Ground Support Equipment You Need More Of
Posted on: 1 April 2021
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The amount of ground support equipment needed to support even a small regional airport is immense. The equipment not only helps prepare the planes for the next flight and maintains their safety, but each piece acts as a backup to another. Airports cannot let flights be delayed because a piece of ground equipment has gone on the fritz and there's no replacement. Obviously, an airport's storage space is limited, and safety regulations limit where you can place spare equipment on the property. Yet there are items that you really do need quite a few of. If you're trying to figure out how best to complete your equipment inventory so that you always have replacement equipment ready to go, these items should be among the top choices.
Dollies of All Types
You need dollies to transport luggage, packages, and other items of all sizes, so be sure you have multiple dollies of each type. A small hand truck stores easily, especially if it's one you can fold up; larger dollies aren't as easy to store, but they keep your workers safe when the workers have to move heavy items. Having a couple of people hand-carry a large, heavy item isn't a good idea because of the potential for injury (yes, you might see people do that at home, but at work, this is an occupational safety issue). And of course, a flight isn't going to just leave without the item it's supposed to take with it.
Portable Ground Power Units
Your airport may have ground power units built into the runways or buildings, but do you have mobile units as well? If there is an emergency that requires several planes to stop over at your airport, you may have to have some of them park away from terminals due to available space needs. Portable power units allow you to provide power to the planes without having to bring them over to the in-ground units, which, if there are a lot of planes, could take a while.
De-Icing Supplies
This is a safety issue, and you never want to run out of de-icing supplies. Like any supply, when they're in demand, prices can go up or supplies can be low in general as distributors restock. Lay in a good supply of de-icing products now because this is one category where you'd rather have extra left at the end of the season than not enough to ensure planes can fly safely.
Of course, there are other supplies you should have extras of, too. These three are a good place to start if you've got a tight budget. Contact a local aircraft equipment supplier to get help finding ground support equipment for sale.