Sun May 28, 2023 2:38 pm
Hi all,
I've been researching aircraft tugs and towbars (both for single propeller GA use eg on the Cessna 152) and have come across a problem Google can't seem to answer for me, so was hoping someone here might be able to help.
Looking at shops like Transair, the towbars they sell are coded to specific manufacturers or aircraft families, eg. Cirrus or Cessna single engines. From my understanding of things, this is because the pins where the towbars connect to the aircraft are different, and each towbar needs a different adapter to fit that specific pin.
However, when I look at the tugs they sell, such as the 701 currently being sold on Transair, they fit a range of aircraft, including most of the Cessna single engines, Cirrus Sr20/22 etc.
My question is, how do they do this? Why do the towbars need specific adapters to fit a specific aircraft, whilst tugs seem to be universal?
Any help would be greatly appreciated with this burning question. Thanks!
PS: As you can probably tell, I'm not a pilot, though I am currently considering pilot training and aircraft ownership, hence my rather strange above question.