Do You Leave Your Tow-Bar Connected While Parked?

[PeteMc]

So another curiosity has gotten the better of me...  What are people's thoughts on what they do with the tow-bar after they've pushed back at the restaurant, after getting fuel, in your hangar, etc.?  Someplace where the planes not going to be parked outside for hours or days while you're not near by?

I'm asking because for a while now I keep seeing people post photos of their plane or other planes sitting on the ramp with the tow-bar connected to the gear with the handle on the ground. (Not here, mostly FB.)  Back in the day I was taught NEVER to leave the tow-bar attached to the plane if I was not actually moving it.  If I'm going to walk away or just let the plane sit for a little while on a level ramp, I'll pull it out and use it as a mini chock hooked either around the back of the wheel or in front to make sure the plane doesn't roll whichever would be a "bad" direction.

So is it training, culture, just the people that do it are the same personality to always be posting images of their plane???  Am I just seeing this or have others noticed it as well?

 

[toto]

My personal approach is never to have the tow bar out of the baggage compartment unless I’m physically holding it. I take it out of the baggage compartment, move the plane, and put it back in the baggage compartment without ever setting it down.

[0TreeLemur]

I don't know why in the world anyone would leave the tow bar on while parked, but three out of the 12 owners in my common hangar do this!   All Cessna owners, I might add.

One day, one of them pulled their Cessna out to go fly.   I was working in my hangar.  I hear "Clear!" then a short burst of a starter, a "clang" then nothing.   I looked over and saw a tow bar bent wildly askew and the guy getting out of his Cessna.  Bent one of the tow bar connectors wildly.  He had trouble getting the tow bar off.   Put a ding in the prop, and a did minor damage to the nose wheel pant.  Yet, he still leaves his tow bar installed!?!

Sheeesh.   It makes as much common sense as other rules we have.  I'm sure each of these folks have been told to not do it.   Laziness?

[Rwsavory]

Away from home, in the plane. In the hangar, up against a wall. Never left on the plane. In fact, that’s the last thing I ask myself before turning the starter over, “where did I leave the towbar?“ I have not noticed other people leaving theirs attached when parked.

[PeteMc]

18 minutes ago, toto said:

out of the baggage compartment unless I’m physically holding it

More or less the mantra I was taught.  My modification is I don't mind leaving it by the front of the plane if it is NOT attached and NOT in a location I would just climb in and start up.

 

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by PeteMc

[PeteMc]

13 minutes ago, 0TreeLemur said:

I hear "Clear!" then a short burst of a starter, a "clang" then nothing.

There are also a few videos of at least one plane (I'm sure more) landing with the tow-bar hanging from the gear. 

 

[0TreeLemur]

The guys that taught me to fly would literally kick my ass if I ever left a tow bar attached to a nose gear.  I NEVER do it.   If I ever do, I would take that as a sign that I'm going senile and should give up flying.  It is horrible flying hygiene!

[Bartman]

In the hangar, I leave it laying flat on the floor in front of the tire, kinda as a chock to keep it rolling forward toward the hangar door.  Otherwise, it is in the baggage compartment.

[Rick Junkin]

Ok, here's the confession of a reformed tow bar leaver-on-er.

I used to leave my Sidewinder on the airplane in my hangar, but religiously removed it once the airplane was outside the hangar. My thought process was I never had the keys in the airplane inside the hangar so there was no chance of engaging the starter, it was easier to just leave it on the nose wheel to be ready to pull the airplane out, it was a strain on my back to always be taking it off and on, yada yada yada. Never had a problem. I didn't take it with me when I left the home patch and perhaps ironically I observed the "in my hand or in the baggage compartment" dogma with the OEM tow bar I take on the road. Never had a problem with that, either.

What changed my behavior was when I was getting ready to install an Electroair push button ignition that is hot when the master switch is on and no longer requires a key to operate the starter. This gave me cause for concern because I anticipated hours and hours in the cockpit in the hangar with the master switch on while I learned my new panel and there was a remote possibility I might bump the starter button while I was messing around in there. But my first thought was, "Gee, I need to put some kind of flag on my Sidewinder that I can see from the cockpit to remind me to take it off the airplane when I'm playing with the avionics." DUH. Stupid People Tricks 101.

Ultimately I came to my senses and realized how dumb (and lucky) I had been and now I no longer leave the Sidewinder on the front wheel of the airplane in the hangar. It's either in my hand or in it's storage spot in the corner.

Cheers,
Rick

[Fritz1]

It is all about muscle memory, after using the tow bar I either put it in the hangar or in the trunk, sometimes I get out of the airplane to make sure the tow bar is where it is supposed to be, about a year ago a guy with a twin bonanza taxied by my hangar with one of these fancy powered tow bars in his nose gear, I ran out waved my hands, he stopped the engines saw the error of his ways, removed the tow bar, thought he would come back one day with a meaningful bottle of scotch but he never did, bottom line never ever leave the tow bar attached when you move away from the nose gear

[dzeleski]

It only takes one silly mental lapse to make a massive mistake or one chatty hangar neighbor from getting you out of your flow, causing you to forget something like the towbar.

My CFI would kill me if he saw me doing that. The airplane should either be 100% ready to fly or 100% parked and cleaned up, no in between.

Edited November 27, 2023 by dzeleski

[GeeBee]

Yeah, I leave it on. It is a Sidewinder. After I push it back in the hangar, because it is my hangar  and only my hangar and it is not coming out of the hangar without it attached. For some strange reason I don't plan on engaging the starter in the hangar. Equally so I leave it attached in a transient hangar and tell the line crew to use it rather than a tractor so I don't end up with a bent nose gear truss. Before I start, I always stand in front of my airplane and do a "sanity check", tow bar off, caps on,  covers and plugs off. 

[Hank]

24 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

Yeah, I leave it on. It is a Sidewinder. After I push it back in the hangar, because it is my hangar  and only my hangar and it is not coming out of the hangar without it attached. For some strange reason I don't plan on engaging the starter in the hangar. 

Me, too. I push into the hangar, set down the towbar and push chocks around the nose tire. When I pull out of the hangar, I remove the towbar, collapse it and put it in the baggage compartment. 

When I travel, I load up in the hangar, and the towbar on the nose wheel doesn't get buried and prevent me from pulling the plane out of the hangar. Then I stash it in the baggage compartment, between bags somewhere.

Away from home, I use it and remove it, since I'm not in my hangar.

[MB65E]

I leave mine on the airplane unless flying. You need it to put it in the hangar, and to pull it out.  I also leave it on the airplane if I think the airplane is going to need to be moved. More of a hint not to move it with a tug and just use the towbar that’s there. No towing damage, towbar theft, or start/taxing mishaps past 12y. 
When I crank I make visual contact with the towbar whether I left it in the hangar or baggage compartment. 
-Matt 

[McMooney]

I leave it connected when it's in the hangar.  sop, i pull the plane out the hangar and remove the tow bar in one action.

always verify putting the tow bar in it's place on the tool box before closing the baggage door

Also before start, i look over my shoulder and verify it's in it's place.

plane is never to be started in  or pointed at the hangar

Edited November 27, 2023 by McMooney

[DCarlton]

Don't have a hangar; only a tie down.  Have never left the tow bar attached.  Never will.  Always stow it back in the baggage compartment when not in use.  

[icurnmedic]

Yes, left on in hanger, never on a ramp though.

[EricJ]

Mine is left on in the hangar but not otherwise.    In the hangar if the cowl is coming off I'll take the bar off just to minimize the tripping hazard.

[Andy95W]

7 minutes ago, EricJ said:

Mine is left on in the hangar but not otherwise.    In the hangar if the cowl is coming off I'll take the bar off just to minimize the tripping hazard.

I’ve been doing this as well for almost 30 years.

[N201MKTurbo]

The Cessna is in the hangar for annual and the Mooney is on the ramp.

The tow bar is still on the Cessna...

I never do that with the Mooney because it is so easy to remove the tow bar, The Cessna tow bar is a PITA to put on and take off, so I leave it on when in the hangar, unless it gets in my way, which it hasn't so far.

[Shadrach]

Mine stays on when in the hangar, but that’s the only place. FYI, the stock Mooney tow bar does not enter the prop arc on any of the Mooneys I have flown. However, if it’s skipping across the pavement during taxi, it could easily bounce up into the prop arc.

[hubcap]

I leave mine on in the hangar, but remove it as soon as I pull Myrtle out and it goes into the baggage compartment as soon as it’s removed.

[Pinecone]

Sidewinder on in the hangar.  

Outside the hangar, it or the towbar is either being used to move the plane or off the nose gear.

I wonder why ElectroAire did not make the starter button a guarded switch?

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, Pinecone said:

I wonder why ElectroAire did not make the starter button a guarded switch?

That's a good question.    Now I'm thinking of just using independent appropriate switches for the mags and a guarded switch for the starter.

[Jim Peace]

16 hours ago, McMooney said:

Also before start, i look over my shoulder and verify it's in it's place.

Yup,,I do the same

In my C I position it purposely so I can see it when I look back prior to every start...I am going to start putting the pitot cover where I can see it as well...I was taxiing the other day and for some reason could not remember if I did my triple check of the cover being off...crazy...comes with age...so I had to pull over stop and get out and look..