3 replies to this topic

[drv4truk]

When Boeing originally announced work on a nose wheel motor that would save emision and noise levels at airports, I was initially glad to hear about such a system. After all the differing news organizations headlines died down and the full story was finally explained, I wasn't that thrilled. The system they are proposing will be helpful, but wasn't what I had in mind.

When it was originally announced, I was thinking that they had finally borrowed some ideas from other portions of the transportation industry. Just look at some of the ports that use AGV's (Automatically Guided Vehicles) very successfully and have reduced the costs involved in operations. If airports and airlines agreed to use AGV's to handle ground operations, this would require a massive investment by the airports, but would prove to be a cost effective option for those airports that opt to use it. The benfits of using AGV's would be at least the reduced costs involved with manpower, decreased noise level, decreased emission levels and airlines fuel costs would be reduced.

The AGV's can be equipped with additional sensors and could detect potential hazards to itself or the aircraft it would be assisting. If the AGV can be adapted to hook up different types of nose wheels to pull or push the aircraft from the gate to a predefined area near a runway where the AGV would depart from the aircraft, this would probably prove a better cost savings to all involved then by using electric nose motors.

Do you think that airports and airlines would agree to such a system? It would be a greater cost to airports, but should be an enticement for airlines to use the system for redueced fuel costs. Would airlines agree to pay at least a portion of the costs involved with such a system? Or would they pay the increased costs of landing fees, etc. that the airports would undoubtedly pass on to the airlines?

[TorqueWrench]

It would be a greater cost to airports

Airports dont have "Greater Costs" they just have "Greater Landing Fees"...

All the expense of such a system would be passed directly onto the airlines and i really cant see ANY airline accepting a 20% rise in gate/landing fees...

Plus its not the airport who handles the movement of aircraft... its the towing companies... It costs around $500 to tow a large jet so an electric tow would have to cost less than that...

[drv4truk]

Initial costs would be the worst. Once the system is up and running, it is pretty much automated. There is very little human input and would probably only need 2-3 people running an entire airports ground operations. Most of that is monitoring the trucks through the computer system. The trucks themselves only require fuel and scheduled service.

[VC-10]

I like the nose whel, but how about attatching a small fan on the wheel that spins the wheel up when you come in for landing? this would save on tire costs.