny to see a guy running on the ground after a plane, its almost as if he forgot to put the park brake on

Thanks for the enlightenment - this entertainment doesn't seem to happen up the QF end.

Only a matter of time before the 737's become a large version of Global Hawk, flown by a non-pilot from inside a shed (see Aust Aviation article).