Thursday, September 26, 2013

An Aircraft Ladder Is A Vital Piece Of Equipment

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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.

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.

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.

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.




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