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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2141.PDF
TROUGH 942 FLIGHT International. 5 December 1963 The Retract-A-T rack cargo-loading system (see col I). The photo graphs show two views of the vehicle-to-aircraft bridge; the drawings are of flush-fitted and surface- fitted floor installations, and also show the method of roller-retraction INDUSTRY International... Cargo Loading System BOAC are experi menting at London Airport with a new method of cargo loading, utilizing one of their scissors-lift loaders in conjunction with a new roller system. This is Retract-A- Track, first publicly shown by Lloyd's Mechanical Industries Ltd (of Thomas Street, Manchester 12) at the 1962 Mechan ical Handling Exhibition. It consists basic ally of a series of retractable rollers housed in a channel fitted to the floor of the vehicle. The rollers can be made instantly "live" by introducing air at low pressure to a flexible-bag elevating unit. The BOAC vehicle has four lines of roller track. The compressor which inflates the bag is of the diaphragm type, powered by either a 12V or a 24V d.c. motor, and is suitable for vehicle, loading-bay or marine instal lation. It is provided with an air filter on the inlet side and an adjustable pressure relief valve on the delivery side. Output is normally set to deliver 3 cu ft of free air per minute at 151b/sq in. When loaded the vehicle is driven to the aircraft, where the body is raised by the scissors lift and the freight rolled straight across to the aircraft via a transfer bridge above the cab. Pieces of up to 90kg (1981b) weight can be comfortably handled. Where the aircraft is fitted with the Rolamat sys tem (Gloster Equipment Ltd) it is a simple matter to line this up with the Retract-A- Track on the transfer bridge for straight- through movement. The trial operations, it is stated, have already been so promising that six more of BOAC's heavy cargo vehicles are to be con verted to the system. Retract-A-Track also has advantages when used as an integral part of storage systems in airport warehouses. In such applications successful trials have been made in the premises of Air Services Ltd, an associated company of the Lloyd's Group. This especially applies to goods which must be handled in strict rotation or date order. Gravity-feed Retract-A-Track systems may be employed for storage and can be made either wholly of in part "live" as desired. Cargo may be introduced into a floor or rack system, thus saving valuable space which would otherwise be necessary to provide manoeuvring space for trucks. Such a system requires only space at the entry and draw-off sides, thus allowing withdrawal at any required moment. A modification of the system can be employed where it is essential for items which, although arriving together, are intended for different destinations or despatch times. Here use is made of the cross-track method, which enables loads to move at right angles to the main line. US Missile-lifting A fleet of Coles cranes designed and built at Sunderland by Steels Engineering Products Ltd, largest production unit in the British Crane & Excavator Corp Ltd, are now on duty in the United States with the USAF, handling Titan, Bomarc and Minuteman missiles. Remote control allows the operator to be as close to the load as he wishes. This method is particularly valuable when mis siles must be lowered into underground stores or launching silos. The remote control is a closed loop servo mechanism, connected by shielded electric cable to the crane's superstructure and operated by a man at the bottom of the silo, where the load's position can best be observed. The compact, lightweight console box has con trol switches duplicating those in the crane control cab. Portable Refueller Zwicky Ltd, of Slough, Bucks, are in production with an 851b port able fuel dispensing unit, the Portapack, for refuelling helicopters and light aircraft from drums. The Portapack has an automatic self-priming centrifugal pump coupled to an air-cooled, two-stroke, rope-started petrol engine. The engine is fitted with an exhaust spark arrester and flame trap to eliminate fire risk. Downstream of the pump is a Micronic filter through which aviation spirit or turbine fuel is delivered at the rate of 50 Imp gal/min. The first Portapacks were recently supplied to the Army Air Corps. Coles cranes, designed and built at Sunderland by Steels Engineering Products Ltd, are being used for missile ground-handling at USAF bases in America. Left, a Coles Ranger truck-mounted crane lowers a Titan I first stage into its underground silo. The crane is remotely controlled by an operator at the bottom of the silo, where the exact position of the load can better be observed. Below, another Sunderland-built Coles product used for USAF missile handling is this special diesel-electric mobile crane, seen lowering a Bomarc on to its trailer. (News item, col 3)
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