In addition to the self serve fueling station, the downtown airport recently had a new outdoor wash pad constructed and knocked down the 40 old and outdated hangers in favor of 96 brand new hangers for increased storage to serve pilots in the area.

This is just one example of airports all over the country doing their part to make their operations more efficient and hands on.  With the addition of one-man operation aircraft tugs and helicopter caddies, an airport with a self serve fueling station and an accessible wash pad could allow pilots of small aircraft to perform all of the tasks that they needed without any assistance.

Old, oversized and cumbersome tugs are unreliable, difficult to maneuver and often require more than one set of hands to perform the job.  This is inconvenient and potentially unsafe for both pilots and surrounding employees.  With an upgrade in equipment to one of the state of the art, easy to operate and ergonomic aircraft tugs from Lindbergh one person can quickly and easily move their aircraft from runway to wash pad and into the hanger with ease – and vice versa.

Airports all over the country are doing things that will benefit their customers, ease the burden on their crew and be safe for the environment.  As a part of these upgrades we see more and more airports upgrading their equipment in an effort to have the safest, most effective and most reliable means of moving aircraft – upgrade to tugs and caddies like those offered by Lindbergh.

In the case of Keokuk Municipal, the runways needed repaving and the hanger needed to be upgraded in order for the airport to stay functional, but necessary upgrades in many of the nations smaller airports go beyond building and ground maintenance to the replacement or necessary upgrade of equipment.

Smaller airports are really feeling the crunch from the poor economy and need every advantage they can get in order to remain operational – and as is evident by the necessity of government funding to make major repairs, the old adage seems to be true.  “You’ve got to spend money to make money.”

In most cases, the investment to turn a struggling operation around isn’t as great as most would think.  Ensuring that your staff has access to reliable, energy efficient and easy to use equipment may be the only investment you need to make.  Using the best aircraft tugs and helicopter caddies can make moving your aircraft a one man operation and make your crew much faster and much more efficient.

Aircraft and helicopter tugs from Lindbergh are quicker, quieter and much easier to operate than outdated means of moving planes and helicopters in and out of the hangers and into proper position on the runway or pad.  Adding the right equipment to your airport can drastically speed up the level at which your employees perform their duties, and at the same time these ergonomic tugs will keep them safe and cut down on potentially costly work related injuries.

You can’t service your customers properly without efficient operation and with a small investment in the right equipment for the job you can literally send your efficiency skyward.

Every time a potential customer sees your logo, name or colors, he is reminded of the high quality of the product or service you deliver. Each time your brand registers on the customer’s mental horizon that positive experience is reinforced. Because we understand the importance of branding to our customers, Lindbergh Aircraft Tug Co. has developed a technique that allows us to add custom logos to our aircraft tugs. You can now brand your airplane tow equipment to match the branding on your aircraft. Branding your airplane tugs is one more way to put your name in front of potential customers. Branding also makes it easy for maintenance staff to quickly locate your plane tow in crowded hangers shared by multiple owners.

In creating a brand, it is important to first identify the unique features that distinguish your product or service from your competition. For example, Lindy’s aircraft tugs are ergonomically designed and motorized to eliminate strain and injury caused by physical exertion. Our aircraft tractors are among the most versatile on the market, able to accommodate both tricycle and tail-dragger aircraft and aircraft with and without wheel pants. Lindy’s airplane tows feature a unique easy-on cradle that acts like a fifth wheel, allowing aircraft tug operators to turn an aircraft 180 degrees without turning the nose wheel.

Repetition creates brand recognition. Promote your brand by adding custom logs to your Lindy aircraft tugs.

Up to this point, air crews were moving helicopters with old and cumbersome equipment or with equipment that wasn’t at all designed to perform the work. Moving a helicopter into the hanger for storage or staging on the pad was a difficult procedure, often requiring more than one person to perform – it took longer than was probably necessary and the methods used in some cases were inefficient and even potentially dangerous. Workers had to move heavy helicopters manually on wheeled carts or with the use of forklifts that were large, loud and which could potentially limit areas of accessibility.

Lindbergh, the industry leader in providing equipment for aircraft handling is aiming to put the days of the inefficient means of helicopter moving behind us. The new Helicopter Caddy operates just as quickly and quietly as all of their other aircraft tugs and easily handles helicopters up to 10,000 pounds.

With this new offering from Lindbergh, crews will no longer struggle with moving helicopters, even in the tight quarters of small hangers. Speed of staging and storing will drastically increase, and the new Helicopter Caddy is quieter, more efficient in terms of natural resources and physical energy and much more reliable that anything else available to do the job.

The time it used to take you to get your helicopter in and out of the hanger will be drastically cut down and your employees will have a much easier time moving the aircraft around and in and out of tight quarters. With the new Helicopter Caddy from Lindbergh one of the most versatile aircrafts in your fleet will no be much easier to access and be easily handled by anyone in your crew.

One area of the aviation industry that shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to conservation is the equipment used to stage and store the aircraft. Many small airports are still using aircraft tugs that are large, inefficient and difficult to maneuver. Using these outdated tugs is like driving an old gas guzzler when you could be driving a fuel efficient hybrid.

The small, quiet, energy efficient and powerful tugs from Lindbergh allow one person to easily handle an aircraft of up 35,000 pounds. These tugs are battery powered and on a single charge are capable of moving several aircraft in and out of the hanger without having to recharge and they are much easier to maneuver around the tight quarters in some hangers.

By upgrading your tugs you’ll decrease the use of fossil fuels, which will lessen your company’s carbon footprint, and also decrease your monthly expenditures making for a more profitable operation. You’ll also be providing your employees with equipment that they can perform their job better with, which will decrease the amount of time required to move each aircraft and increase productivity overall. The initial cost of upgrading your equipment will be paid off in no time by the decrease in fuel costs and the increase in available man hours and your work environment will be a much happier and healthier place.

Smaller operations are also experiencing difficulties because of a lack of funding for the necessary personnel to perform the jobs that are crucial to flight preparation. Without the proper equipment to align the planes on the runway for take off or to store planes in the hanger upon arrival, the job becomes both exceedingly difficult and quite a bit more expensive to perform.

Outdated machines are cumbersome much more difficult to operate and use up gallon after gallon of costly fuel during operation. Running aircraft tugs that aren’t easy to operate or economical has a very large effect on a company’s budget and can quickly turn a profitable part of your business into a financial liability.

Aircraft tugs from Lindbergh are energy efficient, easy to use and run quietly enough for the operator to remain mindful of his or her surroundings while using them. Lindbergh tugs are also ergonomically correct, making them some of the safest tugs for your employees to use.

One of the best ways to bring down costs in the aviation industry is to use equipment that is efficient, reliable and safe for anyone on your staff to use. You’ll know longer waste man hours by having several members of your staff occupied by the work that could be handled by one with the proper tool for the job. Lindbergh tugs can handle aircraft up to 35,000 lbs quickly and easily at a cost of much less to operate than older gas powered tugs.

Mother Nature is responsible for many of the things that make this line of work particularly difficult; snow, rain, ice and clouds can make both the actual flying and all of the prep work to get the planes up into the air dangerous or impossible tasks. This is, unfortunately something that is out of our control, but it doesn’t mean that every facet of our jobs has to be difficult.

Using the proper equipment to get your planes in position on the runway or properly placed in tight hangers once the flight is done makes that part of the job much easier. Using ergonomically correct and reliable airplane tugs reduces both the stress on the body and the mind and makes your crew much happier and more efficient. Once runways have been cleaned and the skies have been cleared for flight you want to ensure that the rest of the process, that part that you and your crew control goes as smoothly and easily as possible and the best possible way to do so is to use the best equipment for the job. We at Lindbergh offer the most versatile, reliable and easy to use equipment for moving aircraft of up to 35,000 lbs. You may not be able to control Mother Nature, but if you’ve got a tug from Lindbergh you’ll have no trouble controlling your plane when it’s time to fly.

Additionally, you need to learn first-aid and wilderness survival for emergency situations.  Of course, living the life of a pilot is not without its reward. Being close to nature and taking in some of the most beautiful views is something most folks only dream about.  But it’s totally understandable that you want to find ways to make things easier and better. Why work hard when you can “work smart”!

When you are back home and your aircraft needs servicing or transporting, the Lindbergh Aircraft Company provides great solutions for moving your plane in and out of the hangar. Even if your FBO is unpaved, LINDY’S AIRCRAFTCADDY 4K will make moving your plane on gravel, ice or snow as easy as gliding thru clear blue skies.  This battery-powered tug can pull or push aircrafts weighing up to 4,000 lbs and works quietly without all the noise of a typical combustion-engine airplane mover.

You can connect Lindy’s airplane tug to your aircraft effortlessly as you slide the easy-on roller cradle under the nose wheel. You can then easily maneuver your plane with the ability to make 180 degree turns without adjusting the aircraft wheels or steering mechanism. Acceleration and braking is all perfectly controlled, allowing for smooth handling. Unloading the aircraft after you move it is just as easy as you release the locking lever on the handle of the tug.

Take off today knowing that with Lindy’s Aircraft Caddy your job just got easier!

“It says something troubling about work in America,” admitted Linda Barrington, a Conference Board managing director. “It is not about the business cycle or one grumpy generation.”

Analysts are concerned that worker dissatisfaction is negatively impacting productivity and innovation, hindering America’s ability to compete (see our January 25 post). With the struggling airline industry unable to offer the salary increases, improved benefits or promotions traditionally used to reward workers, airlines and FBOs must pursue alternate motivational strategies.

Worker job satisfaction improves, experts say, when employers demonstrate that they care about and respect their employees.

• Keep your employees in the loop. Keeping workers informed reduces workplace anxiety, allowing greater job focus.
• Show employees you care. Utilizing ergonomically-designed aircraft tugs demonstrates concern for your employees’ health and safety while making their jobs less strenuous. Ergonomic aircraft tow equipment takes the pain and strain out of maneuvering aircraft around hangers, FBOs and airfields. Using ergonomic aircraft tugs to create a healthier, safer work environment improves worker morale and productivity.
• Share the load. Lindy’s aircraft tugs are so easy to use FBOs can implement customer self-service programs to decrease the strain on overworked staff. Because the ergonomic design of Lindy’s aircraft tugs allows workers of any shape and size to maneuver airplanes with ease, management and other staff can easily lend a hand. Nothing shows workers you care more than rolling up your sleeves and working in the trenches with them!

Informing employees that they’ll have to keep working harder with less relief is sure to receive a less than enthusiastic response. The thing about a crisis is that the longer it goes on, the less supportive people are. A crisis goes through three stages:

• We’re all in this together. At the beginning of a crisis, people are energized by shared tragedy and driven to make sacrifices for the common good. People who weren’t laid off were so grateful to have a job, they didn’t complain about performing additional duties.
• When will it end? As time goes on, worker focus shifts from greater good to personal impact. Workers focus on the price they are paying as individuals. Workers become increasingly frustrated with heavier work loads. Physical exhaustion, the emotional toll and financial pressure begin to overwhelm workers who become disgruntled by the slow return to previous norms.
• I deserve better. Eventually, people lose sight of the “big picture” and focus on changes in their personal world. Many U.S. workers are beginning to reach stage 3. They’ve worked harder with less relief and often for less money for months; some for more than a year. They’ve seen their standard of living decline and their families suffer. Especially if they do not feel appreciated at work, they are beginning to wonder what the point is. Things can even turn ugly if workers perceive too great a difference between their level of suffering and that of management.

Next time: Solutions