hauling airpanes

Standard oversize load situation. Some states require police escort if they're over certain dimensions, others don't. Some states require pilot/chase vehicles, others don't. It all depends on the size of the load, basically.
They typically do require experienced drivers.
These guys sometimes will hog half a rest area, park on a ramp, or just hog a bunch of spots in a truck stop if they're lucky enough to get there before all the guys who are afraid of the dark come and fill the place up. Quite often these guys have to un-hook their trailer and bobtail through the fuel island to get fuel because the load is too wide to fit between the pumps.
The most common oversize loads we see on the road today are the parts for all those stupid wind-turbines they're building all over the place.

 

Boy, isn't that the truth and the understatement of the year...I worked the Powder Project (NE Oregon) a few years ago, what a waste.

 

The only advantage to having wind mills all over the place is you can trick stupid people into thinking it's windy out because of all those big giant fans.

 

I once convinced a forester that log books had pictures of trees in it.

 

A forester or a guy driving a Subaru Forester? I know the latter tend to be the biggest idiots of them all. They're about the only ones still out there who haven't torn their Obama stickers off yet.

 

That plane was a special case anyway, since that was the one that landed in the Hudson River.

I have seen over-size loads in WI with police escorts though. Very large loads. Most of the turbine loads I have seen, and we see a lot of them near where we live just have the normal escort vehicles.

 

That trailer looks far heavier than it needs to be.
That aircraft fuselage is a lot lighter than many realize.

 

All oversize loads are permited through the state you will be traveling through. This was a very unusual one. But you are given instructions. They will take into account your width, height, weight and give you a route you must follow. Many cities have restrictions as well. No OD loads during rush hour and such. Most states do not allow OD loads to roll after dark. CO is one that does. So you have to plan your trip according to your route and facilities available along it. Most guys hauling the windmills and really large oddball stuff stay in motels at night w/ their chase teams. If you are very tall or very wide it is not unusual to drive hundreds of miles out of the way to get where you are going. Did a lot of that in CO. Had to go to WY and backtrack down. But it also pays very well. And get a lot more folks, kids, and other drivers who want to talk or wave. Some super truckers will tell you that you are #1 for holding them back. Just jealous.

 

the question popped into my head a day or two ago..

Why would you need to haul an airplane?

Thanks for pre-answering it.