 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Isle of Man |
Key people |
|
| Website | wheeltug |
WheelTug is a company known for its in-wheel electric taxiing system for airplanes. They are headquartered in the Isle of Man and have manufacturing facilities in Baltimore, Maryland. [1] [2]
The WheelTug system enables airplanes to taxi forward and backwards without needing a tow tractor or using main jet engines. The system uses twin electric motors installed in the rims of the nose wheels. [3] These motors are powered by the aircraft's Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). According to Aviation Week, the WheelTug system is projected to provide savings in ground turnaround time and increased aircraft utilization. [4] [5]
In June 2005 Chorus Motors first ground tested the WheelTug concept on an ex-Air Canada Boeing 767 at the Evergreen Air Center at Pinal Airpark Aircraft boneyard in Marana, Arizona, with an electric motor attached to the nose wheel for taxi testing. [6] Delta Air Lines issued a press release in 2007 that Delta would become a development partner and launch customer for WheelTug expecting installation of first production units on Delta's Boeing 737s by late 2009. [7] According to a Wheeltug press release, roller tests were conducted at Prague Airport in November 2010 in snowy and icy conditions, and the first fully 'in-wheel' demonstration unit was tested there June 2012. In December 2016 the FAA accepted the company's Supplemental Type Certification (STC) plan for the Boeing 737 Next Generation models. [8]
As of January 2017 Wheeltug claims that more than 20 commercial airlines accepted optional production slots over the years. CEO Isaiah Cox states that he hoped WheelTug would enter service for the 737NG when the certification process was expected to be complete in late 2018, with Canadian carrier Air Transat as the launch customer. [4] [9] In September 2020 Cox said that the system would be in production and certified in late 2021 and also claimed that Wheeltug had become so popular that it is expected to be added to a future release of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Cox said the main obstacles to adoption are the difficulty of renegotiating contracts with labor unions and aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and former Wheeltug development partner Boeing, who "actively discourage airlines from trying WheelTug" as he claims leasing a WheelTug unit can make older aircraft useful again without needing to purchase newly manufactured aircraft. [10]
In a may 2024 interview CEO Cox stated the company is still two thirds of the way towards acquiring US FAA certification and hopes to be installed and in use on airliners around the beginning of 2026. [11]
TaxiBot, a semi-robotic towbar-less tractor which drives to meet and moves the unmodified aircraft, is the only current alternative E-Taxiing system certified and in use. TaxiBot can tow aircraft from the gate to the takeoff point. [12]
A direct competitor, previously under development by EGTS International (a joint venture between Honeywell and Safran), sought to install ground taxi motors in the main landing gear wheels. [13] [14] The partnership was dissolved due to the new economics imposed by the sharp drop in the price of jet fuel. [15] [16] Safran continued to work on a main landing gear drive for Airbus until 2019, when Airbus signaled dissatisfaction with the economic trade-offs. [17]
An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115 V AC voltage at 400 Hz, to run the electrical systems of the aircraft; others can produce 28 V DC voltage. APUs can provide power through single or three-phase systems.
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry.
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astronautics. Aerospace organizations research, design, manufacture, operate, maintain, and repair both aircraft and spacecraft.
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid-1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along with their first orders in June 1987. The A330-300, the first variant, took its maiden flight in November 1992 and entered service with Air Inter in January 1994. The slightly shorter A330-200 variant followed in 1998 with Canada 3000 as the launch operator.
Taxiing is the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or pushback where the aircraft is moved by a tug. The aircraft usually moves on wheels, but the term also includes aircraft with skis or floats.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, which focused largely on efficiency. The program was launched on April 26, 2004, with an order for 50 aircraft from All Nippon Airways (ANA), targeting a 2008 introduction. On July 8, 2007, a prototype 787 without major operating systems was rolled out; subsequently the aircraft experienced multiple delays, until its maiden flight on December 15, 2009. Type certification was received in August 2011, and the first 787-8 was delivered in September 2011 before entering commercial service on October 26, 2011, with ANA.
The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targeting a 10% cost reduction with more efficient engines and 1,000 nautical miles [nmi] of additional range. Northwest Airlines became the first customer with an order for 10 aircraft on October 22, 1985. The first 747-400 was rolled out on January 26, 1988, and made its maiden flight on April 29, 1988. Type certification was received on January 9, 1989, and it entered service with Northwest on February 9, 1989.
SIA Engineering Company Limited is a Singaporean company specializing in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services in the Asia-Pacific. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Singapore Airlines Group (SIA), formed in 1992 by separating SIA's engineering division.
Safran S.A. is a French multinational aerospace and defence corporation that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, helicopter engines, spacecraft propulsion systems as well as various other aerospace and military equipment. The company arose in 2005 through a merger between SNECMA and defense electronics specialist SAGEM. Safran's acquisition of Zodiac Aerospace in 2018 significantly expanded its aeronautical activities.
In aviation, pushback is an airport procedure during which an aircraft is pushed backwards away from its parking position, usually at an airport gate by external power. Pushbacks are carried out by special, low-profile vehicles called pushback tractors or tugs.
The Comac C919 is a narrow-body airliner developed by Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac. The development program was launched in 2008. Production began in December 2011, with the first prototype being rolled out on 2 November 2015; the maiden flight took place on 5 May 2017. On 29 September 2022 the C919 received its CAAC type certificate. The first production airframe was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on 9 December 2022 and was put into commercial passenger service on 28 May 2023.
The Airbus A320neo family is an incremental development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family is based on the enhanced variant of the previous generation A319, A320, and A321, which was then retrospectively renamed the A320ceo family.
The Boeing 777X is the latest series of the long-range, wide-body, twin-engine jetliners in the Boeing 777 family from Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The changes for 777X include GE9X engines, composite wings with folding wingtips, greater cabin width and seating capacity, and technologies from the Boeing 787. The 777X was launched in November 2013 with two variants: the 777-8 and the 777-9. The 777-8 provides seating for 395 passengers and has a range of 8,745 nmi while the 777-9 has seating for 426 passengers and a range of over 7,285 nmi.
An Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS) is an electric taxiing system which allows aircraft to taxi and pushback without requiring the use of aircraft engines or a pushback tractor, and is designed to reduce fuel volumes used by aircraft and reduce greenhouse gas emissions during ground operations. EGTS technology enables aircraft to avoid using their main engines during taxiing and instead taxi autonomously under their own electrical power, using the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator. The system is designed for single-aisle aircraft, such as the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.
The Aerion AS2 was a proposed supersonic business jet that was being developed by Aerion Corporation. In May 2014, it was announced that the Aerion AS2 would be part of a larger Aerion SBJ redesign, which aimed for release after a seven-year developmental period. Aerion partnered with Airbus in September the same year. In December 2017, Airbus was replaced by Lockheed Martin. Its General Electric Affinity engine was unveiled in October 2018. In February 2019, Boeing replaced Lockheed Martin. Development stopped when Aerion ceased operations in May 2021.
The TaxiBot, developed by the Lahav Division of Israel Aerospace Industries, is a semi-robotic, towbarless aircraft tractor.
Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is the use of small, highly automated aircraft to carry passengers or cargo at lower altitudes in urban and suburban areas which have been developed in response to traffic congestion. It usually refers to existing and emerging technologies such as traditional helicopters, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (VTOL), electrically propelled vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOL), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These aircraft are characterized by the use of multiple electric-powered rotors or fans for lift and propulsion, along with fly-by-wire systems to control them. Inventors have explored urban air mobility concepts since the early days of powered flight. However, advances in materials, computerized flight controls, batteries and electric motors improved innovation and designs beginning in the late 2010s. Most UAM proponents envision that the aircraft will be owned and operated by professional operators, as with taxis, rather than by private individuals.
This is a list of aviation-related events in 2018.
This is a list of aviation-related events in 2019.
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