When you picture a helicopter, there’s little doubt that you envision a vehicle high in the air. Of course, what goes up must come down, and a significant amount of a helicopter’s time is spent on the ground. There are some circumstances where moving your helicopter on the floor is more cost-effective than taking flight and safer for your vehicle. So if you’re wondering how to move your helicopter safely, we’ve got you covered here at Industar.
When would I need to move my helicopter on the ground?
You’re likely wondering why you’d need to find another means of moving your helicopter when it’s perfectly capable of flying, or ‘hover taxiing’. Hover taxiing occurs when you keep a slight distance off the ground and hover to your destination using your helicopter blades. The reality is that not every setting is suitable for a helicopter landing from any height. You’ll need to find another way to move your vehicle from the landing pad to your storage.
Scenarios where you’ll need to tug your helicopter include:
- When you’re taking it for repair.
- If you decide to try and sell the vehicle, and you want to display it publicly.
- Moving it between busy helipads that are a short distance apart.
- If you need the helicopter in a dense area and hovering would be disruptive.
- When you’re putting the vehicle in storage.
How should I move my helicopter without flying?
When you need to move your helicopter on the ground, you have a variety of options. Depending on whether your vehicle has its own set of wheels, different methods will suit your budget and keep the helicopter safe during transport.
1. Move the vehicle with a tow tug
Airport tugs are one of the most sensible methods to move your helicopter on the ground. With a specialist tow bar, these electric tugs are essentially built to transfer your vehicle from the airfield to the hangar. A standard tow tug can only manoeuvre helicopters with wheels. The equipment would need to be more significant to fit the entire body on board.
Choosing a tow tug over hover taxiing means the paint and the bodywork on your vehicle will face less dust and rust. Tow tugs are also incredibly cost-effective since you can hire them rather than having to invest in buying the machinery for yourself.
2. Use a platform dolly
A platform dolly is a mobile helipad with manual brakes. It closely resembles a flatbed trailer, but it gives helicopters without wheels an ability to be manoeuvred. One thing that needs to be noted about a platform dolly for vehicles without wheels is it’s a riskier option. Pilots need to land the helicopter onto your platform dolly very accurately or risk damaging the aircraft.
Once your vehicle is parked on the platform dolly, you can drag it to your storage or the next destination. The motors that can tow your dolly include a tow tug, which suits tight spaces. The process of fixing a trailer to any vehicle is inconvenient but necessary if your helicopter has no wheels.
3. Try a HeliTow Cart
A HeliTow cart combines the dolly and the tow tug to create equipment that acts as the wheels and the motor. One single person can operate a cart and move a large helicopter. One downside to this equipment is that the operator isn’t in a vehicle, so you cannot use this method for long distances. Platform dollies could be taken on the road where necessary, with caution.
If you have more questions about machines suitable to move large vehicles, contact us at Industar. We’ve got a range of electric movers and tow tugs that could make your life easier, and we’re always more than happy to help!