The Humble Aircraft Ladder Is So Important

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. 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. An empty fuel hose is a heavy item, and a charged one is even heavier. So the last thing a line crew member needs as they approach the refueling point with the hose slung over their shoulder is for the ground equipment to collapse on them. These useful items of ground equipment now have a safe working load of three hundred pounds. Added strength and stability is provided at each step by aluminium reinforcing straps and gussets. 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. Robust wheels are also provided which makes moving this item a simple operation for just one person. These items can come in a variety of heights, and no matter which height is used they all provide a stable platform from which to work from. Should they accidentally be knocked over by a baggage truck for example, due to the construction material there is no possibility of a spark. 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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