What Is Special About An Aircraft Maintenance Ladder


By Amanda Baird


Many people look at the night time skies, and their eyes are naturally attracted to any movement. These will often be aircraft lights, and these are the same aircraft which can be seen at any airport. In the sunlight these lights seem very high above the ground. Some people wonder how these lights can be fixed when they fail. Whatever the engineering answer is, it will also involve an aircraft maintenance ladder.

You will notice that the aeroplanes are made by different manufacturers, and so their dimensions will be different. Due to this the equipment that the engineers use to help service the planes need to be either adjustable or different sizes. Another consideration is that they need to be moved easily.

Since these planes are all of various heights an engineer will require access to various heights too. The most common way that can be achieved is by using a simple piece of equipment called an 'A' frame step set. If the engineer were to stand on the upper step he would have gained 6 feet.

To make sure that these are easy to transport around a hangar bay or flight line they are often constructed from lightweight aluminium. At the base of one set of legs you will observe a pair of wheels. These are often made from nylon as they will prevent any sparking, but will still be robust and able to withstand the rigors of use.

You will notice that the treads on the steps are not smooth, but will have headless blisters across them. These are a very effective safety feature, at the same time they also ensure that the steps overall weight is less. When an engineer is standing on any of the steps their footwear will not slip, even if they had just trod in an oil spot.

Once the legs are in the fully open position the steps are very stable. Immediately beneath the uppermost step there is often a flap which will fold down to form a tray. The engineer can then utilise this tray to hold his tools, and so he will have both hands free to complete his task. With his required tools with him the job is completed more quickly.

By increasing his working height the engineer does not have to climb onto the airframe. Some people will have noticed that a plane's skin has a polished look to it. This polished surface is partially how the plane manages to fly cleanly through the air, and so the surface ought to be kept in as good a condition as possible.

It might be obvious that even the tallest engineer stood on the top step will still be unable to reach the top of the tail on a passenger jet. As you might imagine there are different designs of steps to cope with this. Some have a larger work platform at the top, but due to the working height they will also be surrounded by a safety railing.

For anyone thinking of designing an aircraft maintenance ladder there are several aspects that it needs to fill. Safety is important, not only for the user but also for the plane. A single person also needs to be able to move the steps and also to safely set them up.




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Ditulis oleh: Unknown - Sunday, September 1, 2013

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