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The U.S. military is evaluating environmentally friendly alternatives for aircraft deicing operations. Our goal is to prevent water and ground contamination while meeting mission flight requirements and enhancing safety. To address this goal a demonstration was performed in April 2002 at Eglin AFB, McKinley Climatic Chamber of a simulated integrated portable infrared and forced air/fluid assisted deicing with an ice imager. Such an integrated system may meet environmental standards, enhance safety, satisfy most military deicing requirements, and have commercial application. We plan to integrate these technologies, including an environmentally friendly deicing fluid, into a single unit for field testing during the winters of 2002-03 and 2003-04 at operational airfields. We compare deicing rates and environmental impacts using the simulated integrated deicing system versus a more traditional forced air/glycol deicing truck.

This paper demonstrates and sheds light on the fact that optimum selection and use of a judicious mix of ground-support equipment (GSE), rather than use of a single piece of equipment (like a Super Loader) has a synergistic effect on overall efficiency and productivity. The paper also deals with a conceptual aircraft cargo loader “that can do everything” commonly referred to as The Super Loader. The Super Loader is intended for use at air terminals to transport various unit load devices (ULDs) such as loaded cargo pallets, stuffed containers, airdrop platforms, shelters, and wheeled vehicles from the storage docks to military and civil aircraft, and vice versa. The loader may be described as a self-propelled air transportable (in a C-141, C-17, or C-5) 60,000 lb. lifting capacity, adjustable-height vehicle that can on/off-load all transport aircraft from a C-130, whose cargo deck is only 3 feet, 3 inches high to a B-747 whose main deck upper limit is about 18 feet high.