Ground Support Equipment in Aviation Museums

[ErrolC]

Some from Tyabb Airshow, just outside Melbourne Australia. Judy Pays collection is based there, along with others.

Pulling Machine by Errol Cavit, on Flickr

VH-BVB getting brought over by Errol Cavit, on Flickr

Mighty Corsair! by Errol Cavit, on Flickr

[Noha307]

Some from Tyabb Airshow, just outside Melbourne Australia. Judy Pays collection is based there, along with others.

Thanks! I like the irony of a Toyota tug pulling its former enemy!

The Jet Age Museum has an interesting, likely pre-WWII, fire cart:

(Source: Jet Age Museum)

GSE at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum
Bedford TK Mobile Control Tower, 81 AE69, served at RAF Manston:

(Source: Bournemouth Aviation Museum)

Chubb Spearhead Rapid Intervention Vehicle, SHX 352R, used at Stansted Airport, donated to museum by the Brooklands Museum:

(Source: Bournemouth Aviation Museum)

Fleetline FE30 Double-Decker Bus, license plate GRU162V, c/n 79022324, this vehicle is technically not GSE:

(Source: Bournemouth Aviation Museum)

Finally, I should note that while a number of the link pictures in this thread are now broken, I have been consistently archiving each page in the Internet Archive. So if there is a picture missing that you would like to see, enter the URL in the Internet Archive and it should appear.

[Noha307]

As prompted by a different thread, the Manx Aviation and Military Museum has four aircraft recovery dollies and a bomb trailer strengthened to be used for aircraft recovery on display:

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

[dhfan]

Not that it would help much for that side of the Atlantic but somebody invested a lot of time in a labour of love some years ago.

RAF Ground Support Equipment Since 1918 by FJ Adkin
ISBN 10: 1853105627 / ISBN 13: 9781853105623

It's interesting to dip into now and then but I guess if I sat down and actually tried to read the whole book it would be a great cure for insomnia. Riveting it isn't...

[Noha307]

Not that it would help much for that side of the Atlantic but somebody invested a lot of time in a labour of love some years ago.

RAF Ground Support Equipment Since 1918 by FJ Adkin
ISBN 10: 1853105627 / ISBN 13: 9781853105623

It's interesting to dip into now and then but I guess if I sat down and actually tried to read the whole book it would be a great cure for insomnia. Riveting it isn't...

Thanks a bunch! I may have to agree that it isn't that interesting, (and I'm afraid of being pigeonholed as the GSE guy as a result of this thread) but it would definitely be a useful reference.

Apparently the only remaining APA-12 starter version of the GAZ 69, used to start Mi-1s and Mi-2s, is on display at the RepTár Museum of Szolnok:

(Source: Reptar)

The Hoosier Air Museum has since closed (or at least moved to Kruze Plaza complex to become the the Hoosier Air Experience), but they had a white Clarktor:


(Source: Warbirds and Airshows)

Finally, the Grimes Flying Lab has a 1948 Jeep CJ-2 painted red, white, and blue to match their Beech 18:

(Source: Full Disc Aviation)

(Source: Fun Places to Fly)

[Jerry O'Neill]

Has anybody any info on a gasoline powered, US Navy P-36 Airfield Maintenance and Line Service Vehicle, built around 1963 by the Frank G. Hough Co.?
It looks a bit like a Mule, but has a box cowling over the engine, which is mounted on the right side.
Any info or photos would be great as I'm trying to track one down.

[Cubs2jets]

From my allotted 20 minutes of google surfing it appears that the Hough P36 was a top secret design and no pictures were ever allowed of it. IF someone did take pictures, their camera was confiscated and the film exposed to hide all evidence.

C2j

[ZRX61]

What's this contraption?

Attachments

[phixer]

I see a C-1 stand next to the plane and if I remember correctly a MA-2 ( MA Deuce) with the AC and DC power cords connected to the plane, it could also provide air for starting.

[Noha307]

Just a quick one. Not mentioned in the previous post about the museum, the CL-215 at the Technik Museum Speyer has or had what appears to be some sort of aircraft tug under its wing:

(Source: Aerial Visuals)

[Michel Lemieux]

Noha!

Do you know what's with the Schlepp bent prop on the left side of the picture?

Glad to see an AC manufactured 5 minutes from where I live being preserved in Germany. They are still used in many parts of the world.

[Noha307]

Do you know what's with the Schlepp bent prop on the left side of the picture?

Sorry, no idea.

The Piet Smedts Autobedrijf has a start cart numbered "128" and airstair labeled "Templehof" next to the first Caravelle built:

(Source: Airliners)

The Danmarks Teknisk Museum has some sort of jeep looking vehicle in SAS colors next to their Caravelle:

(Source: Danmarks Teknisk Museum)

[airnutz]

Noha..the jeep looking thingy is a British origin Mini Moke.

[Rustman]

Great thread! I read the first page and skipped to the end to comment. I'll go back and read the rest tonight. I'm a USAAF reenactor and we associate with several museums. We usually display more of the Base Operations and less of the flying side these days. We have Weather, Squadron Ops and Admin sections as well as the Automotive Maintenance. One of our members has a lead on a tug, and we do have a C-1 Instrument Testing Cart. Otherwise our GSE is more in line with Jeeps and associated trailers. Curious if anyone has any photos of the F-2 Airdrome trailer in use during WW2? That is the 4 wheeled flight line trailer that is near ubiquitous on airfields everywhere to this day, it's listed in the WW2 manuals but I've not seen one in use (especially overseas) yet during that time. There's another trailer listed, an F-1 that is a 2-axle. I've never seen one of them period.

Matt

[Noha307]

One of our members has a lead on a tug, and we do have a C-1 Instrument Testing Cart. Otherwise our GSE is more in line with Jeeps and associated trailers. Curious if anyone has any photos of the F-2 Airdrome trailer in use during WW2?

Sorry, no idea where one of those might be. However, if you want to post pictures of the others, please feel free.

I mentioned NASM's "Big Blue" in an earlier post, but I finall came across pictures of what I assume to be their aircraft tug. It appears to be an SML-100:

(Source: Flickr)

(Source: Flickr)