Schopf F59 Tractor by themindseye

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Schopf F59 Tractor
Instant Diorama -- Just Add Plastic
There are so many aircraft flying through the Thingiverse these days, the development of an aircraft-handling tractor is imperative.
What started as the Goldhofer forge in Amendingen (Memmingen), Germany in 1705, along with a machine manufacturer founded by engineer Jörg Schopf in 1948, became wedded together in 2013. Less than one year later, the Goldhofer/Schopf "marriage" had delivered more than 35,000 vehicles to over 160 countries. A significant portion of these vehicles were various models of aircraft tractors.
One of the primary responsibilities of an aircraft tractor at today's modern airport is for pushback. Pushback is the process of moving an aircraft (typically loaded with passengers) back from the terminal gate away from the apron and onto the aircraft taxi way.
Basically, the pushback process consists of these generic steps:
Start aircraft's onboard auxiliary power unit (APU)
Remove airport power umbilical
Remove wheel chocks
Retract/Move jet walk
Pickup safety cones under wingtips
Turn on tractor's flashing pushback signal light
Schopf manufacturers a complete "family" of aircraft tractors. Each "family member" is classified by the size and weight of the aircraft that it can haul/move. For example, the Schopf F396P is the tractor of choice when pushback speed counts. It has the brutish power and perfect drive technology for handling aircraft like the Airbus A380.
On a more sublime level, the Schopf F59 has a powerful four-wheel drive and offers reliable towing for civil and military aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 70 tons. An optional lifting cabin provides excellent visibility for safe maneuvering on the apron and in the hangar.
Based on the 2017 acquisition of a majority stake share by Schopf-parent, Goldhofer, in Flite Line Equipment (USA) along with the formation of Goldhofer, Inc. (USA), you'll soon be seeing more Schopf tractors at American airports--these tractors are the real movers and shakers at the airport and in Thingiverse.
The Model
This Schopf F59 tractor is roughly a 1:56 scale model. During the development process for this model, a 1:48 scale tractor was determined to be too small, while a 1:32 scale version might become too large for convenient printing on all 3D printers. Therefore, 1:56 it is!
There are four distinct parts to this model:
F59 tractor
Tow Bar
Terminal
Jet walk
If you elect to print all four of these parts, you will be able to assemble a complete airport diorama.
An instruction manual is provided for assisting in the construction of both the F59 tractor and the tow bar. During the printing of the tow bar, supplemental print bed adhesive (e.g., glue stick) might be necessary.
As for the printing of the terminal and jet walk, you will need to print four tarmac pieces and two terminal lithophanes (use Cura for printing these pieces, just set height to 4mm and leave the other settings intact or try altering the settings for different results--experiment) for building a complete terminal. Cement the terminal print to the back of two tarmac pieces. There is a small ledge on one side of each tarmac piece for holding the terminal lithophane.
A complete jet walk can be built by printing the "jet connect" pieces. You will also need to print a spare set of F59 wheels (see F59_Wheels.stl) for finishing the jet walk support structure. Just add the nose section of an airliner and your Schopf F59 terminal will be ready for operation.
Enjoy.
References
GOLDHOFER & SCHOPF MASCHINENBAU GMBH - http://www.goldhofer.de/en/conventional,30.html
Schopf Models & "Fan-Shop" - http://www.goldhofer.de/en/gh-fan-shop.html [The only airport tractor model sold at this online shop is the "Model "AST-1F", 2-axle-towbarless tractor, metal, scale 1:50. Colour: white. Cost: 50 euros]