Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Humble Aircraft Ladder Is So Important

By Mia Kent


A modern airport is a constant hive of activity as anyone who has spent any time at one will tell you. There is a continual stream of craft landing and taking off. Yet there are not that many people who spare a thought about what is required to keep an airport functioning. Some might say good access from the surrounding area, others might opt for radar, but possibly the last thing on anyone's mind would be an aircraft ladder.

Whatever the size of the airport, they will all have this basic piece of equipment. For something so basic it can be utilized in numerous ways due to its adaptability. With the limited number of people who work on the flight line there has to be several criteria which such items have to meet. Possibly foremost is that of ease of movement. Ideally it should only take a single person to move such an item.

As an example consider a refueling operation. An airport handles craft of a wide range of makes and models. The refueling points on these aeroplanes are often in different locations, and could be at a variety of heights. To conduct safe refueling tasks the flight line crew need to gain access to all of these fueling points.

As is often the case the manufacturers always look to make their product as safe as possible. Consider the material that this piece has been made from, aluminium. It is a lightweight material, so the risk of injury due to weight when moving this item has been greatly reduced. Even though it is deemed as being lightweight it still has to be robust enough to cope with the use and abuse it will get over its lifetime.

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.

The width of the treads has also been gauged so that they comfortably provide a safe footing. Were you to look at one of these treads you would notice a perforated pattern, this serves a dual purpose. Initially it assists with keeping the overall weight as low as possible. During bad weather conditions it also ensures that the safe footing is still maintained.

To make movement even easier there are a couple of robust wheels also fitted. So all an individual has to do is tilt the item and move it. There are a variety of heights available, and each will afford a stable working platform. Even if a baggage truck were to reverse into one and knock it over, there will be no possibility of a spark because it is made from aluminium.

All of this thought has gone into such a piece of equipment as an aircraft ladder. Imagine that each and every item in use at an airport has had a similar approach in its creation. There are also serving platforms and other forms of steps which are utilized too.




About the Author:



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...