Marty,
The controllers at IAD hate it when the Ramp crew tows an airplane from
one gate to another. It is just too slow. If you try this during a push
period forget it you will wait until the push is over. This could be 1-2
hours. Usually the decision comes down to who is available and what does
the ground traffic look like at the time of movement and how quickly
does it need to be moved. If for some reason we had to tow an airplane
from the gates to the Hangar, a distance of about 2 Miles, it was done
in the middle of the night. This operation would take about 40 minutes.

Michelle

Marty wrote:

"SteveT" wrote in message
roups.com...


Hello All,
Perhaps someone hereabouts can settle a discussion I had with a fellow
passenger on an airliner the other day: Suppose there's a 747 parked
at a gate and they need to taxi it over to a maintenance area. Does it
require a licensed pilot to taxi a plane that large (or any plane, for
that matter) on the ground? We are stipulating that the plane is not
going to take off -- merely drive from one part of the airport to
another. Also, if pilots do NOT usually perform this task, then who
usually does?
Thanks for any info to settle this!




No "license" needed to taxi, but when I worked at a small airport, we never
started a plane to move it. We used a tug or towbar.

Many GA airports use tugs to move the small ones around or simply use a tow
bar.As a service,
employees of the airport/FBO regularly retrive aircraft from hangers for
pilots. They will often refuel and park the aircraft for the pilots upon
their return.

My guess with airliners it comes down to economics. Just can't see any
reason to spool up an airliner just to taxi when there is plenty of tugs and
wing walkers around.

Starting engines just to taxi an aircraft seems like opening a liability
can-o-worms.