Wednesday, September 25, 2013

An Aircraft Ladder Is A Vital Piece Of Equipment

By Mia Kent


In a shrinking world today's modern airport is constantly active. There is a continual number of departures and arrivals. Yet as people wait for their flight not many will be wondering what it takes to operate a modern airport. Possibly a couple of suggestions might be air traffic control and radar, or even a good road network. It is possible that an aircraft ladder would not feature on these lists.

It might sound rather strange but an airport cannot function without this humble piece of equipment. They can be utilized in a variety of ways, and as such they have to be adaptable. As there is not an unlimited number of people who work at these airports one of the prime concerns for ground equipment is portability. These items have to be easy to move, often by just one person.

One often repeated procedure on the flight line is that of refueling. With the variety of different makes and models which can fly into an airport, no two planes appear to be the same. Some will have their fueling points in different places to others, and quite often these will be at a variety of height levels. The flight line crews need to gain access to all of these various points.

Something else that the equipment manufacturers have thought about is also safety. For example the material that this equipment is made from is aluminium. This means that it will be lightweight so the ground crew are not likely to injure themselves as they position this equipment where it needs to go. Despite it being lightweight it also needs to be of a robust construction.

So considering this same refueling operation, a fuel hose is a heavy bulky item, and it would not be ideal were the equipment that the maintainer used to gain access to the fueling point were to fall to pieces. Manufacturers estimate that the load is rated at approximately 300 lbs. There are also reinforcing straps and gussets associated with each step, these help to provide even greater stability and strength.

Even the width of the step tread has been thought about, they are designed to provide a safe, yet comfortable, foot hold. If you look closer you will notice they are perforated. The perforations fulfill two purposes, they help to limit the total weight, and due wet conditions still ensure safe footing.

You'll also notice the wheels located on one side, these also the flight line crew to tilt the equipment and move it easily. These items come in a wide range of heights, but to the same high specifications. So be it six feet or twelve feet high there is a stable platform from which to work. Even if they were knocked over by other machinery there will be no chance of a spark due to the aluminium design.

Imagine that all of this thought has gone into the humble aircraft ladder. Just consider how much thought has also gone into the rest of the equipment which gets used at an airport each and everyday. The other equipment used will also serve multiple purposes, and incorporates servicing platforms and wing access steps.




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