A casual glance up to the sky at night and your eyes will track the moving lights of a plane as it flies towards its destination. At any major airport you can see many such planes in the daylight. Those lights now seem to be a long way from the ground. For anyone who might wonder how these lights get changed when they fail, they use 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.
The engineers need a means by which they can gain access to all of these various heights on the different planes. The simplest way is by utilising a set of steps called an 'A' frame. Once an engineer is stood on the upper step they will be a couple of metres above the ground.
The basic construction of these steps is mainly from strong, but light, aluminium. This material, coupled with wheels at the bottom of the legs on one side, ensures that these steps can be easily moved by just one person. The wheels are made from hard wearing nylon, which will cope with the daily use, and there is no chance of any sparks.
The treads of the steps will have headless dimple shapes on them. Not only does this cut down on the weight of the steps, but also serves as a safety feature. When the person involved in maintaining the aeroplane is stood on the steps their footing will be stable, as thanks to these dimple shapes their safety shoes will not slip.
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.
Just by standing on different steps the engineer can now access the different levels, and there is no need for him to step on the airframe. If you stand next to a plane you will see that the surface has a polished appearance. This surface needs to be kept in good order, as this in conjunction with the plane's forward motion assists with the plane's ability to fly smoothly through the air.
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.
There are several aspects that an aircraft maintenance ladder has to meet. Above all else it has to be safe not only for the engineer, but also for use around the aeroplane. It needs to be easy for a person to move and set up on their own.
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.
The engineers need a means by which they can gain access to all of these various heights on the different planes. The simplest way is by utilising a set of steps called an 'A' frame. Once an engineer is stood on the upper step they will be a couple of metres above the ground.
The basic construction of these steps is mainly from strong, but light, aluminium. This material, coupled with wheels at the bottom of the legs on one side, ensures that these steps can be easily moved by just one person. The wheels are made from hard wearing nylon, which will cope with the daily use, and there is no chance of any sparks.
The treads of the steps will have headless dimple shapes on them. Not only does this cut down on the weight of the steps, but also serves as a safety feature. When the person involved in maintaining the aeroplane is stood on the steps their footing will be stable, as thanks to these dimple shapes their safety shoes will not slip.
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.
Just by standing on different steps the engineer can now access the different levels, and there is no need for him to step on the airframe. If you stand next to a plane you will see that the surface has a polished appearance. This surface needs to be kept in good order, as this in conjunction with the plane's forward motion assists with the plane's ability to fly smoothly through the air.
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.
There are several aspects that an aircraft maintenance ladder has to meet. Above all else it has to be safe not only for the engineer, but also for use around the aeroplane. It needs to be easy for a person to move and set up on their own.
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