Ground Support Equipment in Aviation Museums

[Sasquatch]

Is this one of the coolest threads ever, or what?!

-Tom

[Noha307]

Photos from the Aviation Heritage Museum, Perth, Western Australia

These are great!

Is this one of the coolest threads ever, or what?!

Glad you agree! I've learned about so many different and unusual vehicles I wouldn't have otherwise.

By the way, I received an email from Joe Swelnis in response to my question about the differences between Clark aircraft tugs. He provided an excellent table summarizing the differences and I thought I'd share it here:

1940 - 1963 CLARKTOR TOW TRACTOR MODEL IDENTIFIER

MODEL NAME - MODEL DESIGNATION - SERIAL NUMBER DESIGNATION - MANUFACTURE DATES - DRAWBAR PULL - DRIVE WHEELS - REAR FENDER THICKNESS & WEIGHT - DRIVE WHEEL HUB - FUEL TANK LOCATION
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Standard-18 - CT18 - 1942 - 1800 lbs - Single - 14 Gauge - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Standard-20 - CT20 - 1940 - 2000 lbs - Single - Not Available - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Standard-20 - L - 1940-1943 - 2000 lbs - Single - Not Available - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Standard-24 - CT24 - 1940 - 1949 - 2100 lbs - Single - 1 1/8" (252#) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Standard-26 - CT26 - 1940 - 2600 lbs - Single - Not Available - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-33 - CM33 - 1940-1941 - 3300 lbs - Single - 1" (342#) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-33 - CM33 - 1942-1949 - 3000 lbs - Single - 1" (342#) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-40 - CM40 - 1940-1941 - 4000 lbs - Single - Not Available - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-40 - CM40 - 1942-1949 - 3700 lbs - Single - Not Available - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-44 - CM44 - 1940-1941 - 4400 lbs - Dual - 2 1/4" (915#) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-44 - H - 1940-1943 - 4400 lbs - Dual - 2 1/4" (915) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-44 - CM44 - 1942-1949 - 4000 lbs - Dual - 2 1/2" (915#) - Keyed - Under Hood
Clarktor-6 (CT6) - Mill-50 - CM50 - 1940-1949 - 4600 lbs - Dual - 4 3/4" (1480#) - Keyed - Under Hood
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clarktor 21 - CT21 - CT21 - 1950-1963 - 2100 lbs - Single - 1 1/8" (252#) - Splined - Under Seat
Clarktor 30 - CT30 - CT30 - 1950-1956 - 3000 lbs - Single - 1" (342#) - Splined - Under Seat
Clarktor 40 - CT40 - CT40 - 1950-1956 - 4000 lbs - Dual - 2 1/2" (915#) - Splined - Under Seat
Clarktor 46 - CT46 - CT46 - 1950-1956 - 4600 lbs - Dual - 4 3/4" (1480#) - Splined - Under Seat

11 February 2008

He also recommended a Facebook group in addition to the Yahoo group.

I also found a somewhat better view of the previously noted yellow tug numbered 5 at Battleship Memorial Park. Note that it is different from the yellow tug at BMP mentioned even earlier in this thread:

(Source: Hurricane Digital Memory Bank)

EDIT: I've uploaded a screenshot of the chart for easier viewing.

[Noha307]

I was going through the A-26K restoration thread and I came upon two posts (1, 2) about their "Ramp Service Vehicle". Apparently, it is a custom built piece of equipment - which is the first I've come across in my posts in this thread.

(Source: Photobucket)

(Source: Photobucket)

Also on WIX, I came across a thread about a Brooks Van Ette line maintenance truck that was being restored at the Yankee Air Museum. Apparently, it had been used at the Willow Run Plant. Unfortunately, the museum had to deaccession it. (Anyone have any updates?)

EDIT: Found a few more pictures of the Ramp Service Vehicle on another post in the Special Kay restoration thread:

(Source: Flickr)

(Source: Flickr)

Last edited by Noha307 on Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Noha307]

More pictures from the B-26K thread. This time it's from three posts (1, 2, 3) about their crane:

(Source: Photobucket)

(Source: Photobucket)

(Source: Photobucket)

EDIT: Found two more posts (1, 2) from the Special Kay restoration thread with pictures of the crane:

(Source: Photobucket)

(Source: Photobucket)

[Noha307]

The Avro Heritage Museum has at least one piece of GSE and possibly two more.

First is a blue painted Austin Commer pickup truck from the 1950s marked as "104" and "Avro". It has a Rolls-Royce Palouste Air Starter that was apparently used to start the engines on the Vulcan:

(Source: Google Plus)

(Source: Google Plus)

I also found two tugs in the same Google Plus photo album of the museum, but I don't know if they belong to the museum or not. It appears as though the museum has had military vehicle shows in the past, so the TEA-20 may have come as part of that. The museum is located on the now-closed Woodford Aerodrome, so the Reliance Mercury tug may be a leftover from the former Avro factory there.

One is apparently a yellow Reliance Mecury tug:

(Source: Google Plus)

The other is a Ferguson TEA-20 Tractor:

(Source: Google Plus)

I was able to identify it as a TEA-20 by comparison with the one at the Ulster Aviation Society posted earlier in this thread. Based on what I have come across while adding to this thread, it seems that the Ferguson TEA-20 was one of the two main types of tugs used by the British during World War II - with the other being the David Brown (as seen at the Malta Aviation Museum and Royal Air Force Museum)

The Greenwood Military Aviation Museum up in Canada restored a 1964/1965 Pettibone Mercury Super Huskie tug in approximately 2016:

(Source: Greenwood Military Aviation Museum)

(Source: Greenwood Military Aviation Museum)

A post on their Facebook page added a few more details:

Link to Oversize Photo
The Lancaster-era Mercury Aircraft Tug Restoration Team includes Ernie Killen, Jim Phillips and Keith Brenson. (Butch Fleury, Andrew McNutt missing)

This "mule", stems from the Mercury Truck and Tractor Company's contribution to the war effort by retooling and producing aircraft tugs on their tractor and truck chassis. This particular example was produced after the war by the Pettibone Mercury Tow Tractor Co. of Galion, OH in 1964/65. Sold as a Mercury Super Huskie, it has a flat head 6 cyl engine and a 5,000 lb Draw Bar Pull which is capable of towing 100,000 pounds on flat, level, freshly swept concrete. Weight was added with the addition of two 1" thick steel plates around the rear and front to aid in traction pulling heavy aircraft. Hydraulic brakes, and an emergency brake were added as well but the motor housing and steering wheel retained the looks of a classic Mercury farm tractor.

Finally, without any additional context, I found this picture of a tug in use at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum:

(Source: Airliners.net)

[ZRX61]

With the recent death of Howard Keck, his vintage David Brown tractor may be available. The thing is cherry & has civilian paint.

[Noha307]

With the recent death of Howard Keck, his vintage David Brown tractor may be available. The thing is cherry & has civilian paint.

I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with Mr. Keck. Could you explain who he is?

I was digging around on NMUSAF's website, and I found a few other examples of GSE to add to the ones in the previous post:

MHU-12 Munitions Handling Trailer - Refurbished by the 1st Equipment Maintenance Squadron, received by the museum in 1991

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

MHU-12/M Munitions Handling Trailer

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

K-3 Bomb Lift Truck - Donated by W.N. Oswald

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

H-1 Ground Support Heater - Manufactured by the American Air Filter Company, restored and donated to the museum by 89th Military Airlift Wing in July 1987

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

NF-2 Floodlight Set

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

TMU-27/M LOX Cart - Donated by Avco Corporation

(Source: National Museum of the US Air Force)

[K5DH]

Regarding GGA's nifty little Ramp Service Vehicle, it's a commercially-built unit made by Columbia. It even has a heater and a rooftop air conditioner! Most of the time they operate it with the cab doors off.

[ZRX61]

With the recent death of Howard Keck, his vintage David Brown tractor may be available. The thing is cherry & has civilian paint.

I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with Mr. Keck. Could you explain who he is?

Oil family, most of them jet around in GulfStreams... but Howard had a couple of A26's like his grandfather had back in the day. Family foundation put that Observatory on Hawaii & funded the Keck School of Medicine at USC (& a couple of other college hospitals, Ohio & Texas I think) They had a race team in the '50's that won the Indy 500 a couple of times, the old man owned a big chunk (200 acres or so) of LA where the Playboy Mansion is.
Howard had remarkably good taste in tugs, cars & aircraft.

[Noha307]

Privyet, comrades! I found some pictures of an SPT-114 airstair in use at the Central Air Force Museum in Russia. Apparently, the museum purchased it in late 2017, and then restored it for use with their Tu-144:

(Source: LiveJournal)

(Source: LiveJournal)

The Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum can be added to the long list ([1], [2], [3], [4]) of museums that have (or in this case had) a USAF fire truck:

(Source: Aerial Visuals)

(Source: Aerial Visuals)

The museum apparently also had this 1944 Kenworth-Mack Class 155 on display at some time. Note that there appears to be another fire truck behind it:

(Source: Fire Trucks at War)

Finally, on a related note, I found an example of a 1956 Allis Chalmers Shop Mule, that, while not owned by the museum, was jokingly attached to the EC-121 at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum:
Link to Oversize Photo
(Source: Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl)

[Noha307]

The Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum has some unknown airstair that may be used for their EC-135:

(Source: Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum)

The firetrucks at the Alberta Aviation Museum were already mentioned in an earlier post, but the museum also has a yellow aircraft tug:

(Source: Alberta Aviation Museum)

The tug at the Queensland Air Museum mentioned in a previous post, was apparently donated to the museum by Qantas on 25 June 1986 and is a Clarktor, according to the QAM's page for the tug:

QAM President, Dick Hitchins, accepts the restored Qantas Clarktor tug from Qantas Airport Manager, Ken Pike (right) and John Foran of Qantas Engineering (left) at Brisbane Airport on 25 June 1986.

(Source: Queensland Air Museum)

The plaque attached to the Qantas Clarktor tug.

(Source: Queensland Air Museum)

I also discovered a page for Hastings Deering airstairs that was likely donated to the museum around 1989:

The restored Qantas Hastings Deering stairs en route to Caloundra on 2 March 1989.

(Source: Queensland Air Museum)

George Roberts poses proudly with the Qantas Hastings Deering stairs which he helped to design. George was an honoured guest at QAM on 1 July 2007 when he participated in the unveiling of the Wicko Cabin Sports replica. Seventy-six years earlier, George had assisted Geoff Wikner with the construction of the original aircraft.

(Source: Queensland Air Museum)

Also in Australia, the HARS Aviation Museum uses this yellow tug, named for Trevor Wallace, who is seen here driving it:
Link to Oversize Photo
(Source: Facebook)

While not at an aviation museum, but still in an old Qantas hangar, is a Qantas tug with the Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club in Darwin. Apparently Hastings Deering must have been a big manufacturer of GSE over there. Check it out in this YouTube video walkaround.

[Noha307]

I've mentioned the British Columbia Aviation Museum briefly once before in this thread, but apparently they had more tugs than I realized:

They have what appear to be both a yellow and a red Clark tug:

(Source: ABPic)

There is also of course the light blue tug from the previous post:


Fourth, there is a white tug, numbered "640":


Finally, they apparently also have an old airport fire truck, numbered "4":

(Source: Flickr)

[Noha307]

Bonjour! The Ailes Anciennes Toulouse in France apparently has at least 4 tugs - as well as an airstair and what appears to be a towed ground power unit. I was lucky enough to find some good pictures of them on Google Plus:

A yellow Tracma tug named "Bob" and a light blue tug with white stripes:

(Source: Google Plus)

Same as above:

(Source: Google Plus)

An olive drab Tracma tug:

(Source: Google Plus)

A different olive drab Tracma tug. This one has a trailer, is numbered "5842 26 2073", and bears a NATO Joint Military Symbol for fixed wing aviation on the front "bumper":

(Source: Google Plus)

A close-up of the trailer:

(Source: Google Plus)

[Sasquatch]

Last edited by Sasquatch on Wed Feb 13, 2019 7:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[bdk]

The red vehicle to the right may be a forklift. It appears to have the engine (and radiator air inlet/exit) in the rear.

They have what appear to be both a yellow and a red Clark tug:

(Source: ABPic)