Towing to the airport

I'm looking to tow my plane to the airport. I've seen aircraft towed
on their own wheels. I called the local police department and they
said I had to use a trailer. Does anyone know the "road rules" for
towing aircraft to the airport?

I tried googling for federal or state (Maine) regulations and basically
came up empty. Anyone know the answer or can help?

-Bruce

wrote:
I'm looking to tow my plane to the airport. I've seen aircraft towed
on their own wheels. I called the local police department and they
said I had to use a trailer. Does anyone know the "road rules" for
towing aircraft to the airport?

I tried googling for federal or state (Maine) regulations and basically
came up empty. Anyone know the answer or can help?

-Bruce


There is no reasaon you cannot license your aircraft as a road legal
"homebuilt" trailer. You will need to affix a license plate and put
brake lights/turn signals on it (you can use temporary ones, like the
tow truck guys put on their towed cars).

Check the Maine regs again, but look at how to register a trailer, or a
homebuilt trailer. I have had two separate trailers in Texas that I've
registered in that manner. None of em were capable of flight or ever
intended to be an airplane.. they were real trailers... but as long as
the state gets their road tax money, and you have the License Plate and
lights displayed, shouldnt be a problem.

Remove em before flight.. and go.
Dave

But of course! I already have a homebuilt trailer license for the
homebuilt trailer I made for the glider... Hmmm, funny how it up and
changed shape and color.

BTW, this is 1 mile on small roads, Sunday morning, I dont have any
gyros, 20 mph the whole way, no pot-wholes.

-Bruce

Dave S wrote:
wrote:
I'm looking to tow my plane to the airport. I've seen aircraft towed
on their own wheels. I called the local police department and they
said I had to use a trailer. Does anyone know the "road rules" for
towing aircraft to the airport?

I tried googling for federal or state (Maine) regulations and basically
came up empty. Anyone know the answer or can help?

-Bruce


There is no reasaon you cannot license your aircraft as a road legal
"homebuilt" trailer. You will need to affix a license plate and put
brake lights/turn signals on it (you can use temporary ones, like the
tow truck guys put on their towed cars).

Check the Maine regs again, but look at how to register a trailer, or a
homebuilt trailer. I have had two separate trailers in Texas that I've
registered in that manner. None of em were capable of flight or ever
intended to be an airplane.. they were real trailers... but as long as
the state gets their road tax money, and you have the License Plate and
lights displayed, shouldnt be a problem.

Remove em before flight.. and go.
Dave

wrote:
But of course! I already have a homebuilt trailer license for the
homebuilt trailer I made for the glider... Hmmm, funny how it up and
changed shape and color.

BTW, this is 1 mile on small roads, Sunday morning, I dont have any
gyros, 20 mph the whole way, no pot-wholes

There is a guy who flys a Kitfox out of Fortuna, CA who tows it to and
from the airport behind his pickup. It has big balloon tires, and a
special (removable) fixture to attach
the tailcone to his trailer hitch. Seems to work just fine - and I
don't remember seeing
any lights or license plate. I think he lives pretty close to the
airport.

David Johnson

wrote:
But of course! I already have a homebuilt trailer license for the
homebuilt trailer I made for the glider... Hmmm, funny how it up and
changed shape and color.

BTW, this is 1 mile on small roads, Sunday morning, I dont have any
gyros, 20 mph the whole way, no pot-wholes.

-Bruce

The Dyke Delta is designed to be towed on it's own wheels. One of the
builders, lives in Conneticut, had problems getting it registered as a
trailer. Seems they don't allow trailers to have their own propulsion
system. YMMV.

Seems like 1 mile at 4AM on a Sunday would not need much more than a
light...

denny

On 17 Aug 2006 16:38:23 -0700, "
wrote:

I'm looking to tow my plane to the airport. I've seen aircraft towed
on their own wheels. I called the local police department and they
said I had to use a trailer. Does anyone know the "road rules" for
towing aircraft to the airport?

I tried googling for federal or state (Maine) regulations and basically
came up empty. Anyone know the answer or can help?

-Bruce

I'm getting ready to tow my Glasair 3, and I'm using one of those
cheap, $200 trailers that Harbor frieght and Northern tools sell. It's
rated at 1100lbs, has a 4X8 bed, and since I carry the wing, fuselage
and engine in separate trips, I'll never get close to the weight
rating. I had to modify it by using a longer tongue for the length of
the wing. .
On a plane like that, where the wing contains the main gear, and the
wing and fuselage are carried separetly, there's no way to road
trailer the plane. Only the Glasair taildragger could be carried that
way, since it's gear is mounted to the fuselage. But then a trailer
would be needed for the wing. The guys mentioning towing their planes
backwards on it's gear, how are you carrying the wing? Rooftop?
Must be using trailers for those, unless you build something like a
T-18, or Mustang II with folding wings. Which I wouldn't mind doing
next! I'm tired of paying hanger rent, and having your plane towed
home would be like living in an airpark.

I'm looking to tow my plane to the airport. I've seen aircraft towed
on their own wheels. I called the local police department and they
said I had to use a trailer. Does anyone know the "road rules" for
towing aircraft to the airport?



Does your state issue temporary permits for unlicensed vehicles?

If so then that's your answer.

I've towed airplanes over the roads several times in Washington State.

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A

... in Conneticut... Seems they don't allow trailers to have their own propulsion
system. YMMV.

Wonder if you could argue that the "propulsion system" has no transmission to
or is not in any way connected to the wheels, as I would think that's the intent
of the law... to prevent such a transmission from in any way interfering with
the towing vehicle's use of its own power, as in loss of sync btwn a powered
trailer becoming something that pushes a towing vehicle or an inadvertent engaging
of a transmission, locking up the trailer's wheels, etc.




Dean A. Scott, mfa
---------------------------------------
School of Visual Art and Design
southern adventist university
---------------------------------------
http://www.southern.edu/~dascott

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

("Denny" wrote)
Seems like 1 mile at 4AM on a Sunday would not need much more than a
light...


Here's some lights that might work:
http://www.projectresponder.com/images/x/pr_ts_ani.gif


Montblackandwhite :-)