A remote towing interface is used to couple a towbar to an aircraft having a fuselage and a steerable landing gear. The remote towing interface includes a towbar coupler mounted to the aircraft and configured to releasably couple a towbar to the aircraft. The remote towing interface further includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor is configured to sense a position of the towbar relative to the aircraft when the towbar is coupled to the towbar coupler, and the controller controls the steerable landing gear according to the sensed position of the towbar relative to the aircraft.

To avoid the intervention of an operator on a direction control device with which an aircraft towing system is equipped, this system comprises a first towing sling comprising a front end connected to a towing vehicle, and a rear end connected to a first main landing gear, a second towing sling comprising a front end connected to the vehicle, and a rear end connected to a second main landing gear. The direction control device is connected to a front landing gear, and arranged between the first and second slings. The direction control device comprising a lateral direction control member having a first lateral end mounted on the first sling, and a second lateral end mounted on the second sling.

A shock absorber for towbars provides damping forces that reduce forces when stopping and starting during towing operations of aircraft.

A dolly with an inflatable airbag stack for placement beneath a portion of a disabled aircraft enables the aircraft to be raised and the subsequent transport of the aircraft without requiring cranes or heavy equipment. An adjustable height rigid support structure may be received by the dolly, the rigid support structure having an aircraft support platform that may be positioned on the top of the inflatable airbag stack such that as the airbag stack is raised, the aircraft support platform engages the disabled aircraft. The airbag stack may be deflated such that the weight of the aircraft is carried by the rigid support structure. The dolly's bed or another dolly in a recovery system may also receive a flat tire of a disabled aircraft. The dolly may receive a support platform extending between a pair of beams, the airbag stack seating on the platform.

The present invention relates to an autonomous, multi-use, subterranean aircraft pull-through system that connects with an aircraft arriving at the ramp pick-up point and transits through the terminal building, in a unidirectional movement, where the aircraft is serviced, then disconnects from the aircraft at the ramp release point. The autonomous, subterranean aircraft pull-through system receives multiple aircraft in a row, with rows adjacent to each other, where aircraft are nose to tail, and side by side, occupying the smallest footprint in the industry. The autonomous, subterranean aircraft pull-through system is remotely controlled and operates autonomously in a subterranean manner to assist in servicing the aircraft. The system helps to speed up the aircraft handling component of airside operations, improve safety, reduce emissions, and the cost factors borne by both airports and airlines. The autonomous, subterranean aircraft pull-through system design is versatile in handling all code A-F (ICAO) aircraft.

Systems, devices, and methods for a ground support system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including: at least one handling fixture, where each handling fixture is configured to support at least one wing panel of the UAV; and at least one dolly, where each dolly is configured to receive at least one landing pod of the UAV, and where each landing pod supports at least one wing panel of the UAV; where the at least one handling fixture and the at least one dolly are configured to move and rotate two or more wing panels to align the two or more wing panels with each other for assembly of the UAV; and where the at least one dolly further allows for transportation of the UAV over uneven terrain.

A towing system comprises a bar, a first attachment device arranged at a first end of the bar, the first attachment device being able to attach the towing system to a towing vehicle, a second attachment device arranged at a second end of the bar, the second attachment device being able to attach the towing system to a travelling machine to be towed, the second attachment device comprising a fork able to hold at least one wheel of the travelling machine, the fork having two longitudinal members between which at least one wheel of the travelling machine is able to be received, a separation device able to modify the spacing between the two longitudinal members and a holding device able to hold the wheel between the two longitudinal members.

A universal hitch adapter system includes a universal hitch adapter with at least one force sensor operable to measure push-and-pull forces and coupled to a) one of a front end and a rear end of an aircraft tractor and b) an aircraft tow bar coupled to a nose gear of an aircraft. The system also including a memory; a user input interface operable to receive a user's selection of one of a plurality of aircrafts stored in the memory and a user's input associated with one of a shear pin; a processor operably configured to determine at least one shear pin breaking force threshold for each of the plurality of aircrafts based on the user's input; and an indicator operable to emit an alert as a result of the force sensor measuring a force that meets or exceeds the at least one shear pin breaking force threshold.

A taxi tug includes a chassis, a motive power source, and an auxiliary power services system. The chassis has at least one drive wheel. The motive power source is operatively connected to the at least one drive wheel. The auxiliary power services system is disposed on the chassis and is configured to provide at least one of electric power, pneumatic power, and low pressure conditioned air to an aircraft.

An intelligent system for controlling driving of an aircraft tow tractor by means of combination of voice and vision includes an audio transmission line, a voice recognition system, a visual recognition system, and a vehicle-mounted motion controller. According to the intelligent system, visual recognition is performed based on a belly-mounted anti-collision light on an aircraft, a taxi light, and the visual recognition system on an aircraft tow tractor, and the aircraft tow tractor is intelligently controlled by means of combination of voice recognition and the visual recognition; furthermore, the aircraft tow tractor is intelligently controlled by voices of flight crew via the audio transmission line, safety in a towing process is guaranteed by the visual recognition, and each step in the towing process is performed by means of a cross validation based on the voice recognition and the visual recognition.