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.

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.

Another thing which is always high on a manufacturer's specifications is that of safety. Consider the material which this piece has been constructed from, it is aluminium. The flight line crews can move this item around quite easily, without risk of injury as it is lightweight. Even though it is lightweight in nature the whole item needs to be able to withstand the rigors of daily usage.

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.

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.

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.




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