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operation of the loading platform. For those owners who need a “Lazy Susan” ramp for either limited nose gear turning limits, or narrow hangar ap- proaches, you can order that option with the Romeo. I’ve used their remote control and it is very intuitive with ad- vanced features not available on other remote tugs.
Recently, Best Tugs released their new ride-on line of tugs, the Echo, start- ing with the E12, E15, E18, E21 and E24 which I evaluated at NBAA in October. The Echo is the most advanced ride-on tug I’ve ever seen. Designed primarily for FBOs (or owners that simply want to have the latest technology), the Echo series sports a touch panel to control the features of the tug. Using the all- weather touch panel, operators can se- lect power based upon what weight they will be moving, operate the optional winch or lift, even tune the included 10 watt Garmin communications radio to call base or the airport Ground Control.
The power adjustment for various aircraft helps reduce any potential
damage, especially to lighter aircraft and can even sense if the pilot has left the brakes on. They even included a visual monitor for the steerable wheel position which should prevent many tug incidents. As we know, software requires updates and you can download the latest software with the included adaptor from your smartphone to up- date your Echo to the latest release. Another example of the user-focused design of their tugs.
Best Tug products also offer unique features such an auto-throttle, braking and even optional regenerative brak- ing on some models. The auto-throttle will actually sense if an airplane being moving is on a slope and will prevent runaway movement – while at the same time braking to charge the batteries. Their system monitors sensors 100 times per second, and can make ad- justments at the rate of 30 per second.
A common damage to planes dur- ing towing occurs when the prop hits the tug and is bent. As more aircraft have four and five bladed propellers,
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26 • TWIN & TURBINE
February 2019