Pushback (aviation)

Although many aircraft are capable of moving themselves backwards on the ground using reverse thrust (a procedure referred to as a powerback),[1] the resulting jet blast or prop wash would cause increased noise, damage to the terminal building or equipment, and can cause injury to airport staff due to flying debris.

[4][5] Once clearance is obtained, the pilot will communicate with the tractor driver (or a ground handler walking alongside the aircraft in some cases) to start the pushback.

The tow bar is fixed laterally at the nose landing gear, but may move slightly vertically for height adjustment.

The tow bar must be long enough to place the tug far away enough to avoid hitting the aircraft and to provide sufficient leverage to facilitate turns.

The tow bar can be connected at the front or the rear of the tractor, depending on whether the aircraft will be pushed or pulled.

Towbarless (TBL) tractors do not use a towbar; they scoop up the nose landing gear and lift it off the ground.

Lastly, a TBL tug is much shorter (compared to a tug+towbar system) and has only a single pivot point instead of one at either end of the towbar, so it has much simpler and precise control of the aircraft.

Manufacturers of electric TBL tugs offer models capable of moving any aircraft from the smallest single-engine type to narrow-body airliners, military cargo and airline-sized business jets.

This is in contrast to conventional tugs which often use so-called "universal" towbars which must be adjustable to suit many aircraft types.

The TaxiBot eliminates the use of airplane engines during taxi-in and until immediately prior to take-off during taxi-out potentially saving airlines billions of dollars in fuel that is used.

Some airlines, notably Virgin Atlantic, advocated towing aircraft to the holding point of the runway to save fuel and reduce environmental impact.

The Touareg carried 4.3 tons worth of cement bags, and the tires were inflated to twice the normal pressure to handle the extra weight.