Yeah - I know it sounds stupid, but I know several people who have done it. None are immediately available to ask details, so I thought I'd through it out here.

Those I know who have done it did it a while ago and towed on the main gear, tail wheel either connected to a trailer hitch or in the bed of the pickup. This was back in the day when the cops would slap you on the back for your ingenuity vs slap you with a ticket.

I'm thinking of putting the main gear in a trailer and the tailwheel secured in the bed of the pickup. My biggest fear is dealing with the rudder going backwards. Fabric airplane, wings off, tail feathers off.

Yes, this is the back up plan. I think I have a trailer large enough to handle the job lined up.

Plus, I'd like to hear people's thoughts and ideas. Fire away.

Easy enough….pull the rudder put it all on the trailer.
I’ve towed a short distance with the tail wheel in a pickup, but at low speeds. It helps living in AK.

I towed my kitfox backwards 10 miles each way to the airport for each flight. The folding wings act as gust locks on the rudder and flaperons. I tied the elevators down with a length of parachute cord.

To tow on the main gear with the wings spread I would put gust locks on all the controls.

I towed my maule facing forward on a 16ft trailer. Pulled the wings and rolled it on. I considered doing the tailwheel in the truckbed thing but it seemed more risky. CG is relatively high on airplanes and the wheelbase is relatively narrow.

I towed a 185 like that once. Pulled the tail wheel off and replaced it with a hitch, check that the wheel bearings were healthy and off I went. Back roads in the middle of the night, lots of fun!

I also towed a 207 out of Denali national park in the middle of the night , wings on right down the park highway.

Seems like moving airplanes down the road is a lot easier when it’s dark…

Lock the rudder RIGIDLY if towing tail first. I figured it out the hard way.

Thanks all - some of those stories deserved pics!!

I'll post a pic of what I come up with, especially if its on the fringe of crazy....

Maule on its own wheels. Alaska to Georgia. About 5000 miles.
Tailplanes inside
Wings fastened each side
Towball socket on square channel bolted to tailwheel attach
Towball on towing car
A couple sets wheel bearings
A number of used tires gathered along the way from airports
It can be done.

I heard a great story about towing an airplane today. It is in no way helpful, but I laughed a lot.

My buddy Ed was helping his dad move a cub across Nebraska. They were towing with an El Camino (that's spanish for THE camino) and the cub was nose forward on a flat trailer. Somewhere in the Sand Hills of Western NE they ran out of gas. The cub had gas, but they didn't have a container to transfer it to the car. No problem, Ed gets in the cub, dad hand props it, and they used the cub on the trailer to push the El Camino to the next town, topped off the car and they were on their way.

Did it years ago. Towed my Pacer from home to the airport 22 miles. Tail wheel on a trailer hitch and the mains on the . No problem

Jim

AEROPOD wrote:I heard a great story about towing an airplane today. It is in no way helpful, but I laughed a lot.

My buddy Ed was helping his dad move a cub across Nebraska. They were towing with an El Camino (that's spanish for THE camino) and the cub was nose forward on a flat trailer. Somewhere in the Sand Hills of Western NE they ran out of gas. The cub had gas, but they didn't have a container to transfer it to the car. No problem, Ed gets in the cub, dad hand props it, and they used the cub on the trailer to push the El Camino to the next town, topped off the car and they were on their way.

Now THAT is a story!!!

Love it!!

Towed a Stinson 108 a few miles to the airport. had permission from the trooper and he acted as pilot car, I put the tail on a snow machine trailer and rolled on the mains. The wings just barely cleared the gate posts and we were on the airport!
I wouldn't do it like that very far and certainly not very fast but three miles and slow speed was just fine.