A Nod to the Stupid Yellow Tugs

Posted 4Sep18.

“What is your favorite military equipment to operate?”

I could give you all sorts of cool “Rock & Roll” type answers for this one – M-60D…

…The newer and much nicer M-240H…

…Bambi buckets…

…The Breeze-Eastern Internal Rescue Hoist…

…The M-4 carbine…

However, the most favorite thing I had to operate directly was the stupid yellow tugs used to tow the helicopters around.

The official name was Eagle TN-4 Light Aircraft Tug (or other DoD nomenclature I have dumped with a quickness)… but oh, was it hilariously fun for me to drive.

There were usually two towing pintles to which one could hook the towbar up to. Most folks chose the easy option of using the rear one and pulled the helicopter backwards, whereas I would use the front and push the bird forwards.

If you have ever towed a boat or trailer, the idea is the same, but with a much wider path to consider. Backing this way turned into a nightmare for most as they were craned around and fighting the four pivot points: the main landing gear, the tail landing gear, the attachment for the towbar, and the front wheels of the tug itself.

Pushing, for me was more fun. I actually had a perverse sense of pride when I would push the birds for long distances while keeping one of the main landing gear tires centered on whatever crack or painted line I could use as a reference. Not only that, but it was a considerably safer way to move aircraft. In the 20 years I was in aviation, I know of four people getting run over by a main landing gear tire (carelessness, rushing, and lack of situational awareness = pain and pins in the leg at the hospital), several tip caps destroyed from hitting structures or other equipment, and two fire hydrants hit in the process of towing.

So yeah… all the time I spent in Army Aviation and neat weapons and equipment I’ve gotten my hands on and this – the crappy and often-poorly-maintained yellow tug – is one of the things that I miss operating.

Weird.