Gulfstream vs King Air

[n57flyguy]

This. Having worked in line service I do have to say that what an FBO expects from a line guy is not proportional to the wage they are willing to pay. Most I have made hourly working the line is $13.00/hr. Most I have made period: $17.75 (with raises every six months capped at two and a half years of service which equals $20.25/hr.) Where was this job at? Walmart. In a distribution center. Literally putting boxes into a trailer. Less technical, not much liability in terms of customer property/equipment, much greater safety margins. I think I've shared enough.

Yeah the pay is not awesome possum but it doesn't mean we screw stuff up. A tow bar broke. It happens, and on a slow news day...even better for the company. Don't base the result on how much the line guy made, and the official story, which I have confirmed true, and is posted on here, is what half of any line guy would have done.

Happy towing.

 

[n57flyguy]

Im sure something will be learned from it. But insofar as something like this never happening again, its going to continue to, for any number of causal factors.

A lot is being taken away from this, learned, and applied. It is funny how an incident, almost complete out of the average line guys control gets magnified, while everyday costly mistakes are not even mentioned.

 

[BravoHotel]

How about having a "brake rider" like the military?

To tow fighter jets you have a minimum of 3 people to move it. A tug driver, a tow supervisor, and a brake rider that sits in the cockpit of the aircraft. His job is to turn on the electrical switch and flip the brake switch to "parking" in case of a tow bar break or some other emergency where the jet needs to stop RIGHT NOW on it's own.

Granted, we can ride in the cockpit with the canopy open depending on the weather. Might be a little hot sitting in the cockpit of the Gulfstream or King Air for more than a couple of minutes in the summer with no air though.

That's what I would propose. If the aircraft costs more than $10 million, require a brake rider to sit in the cockpit while being moved in case of a tow bar failure or other.

We have a 3 to 7 man team when we tow C-130s from point A to point B.

 

[Jimmy_Norton]

If every FBO had 3-7 people for every airplane move, gas would be $10/gallon, and you'd all be bitching about that. Considering how many airplanes get moved every day, tow bars have a very long MTBF. Shoot happens, and people have insurance for a reason.

 

[knot4u]

Uncle Paul.

 

[MikeD]

We have a 3 to 7 man team when we tow C-130s from point A to point B.

If every FBO had 3-7 people for every airplane move, gas would be $10/gallon, and you'd all be bitching about that. Considering how many airplanes get moved every day, tow bars have a very long MTBF. Shoot happens, and people have insurance for a reason.

Yes. While the military and the airlines have the money and time for a full tow team, FBOs don't generally have that luxury.

 

[BravoHotel]

Yes. While the military and the airlines have the money and time for a full tow team, FBOs don't generally have that luxury.

I'm not an insurance underwriter so I don't know, but what would cost more? Extra staff or higher insurance premiums?

 

[trafficinsight]

The towbars where I worked had a shear pin so that you would snap the relatively cheap towbar rather than damage the relatively expensive jet. They did shear on occasion.

Wingwalkers don't come with shear pins, and thus I don't work there no mo...

 

[Rizer]

 

[Mike H]

You guys are so quick to judge....

How do you know a rogue wind or fast moving tsunami didn't do that? Could happen......

Could't they have just put a Toyota truck in front of the jet and let the jet just roll up the ramp created by the open tailgate and totally save the day?

 

[SteveCostello]

... video...

The KA doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. I was expecting a fairly bent up wing. I do see a bent prop, which won't be cheap.

 

[n57flyguy]

The KA doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. I was expecting a fairly bent up wing. I do see a bent prop, which won't be cheap.

At least it has winglets now!

 

[KSCessnaDriver]

If every FBO had 3-7 people for every airplane move, gas would be $10/gallon, and you'd all be bitching about that. Considering how many airplanes get moved every day, tow bars have a very long MTBF. Shoot happens, and people have insurance for a reason.

Exactly. I used to be a line service guy. I'd push Citation Excels and Hawker 800's by myself, in and out of a hangar, around other aircraft. As long as you took your time moving the aircraft, it wasn't that big of a deal. Would it have been quicker to have wing walkers, absolutely. But fuel would also cost 3x what it does now.

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

I heard that the reason that this accident occurred, was because the Gulfstream doesn't have slats!