Giving the A 380 Airbus a Piggy-Back

摘要

TLD, a leading specialist in technical solutions for ground-handling operations, developed the TPX 500 S, a towbarless aircraft tractor that considerably simplifies the coupling of the A 380 airbus to the towing tractor, improving safety and efficiency. The vehicle has a U-shaped tail, which drives backwards toward the mose landing gear of the Airbus then encloses the front loading gear. Hatches lock onto the front landing gear framework. The push blade then drives forward and fixes the wheels to the hatches. This is where the show of power begins. The towing tractor then lifts the nose landing gear-and as such, the aircraft-to transport it. Even though the Airbus engineers were able to limit the weight of this giant aircraft, designed to carry up to 555 passengers, to 60tons when fully loaded, by using new types of materials, its weight still lies 50 percent above that of current long-haul aircraft.