AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 99

PILOTPRODUCTS

COMPILED BY IAN J. TWOMBLY

Redline Sidewinder tug, Arctic Air Real Air Conditioner

Heavy tugs, cool air
Redline Sidewinder
Getting the tug on is a somewhat involved process. You have to bend down to the level of the wheel, shove the pin into the wheel hub, pull the handle to tighten the drive wheel against the tire, and push the rocker arm down on the nose-gear pin—all the while holding your cocker spaniel. We tested the Sidewinder on a Beechcraft Bonanza A36, and found it had power to spare, assuming we kept moving. The hangar’s small concrete lip stopped the airplane dead when we tried to creep up to it, but it made it over easily with a good running start. More worrying: the drive wheel has steel teeth on it to grab the tire, and those slipped a bit as we tried to jockey it over the lip. The drill motor battery is a bit of a concern. Forget to charge it and you’ll be hoofing it. And they are pricey to replace when they go bad. But the supplied motor is a beast, and the company said it pulled an airplane more than 400 yards before it finally ran out of juice. Although it comes into a crowded market, the Redline Sidewinder is a formidable piece of equipment, and buyers will be very satisfied with this purchase. Pros: • Well-built is an understatement • Battery means no more small-engine repair • Can be folded and stowed in the baggage compartment Cons: • Somewhat difficult to put on • Heavy Who: Redline Sidewinder What: Battery-operated aircraft tug Where: www.aircraftspruce.com; 619449-1970; 877-477-7823 Why: Because you need one tug, not five that don’t work How much: $1,600

I

f you are like some aircraft owners, you have a collection of tugs sitting broken, half-forgotten in the corner of your hangar. That’s because for some reason the idea of tugs attracts home inventors and quasi entrepreneurs almost as much as aviation flashlights. Many don’t work, and many more require maintenance; tenderness; and kind, encouraging words if they are to be trusted to perform adequately. The Redline Sidewinder is not one of those tugs. It feels as if it’s been built to tow an Airbus A380. That’s good because chances are it will never break on you, but it’s bad in that it’s like carrying around a cocker spaniel. The tug is based on a heavy-duty drill motor. So it’s incredibly quiet, it doesn’t require maintenance, and the power source can be easily replaced.

Plus— See the video.

AOPA PILOT • 99 • JULY 2011


http://www.aircraftspruce.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011
Contents
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
Rally GA: Walking the Walk
Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: The Ultimate Skylane
There’s No Place Like Home
Field of Dreams
Fleeting Beauty
Affair of the Heart
Timeshare for Aircraft Owners
Dogfight: Say It Right
Avionics: Reality Show
Pilot Products: Heavy Tugs, Cool Air
Never Again
Fly-Outs
Fly by wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Rally GA: Walking the Walk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: The Ultimate Skylane
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - There’s No Place Like Home
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Field of Dreams
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Fleeting Beauty
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Affair of the Heart
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Timeshare for Aircraft Owners
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Dogfight: Say It Right
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Avionics: Reality Show
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - I1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - I2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Pilot Products: Heavy Tugs, Cool Air
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Fly by wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2011 - Cover4
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