Thanks and a tip of the hat to Mark, Dick R, Darwin and Leo
When it comes right down to it, there's nothing that can beat having good friends who like to tinker with stuff and don't give up until it works!
There were several iterations of the nosewheel tug for the Glastar. Because the wheel contacts the ground some 7-ish inches behind the nosewheel pivot point, moving the airplane backward is a real chore. Couple that with soft ground in front of the hangar and the result is the nosewheel whips from side to side with corresponding tail swings that can quickly lead to damage once in the hangar's tight space. It was clear something had to be done to minimize that problem.
One proposed fix:
Found a mobility scooter on Craigslist and stripped it down
This really held some promise in my mind, but I'm a theatre major and had very little to go on .. the one thing I wanted to see was whether or not the scooter could be modified to accept the nosewheel on some kind of platform and, at the same time, bring the pivot point close to alignment with that of the airplane. It didn't work, at least the way we tried it. I'm reconditioning the scooter and will either sell or donate it as a scooter.
Now, at last, the problem is solved, the need fulfilled, just in time to move the airplane in and out of the hangar for the ADS-B performance flights. Three of those are in the books, some more tweaking on the setup and I think we'll be good to go with that.
It's enough to make a fellow want to go flying!
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