Follow me car
As a follow-me car (dt. Follow me car ) a (motorized) pilot vehicle designated the aircraft at the airport running ahead and thus their way to the runway or at the boarding gate has. It is also used to guide vehicles to and from construction sites or to check the runway for foreign objects and damage.
A follow-me car makes it easier for pilots to navigate on the ground. This avoids misunderstandings or random journeys by pilots who are unfamiliar with the location or in the case of temporary diversions that are not recorded on the airport map. The Follow-me-Car is then a marshaler (dt. Einwinker ) occupied that assigns the aircraft the exact parking position.
Follow-me cars are not absolutely necessary at an airport, but are part of the standard paid service at larger airports.
The vehicles are mostly painted yellow, some with black and yellow checks. A high structure with orange or red, widely visible all-round lights is also typical . In principle, any vehicle can be used as a follow-me car. However, individual companies offer special vehicles specially manufactured for this purpose.
Occasionally, somewhat unusual vehicles are used for this purpose. At Hannover Airport z. B. there was a Porsche Cayman and an Audi R8 . The Leipzig-Altenburg airfield used a Trabant as a follow-me car until August 2006 . On the Portorož Airport also will moped used.
A Smart Fortwo as a follow-me car at Zeltweg Airport in Austria
Porsche Cayman and Mini at Hanover Airport
Moped as a follow-me vehicle at Portorož Airport
