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This paper addresses the options available to on/offload the KC-10 currently being procured by the Air Force. The typical Air Force-owned 463L-System aircraft cargo loaders will not reach high enough to service the main-cargo deck of the KC-10 (or B-747). Advances in development of transport (and tanker) aircraft have historically paced development and acquisition of complementary grounds systems (1)*. The analysis focused on the use of various Materials-Handling Equipment (MHE) alternatives including the 463L-System**. These were (i) KC-10 On-Board Loaders (OBLs); (ii) Austere Elevator Loaders; (iii) 15K Forklifts; (iv) Leased Loaders; and (v) 25K Transporter Loaders with Adapter. Key observations were: (i) OBLs tend to be expensive; (ii) Elevator Loaders are relatively inexpensive and versatile; (iii) Existing 15K Forklifts can be used safely; (iv) Industry did not express interest in leasing loaders; and (v) 25K Transporter Loaders with Adapters have serious stability problems.

This paper deals with materials-handling equipment (MHE) for loading/offloading the lower lobes of wide-bodied aircraft and the capacity of the lower lobes. The advances and development of transport aircraft have historically outdistanced complementary ground systems. For example, Air Force-owned loaders used for military aircraft do not interface properly with wide-bodied lower lobes, as accessibility is difficult. Quarter-ton trucks and Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) are representative of equipment size that is practicable for movement via wide-bodied lower lobes. Potential exists for greater use of this airlift capability in the future by fine-tuning mobility planning and modernization of MHE.

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.

Advances in development of transport aircraft have historically outdistanced acquisition of suitable Ground Support Equipment (GSE). In the past the airline industry and the Air Force have used a family of GSE to on/offload transport aircraft. For example, main-deck cargo loaders for the main-cargo compartments, lower-lobe loaders for the aircraft belly compartments capable of handling unit-load devices (ULDs) like loaded pallets and/or stuffed containers, and finally belt-conveyor loaders for the aircrafts' bulk cargo compartments---for bulk cargo like baggage, mail, and other loose packages. The Air Force recently abandoned the above-mentioned practice and opted for a single “Cadillac type” Super Loader that “will do everything,” on/offload all aircraft upper and lower lobes.

Advances in development of transport aircraft have historically paced modernization of complementary Ground-Support Equipment (GSE). This paper shows that a family of cargo on/offloading loaders, capable of servicing the aircraft's main and lower lobes simultaneously is more efficient and cost-effective than a single Cadillac-Type Super Loader that “can do everything.” The Air Force has recently awarded two contracts to GSE manufacturers to build and test two prototype Super Loaders. The winner is supposed to on/offload everything from a C-130 whose cargo deck is only three feet, three inches high to a B-747, whose main deck upper limit is almost 18 feet high, and all other standard-body aircraft in between like DC-8s, B-707s, as well as all of the wide-bodied aircraft lower lobes, whose door sizes and heights vary extensively.

This paper compares military/civil air-cargo systems in terms of: (i) in-plane hardware; (ii) materials-handling equipment (MHE); and (iii) unit load devices (ULDs). A need exists to have available, on short notice, a US airlift system for deployment of cargo/troops to remote points of operation. The Department of Defense (DOD) recently expressed a requirement for increased interoperability between military and civil air cargo systems. Interest in interoperability is also indicated by the Advanced Civil/Military Aircraft (ACMA) concept. The ACMA may be described as an aircraft for fulfilling both US needs for strategic airlift and world-wide needs for civil air freight in the mid-1990s and beyond. The advances and development of cargo-capable aircraft and their in-plane cargo-handdling systems have historically paced development of complementary ground systems (1)*. The military system relies heavily on and revolves around the 88˝ × 108˝ pallet.

This paper 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 loads such as palletized cargo, containers, wheeled vehicles, shelters, and airdrop platforms from the storage docks to the military and civil aircraft, and vice versa. The loader may be described as a self-propelled, air transportable (in a C-141, C-17, C-5) 60,000 lb lifting capacity, adjustable height vehicle that will load/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. The Super Loader must also service the lower lobes of wide-bodies and main decks of narrow-bodied aircraft like the DC-8 and B-707. In brief, this loader will be required to interface with both civil and military cargo systems, present and future.

This paper explores the pros and cons of using a forklift in the materials-handling equipment (MHE) role as a wide-bodied aircraft cargo loader. In the early years of air-cargo operations involving aircraft like the Douglas C-l and DC-3, cargo loading was essentially a case of manual individual piece handling, supplemented by a forklift as required. The advances and development of cargo aircraft have historically paced development of complementary ground systerns (1)*. Some of the forklift considerations presented in the paper include; safety, performance specifications, types of forklifts, rated capacity, load center, upright (or mast), forks, carriage, and center of gravity. Advantages and disadvantages of using forklifts for cargo on/offloading are also examined.