Method and tractor for towing aircraft

Towing apparatus comprising

• a tractor having a front end and a rear end;
• a tow bar coupled to the rear end of the tractor;
• a sensing element mounted in said tow bar for continuously measuring the force transmitted through said tow bar and for continuously emitting a measured value signal in response to said transmitted force;
• means for generating a traction effect by said tractor;
• brakes for stopping said tractor;
• and
• a control unit for receiving and comparing said measured value signal with a desired value signal and for delivering a control signal to one of said means for generating a traction effect and brakes in response to a difference between said measured value signal and said desired value signal to selectively increase the traction effect of said tractor or brake said tractor.

A method of towing an aircraft having nose wheel gear which comprises the steps of

• attaching a tractor having means for generating a traction effect and braking means to the aircraft nose wheel gear;
• continuously measuring the traction and pressure forces between the aircraft and the tractor during towing to produce responsive signals representative of the measured values of the forces;
• continuously transmitting said measured value signals to a control unit;
• comparing the values of said measured value signals to a desired value to produce control signals in response to differences between said measured values and said desired values;
• and
• transmitting said control signals to the means for generating a traction effect of the tractor to bring said measured values of the forces into coincidence with said desired value within a predetermined tolerance interval of forces.