Ground Support Equipment in Aviation Museums

[Left Seat]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142209609@N05/47024329072/
International "Cornbinder", USS Hornet CV-8

Someone somewhere should get a medal for their ability to properly tie down a tug.
Tom P.

[Noha307]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142209609@N05/47024329072/
International "Cornbinder", USS Hornet CV-8

Someone somewhere should get a medal for their ability to properly tie down a tug.
Tom P.

Darn it! You beat me to it! I even had the best line worked up for it too. ("Okay, so it isn't actually in a museum, but it is preserved...in a way.") Oh well.

This has to be one of the stranger situations I've seen a tug in. If International Harvester was still around, it would make for one heck of an advertisement. Interestingly, the former Navy tug at the Fargo Air Museum that was mentioned earlier in the thread also appears to be an International Harvester. Maybe the Navy had some sort of affinity for the type?

It looks like the guy with the aircraft carrier tug modeling page will have to update his list.

[ZRX61]

Won't start, I think the engine is flooded...

[Sasquatch]

Won't start, I think the engine is flooded...

Now that was funny!

[Rob W]

Whatever this is with Stallion 51

Look like a modified, drivable GPU unit. The rear portion doesn't appear to have structure enough to handle towing an aircraft nor do I see a pintle hook to attach a tow-bar.

[ZRX61]

How about this rig?



Rear view (yes, he has more than one of them):

[Noha307]

How about this rig?

Don't really think those count for the purposes of this thread, but pretty unique nonetheless.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum apparently has an old, white Dodge fire truck, number 926, at their annex, but I don't know if it is aviation related:

(Source: Flickr)

They also have a yellow tug:

(Source: Google Plus)

[Noha307]

GSE at the Queensland Air Museum

An MJ-1 lift truck – which was the same type of equipment mentioned in two previous posts (1, 2):

(Source: Flickr)

A yellow "pre oiler pickler":

(Source: Flickr)

They also have the same type of airport stair truck mentioned in a previous post. I guess Qantas really handed these out like the USAF handed out SR-71 start carts:

(Source: Flickr)

Finally, this green Austin truck was included in the series of pictures, so I assume it belongs to the museum:

(Source: Flickr)

I was also recently reading going through the Beech Restorations website and noticed that they refurbished a tug that they ended up naming "Rosie" and marking as "43-35943". To read the story from start to finish, check out their 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th newsletters. They also restored a Kettenkrad, which I understand was used by the Luftwaffe as an aircraft tug among other things.

[Noha307]

The Maine Air Museum has a 1944 crash truck on loan (?) from the Cole Land Transportation Museum:

(Source: Maine Air Museum)

Second, the Aviodrome has quite a few number of ground vehicles, although a lot of them appear to be classic civilian cars with little to no connection to aviation. Here's some of the more relevant pieces:

Fuel tanker in KLM colors:

(Source: Flickr)

Possible Clark tug in old KLM colors:

(Source: Flickr)

Clark tug, yellow:

(Source: Flickr)

Some kind of towed equipment, possibly a starter, yellow, marked "AVIODROME":

(Source: Flickr)

Dark blue M35 cargo truck:

(Source: Flickr)

Olive drab tow truck, marked as "10":

(Source: Flickr)

Possible airport fire truck, license plate "ZV-01-02":

(Source: Flickr)

Finally, although it is not at a museum, I found this display of a restored U.S. Air Force R-2 crash truck quite interesting.

[4RG.I.'S]

Clark tug, cute little feller for sale on Barnstormers right now (not mine, just passing it along)... I'd love to have one!

VINTAGE CLARK AIRCRAFT TUG • $5,500 • FOR SALE • 1940's era Clark aircraft tug. Restored several times over the years and runs fine. This has the 4 cylinder Continental (I think) water cooled engine and a 6 volt battery. • Contact Mark Huffstutler - LANCAIR INTERNATIONAL, LLC., Owner - located Uvalde, TX USA • Telephone: 830-591-4750 • Posted April 28, 2019

Attachments

4.jpg (24.68 KiB) Viewed 1698 times

3.jpg (23.91 KiB) Viewed 1698 times

2.jpg (54.49 KiB) Viewed 1698 times

1.jpg (34.31 KiB) Viewed 1698 times

[Noha307]

The aircraft tug at the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation mentioned in a previous post was apparently repainted at some point. Confusingly, they also seem to have another very similar looking tug that is also in olive drab:

(Source: Warbirds Digest)

The Air Force Museum of New Zealand has a 1986 Unipower RE4-D Airfield Fire Appliance in its reserve collection, previously served at Wigram and Woodbourne Air Force Bases, license plate "NJ 4343", marked as R3:

(Source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand)


(Source: Google Sites)

They have a gray fuel tanker parked next to their C-47, license plate "DY 2661":

(Source: Google Sites)


(Source: Flickr)

There's a Vauxhall that, based on the flag on the hood, appears to have been used as a staff car, license plate "20.505":

(Source: Flickr)

In addition, a YouTube video shows that they also have a yellow tug in their storage building:


It is featured in another video moving their Andover:

[Noha307]

The Eagles Mere Air Museum has at least three vehicles that may or may not be original GSE:

Ford Model T Station Hack:

(Source: Flickr)

1930s Ford Model A Fuel Truck

(Source: Flickr)

1950s Chevrolet Pickup Truck

(Source: Flickr)

In addition to the ubiquitous tugs, Clark also manufactured an air transportable bulldozer called the Clark CA-1. One of their uses was building airstrips in remote areas. So although they didn't service airplanes directly, they seemed relevant enough to include here. I've already mentioned one that is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in a previous post, but I came across two more. One is at the Air Mobility Command Museum and the other is at the Imperial War Museum London.

The one at the AMCM was restored by a Mr. Darrell Smoker:
Link to Oversize Picture
(Source: Air Mobility Command Museum)


(Source: Imperial War Museums)

Apparently, there is quite the little community that has grown up around restoring these miniature bulldozers – including even at least one restoration company that specializes in them and a dedicated online forum.

[4RG.I.'S]

There's a very nicely redone Clarkat on Barnstormers for sale. It is modernized but sure looks pretty. Not mine, just mentioning it...

Attachments

[Noha307]

The Technik Museum Speyer seems to have picked up two former Lufthansa aircraft tugs:

The first is numbered "88 810". Judging by the accompanying article, it likely was acquired with the Vickers Viscount that Lufthansa loaned the museum in 2013:

(Source: Flug Revue)

The second is numbered "88 502" and called the Plane Transportation System, or PTS-1:

(Source: SmugMug)

Both yellow-painted tugs together - along with a third, unknown, white tug:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Also, a quick picture of some unknown trailer numbered "177" at the Luftfahrtmuseum Wernigerode:

(Source: AviationMuseum.eu)

[ZRX61]

There's a very nicely redone Clarkat on Barnstormers for sale. It is modernized but sure looks pretty. Not mine, just mentioning it...

There's enough of those things around VNY to hold a race...