Bliss-Fox chooses Allison to push world’s largest passenger jet 12 January 2011

Australian ground support equipment manufacturer Bliss-Fox has selected Allison's 4500 automatic transmission for its latest generation Bliss-Fox F1-500 pushback tractor, engineered for the Airbus A380.

The 70 tonne F1-500 unit, first supplied to ground handler company Toll Dnata at Sydney airport, was used to push back the world's first A380 commercial flight when Singapore Airlines flew into Sydney from Singapore in November 2008.

According to Bryn Jones, general manager of Bliss-Fox, iIt is the torque converter in each Allison automatic transmission that gives the company's tractors the ability to move 570 tonne take-off weight aircraft – by multiplying engine torque and transferring it to the tractor's drive wheels.

"The local support provided by Allison to Bliss-Fox is excellent, and when we need assistance, they are available 24/7," states Jones.

"This kind of service is of the utmost importance in the aviation industry," he adds.

Bliss-Fox has been using Allison automatics in its tractors since 1970, when the fledgling company manufactured and supplied its F1-300 to Qantas for use with the then new Boeing 747 fleet.

In that tractor model, Bliss-Fox used Allison 4560 transmissions throughout the 10 years during which the model was manufactured.

F1-300 is now more than 30 years old, and there are still 13 in regular service. The company also uses Allison 2500 Series automatic transmissions in its F1-80 10—12 tonne range tractors, as well as the Allison 4500 in the flagship F1-500 model.

Commenting on the new F1-500, Jones says that the fully automatic transmission creates smooth shifts, which ease the positioning of aircraft. Allison-equipped airport push-back tractor can move aircraft with safe, accurate control, without shock to the aircraft's landing gear, he adds.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Allison Transmission Europe BV

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