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GPUs by Best Tugs
by Rich Pickett
Many pilots are aware of Best Tugs and their broad offering of aircraft tugs – product lines we cov-
ered in the February 2019 issue of Twin & Turbine. Brothers Mark and Mike Patey, along with their wives Su- zie and Chandra, are the co-founders of Best Tugs, and their team is build- ing upon their extensive experience in power systems. They started a new entity called “Best Power” to develop a line of Ground Power Units (GPU).
Because most aircraft today have advanced avionics with database up- date requirements, pilots frequently
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need an external power supply to update the systems or simply spend time in the plane reviewing avionics or testing systems. I’ve used vari- ous external power supplies over the years, so when Mark Patey told me they were working on a new product, I arranged a visit to the company as I knew it something I wanted to evalu- ate. I own a Cirrus SR22 and Eclipse 500 and operate several other tur- bine aircraft, all with various ground power requirements. It would be a good field test.
Many aircraft owners may be storing their aircraft in hangars with
PHOTOS BY AUTHOR
15-amp electrical service. In my case, one of my planes is stored in a hangar that shares one 15-amp circuit among seven other hangars! Not a good situ- ation when you need power.
To accommodate this situation and still meet short-term power needs, such as pump activation or flap de- ployment, Best Tugs incorporated an innovative capacitor design that provides short pulses of current with- out the need for larger circuits. Their 28VDC 57-amp model (BP-57/100) can handle a 100-amp surge for several seconds. While a 20-amp circuit is recommended, I found that it can