LOADING OF CARGO AIRCRAFT

the United States of America camp an arsenal of world democracy pouring out fighting men and fighting materials for all the United Nations to every fighting front food equipment ammunition medical supplies are sped transported more and more by air airports are the stepping stones along the routes over which strategic cargoes move at each airport there further progress depends upon organizations like the air service command and the Air Transport Command in which each individual's job calls for knowledge and skill skill in packaging for maximum security yet minimum weight skill in loading skill in distributing loads for proper balance of the airplane and skill in tying down pieces of cargo so they won't shift in flight as air priorities officer lieutenant Williams of the Air Transport Command is responsible for the material which flows into his freight terminal for shipment by air he shares this responsibility with lieutenant Baker of the air service command who sees that shipments are packed correctly this package is all right for rail shipment but it makes lieutenant Baker mighty unhappy there is something pretty wrong when the packing material ways as it does here many many times as much as the contents of the package and if the shipment is a big one so much the worse 367 pounds are a lot for an airship package many of those pounds are wasted if a bulky crate contains nothing but part of a tail assembly which when packed correctly as this one is way is only a very small fraction of those 367 pounds crating like this is a hangover from the old days of shipment by rail and water when the primary purpose of packaging was protection in shipping by air space is at a premium there is no room nor any necessity for heavy bulky packaging for shipment by air to pack it right pack it light here's another instance of good packing for shipment by railroad by steamship or by truck where this heavy wooden crate and padding would be a definite for shipment by air however they are a distinct disadvantage taking up unnecessary room and wait so these boxes will be repacked by the air service command stripped to the bare essentials to lighten the load the Air Transport Command will have to carry no crate is needed here either this landing gear strut will reach its destination safely and in good condition with only a plywood backing to prevent its rolling about in the airplane enough felt at points of contact to absorb shock and a covering of heavy waterproof paper around exposed machined surfaces mounted in this way we have a package that conforms in every respect to the material that's being packed there's nothing here that's not absolutely necessary a light package and a right one even the covering is secured with a light but sturdy adhesive tape for packaging delicate but not exactly fragile materials such as this impeller assembly use a corrugated cardboard or fiber board carton a light wooden frame to keep the contents from wobbling in the package and enough padding Excelsior or shredded paper to make it solid waterproof cartons which are carefully sealed in the packing room will prevent corrosion or rusting of any metal inside for added protection the package should be secured with adhesive tape fragile stuff calls for special packing a sensitive instrument like this is wrapped in enough soft felt to absorb shock not that air freight handlers go in for baggage smashing but some bumps are unavoidable and proper protection must be provided fiberboard containers yes to if necessary should be used to make sure this instrument suffers no damage in transit padding should also be used if needed as added protection against shock now we're getting into the heavy stuff and here's where crating does become necessary wooden packing cases should be used in such instances but not cases made of just the old would remember we're still concerned with eliminating all unnecessary weight plywood is the material for creating air freight shipments it's much lighter than ordinary lumber and a good deal tougher as an extra precaution when additional strength is needed packages are bound with steel wire this provides the necessary reinforcement and the weight of the package remains practically unchanged to reinforce cartons weighing over 75 pounds steel tape or strap is used instead of wire the steel tape or strap is full tight and secured with a device that fastens a metal clip and locks it firmly in place the excess tape is then carefully trimmed so that there will be no loose and jagged edges that may damage other pieces of cargo with which will come in contact in flight the packages which go out of here are all types sizes and weights but they have one thing in common minimum weight combined with maximum strength to save time shipments to be forwarded by rail or truck should be packed for air freight first and then crated for the trip by land material packaged in this way is so marked and the craic removed before the shipment is loaded on the airplane there will be no time lost in repackaging this material it's ready now to be flown to its destination liquid containers must be packed in strong peaked wooden cases so that only one side can be up the maximum safe altitude should be plainly marked on the crate some materials like naphtha and benzene which might endanger personnel or cargo should never be carried by air others require special precautions although this generator contains nothing which could endanger other cargo it does contain a lot of iron and iron is a magnetic material as such it should be stowed well apt in the airplane where will not throw off the compass reading remember to ship properly by air materials should be packaged for safety or likeness and for strength if these factors are taken care of all the later stages of low handling will be greatly simplified the freight dock with its loading platform is a way station for cargo enroute from the warehouse to an airplane from a railway freight car to an airplane or from one airplane to another here it is sorted according to destination and priority and then moved on its way and moved quickly cargo won't do a bit of good standing here loaded on a trailer and get it to the airplane trailers or trailer trains are towed by tractors the trailers are left alongside the airplanes to be loaded and the tractor returns to the freight duck on an airplane with a low-level door as on this c53 the packages may then be transferred by hand but when the airplane has a high-level door as on the c-46 where the bottom of the door is eight feet above the ground transferring the load directly by hand is out of the question here a lift truck does the job best this truck combines the functions of a trailer and a hoist the body of the lift truck rests on a chassis as on an ordinary truck but unlike an ordinary truck it can be raised to the right height for easy transferring of the cargo to the airplane and here's the Air Transport Command plane loader a forklift that not only carries a bin full of freight but also pulls trailers with additional cargo with a heavy steel pin to make a simple but firm connection the plane loader doubles as a tug but it's versatility doesn't stop there this baby is a whiz on wheels even in sand or mud with these pneumatic tires providing traction it's a cinch to get through those tires absorb shock to four trips over bumpy ground even when the lift is heavily loaded ample clearance in design gives the loader still further advantage on rough terrain near the airplane the trailer is detached so that it will not interfere with the plane loaders manoeuvrability during loading first the bin goes aboard for quick transfer of its load of assorted cargo nothing to obstruct the dry his vision here a steady run in and a safe one up and straight to the airplane door a little careful jockeying for position and the load is in there is no gap over which cargo has to be passed it's in the airplane at least that much of it is in but for shipment by air there's continually more and still more cargo the plane loader takes any and all of it to prove it here's a real forkful an airplane engine about the heaviest single item carried by the Air Transport Command the plane loader takes it in its stride the fork is slipped under the load which is lifted easily tilted back for safety and nonchalantly rolled away no hoists no block and tackle no pulling and tugging necessary just an easy ride on those pneumatic tires a careful maneuver to the airplane door then up and in saving precious manpower and man-hours the plane loader can go to if necessary because with all its sturdiness it is light enough to be shipped by air itself loading air freight isn't just a matter of okay boys alley open in lieutenant Williams of the Air Transport Command knows there's more to it than that and he sees the loading crews no 2 in the first place all cargo airplanes don't have the same size doors a package that may be easily passed through the door of one model may not get through the door of another or if it does get through it may not fit in the cabin all those things must be gone into before the loading is begun the dimensions of the package are indicated on the outside and door dimensions of airplanes and maximum sizes of packages which can be accommodated by them are contained in dimension limits charts in the field manual of the Air Transport Command the maximum dimensions that can be accommodated by a c53 for instance are 15 x 48 x 112 inches back over that size as this one is must be shipped in another model this crate is on its way to Cairo and needed there in a hurry it will get there in a hurry in the proper airplane a c-47 if the size of the package is noted first and the dimension limits chart consulted not everything that goes by air though is packaged some air freight goes as is and also loads under its own power but take it easy with the heavy stuff remember the job isn't finished when you get a load into an airplane somebody has got to get it out maybe in a combat zone and in a hurry as far as possible weight should be limited to 200 pounds occasionally as you have just seen it may be necessary to carry some that are heavier than that but regardless of the weight don't use pinch bars rollers or other loading weapons in an attempt to coax a package into an airplane they'll slash cut and dent the floor although these devices may make loading easier they're not worth the damage they cause stick to the old heave-ho it may be old-fashioned but it's safe in each cargo airplane you will find conspicuously posted loading charts to tell you how much you can load where use those charts and when a loading chart tells you the allowable load in pounds that you can put on a square foot of the airplane floor 100 pounds per square foot is indicated for this airplane don't go over that allowance by so much as the weight of a GI sock if you do you'll be picking up crash cargo all along the route play safe make sure you're within the weight limit for the space each package occupies here's how to do it take the weight and dimensions of the package you'll find them stenciled on the side 200 pounds and 66 x 30 x 24 inches for this one to find the floor load divided the weight by the area of the side on which the package rests 66 x 24 inches will give you an area of one 1584 square inches or 11 square feet dividing 11 square feet into 200 pounds we get a floor load of only 18 pounds per square foot but we're allowed 100 pounds per square foot here the comparatively small floor load small for a package of this size would seem to indicate that the weight is being spread over too great an area let's try to concentrate that wait a little by changing the position of the package so that it will rest on the smaller surface we may still be within the load limit for the floor and obtain the further advantage of saving valuable space let's see how it works out we'll up end the case and figure out the load limit again easy does it okay in this position the case rests on the 30 by 24-inch surface multiplying we now get an area of 720 square inches or 5 square feet the weight is still 200 pounds so divide that by five and we get 40 pounds per square foot still well within the hundred pound limit but look out for two concentrated loads this case also weighing 200 pounds would normally rest on only one square foot so it is mounted on load distributing arms two feet on a side the weight is now distributed over four square feet giving us 50 pounds per square foot which is okay if you have to be careful not to overload the floor you have to be doubly careful not to overload the upper part of the fuselage airplanes aren't built to sustain heavy loads above shoulder level inside the cabin the surest way to reckon airplane is to load it beyond its safe weight limit or to distribute the load so that the airplane is excessively tail or nose heavy you might just as well try to send a jeep by carrier pigeon if a load is too heavy or cannot be properly distributed don't try to send it by air after the airplane has been fully loaded the air transportation officer in charge must satisfy himself that everything is as it should be it is his job to see that all the directions in the loading chart have been followed absolutely he checks the gross weight of the car go against the allowable gross weight for the airplane and makes sure that the load is distributed so the center of gravity of the airplane is within the allowable limits loading for correct weight and balance is of utmost importance to all personnel concerned with flying army cargo an air transportation officer knows that no matter who does the loading it is he who will be held responsible for any errors or negligence for safe flight every piece of cargo must be loaded in the right place and tied down so that it will stay there until unloaded the simplest device for holding cargo in place is a bin or net but this is suitable only for small light packages for heavy stuff use rope but the Air Force's never use it this way rope cut in odd links may be alright for tying down one cargo but the chances are most of these pieces will be too short the next time they're needed and rope is a strategic material so don't let it get lost in the fray knots tied with frayed ends have about as much security as the fray itself a few seconds of flight through a thunder squall and a cargo tied with rope like this would be all over the cabin must tie a package by getting someone to hold his finger on the knot but for air cargo we've got to perfect a rope technique slipknot's will do just exactly what they're meant to do slip and the cargo wisdom by standardizing we can save time and materials and be sure we'll have a cargo that is going to arrive in one piece equipment such as is contained in this kit is also being developed to simplify and eat up the tying down of cargo here's the rope it comes in lengths of 15 feet each length is stained too short belongs to an airplane and is to be used for cargo tie-down and nothing else there will be no bits of old lace on the ends of this length of rope insurance against that has been well provided for these rope ends are carefully bound to prevent unraveling the kit also provides some handy gadgets for securing cargo without rope here a hollow steel rod is hooked to an eye balls in the floor a twin Hickory beam is then fitted edgewise over the rod and placed on top of the load hickory being resilient can withstand a lot of pressure which is all to the good because this beam is about to get the works a locking saddle is now slipped over the rod and the lock is pressed down with a jack the jack is small but it packs a terrific wallet a pressure of 1700 pounds right on that Hickory be the harder the locks are pressed down the more they resist slipping and the better they secure the load on loads which have no opening in the center to hook rods may be used one at each end is on this drum the rods need not necessarily be vertical they may be adjusted to any angle required by the shape of the case and the location of the eye bolts regardless of the angle of the rods the cargo will be held firmly in place here's how to use those 15 foot length of rope and use them properly with a hook and tighten it these devices do away with any necessity for cutting splicing or nodding and considerably less than the time needed to secure the load one end of the rope is hooked to an eyeball just in back of the package the required length of rope is then measured off to reach the other eye bolt and the point marked that's where it gets the hook again no cutting or nothing necessary the Rope is looped through the eye of the hook and caught over the spur the hook is then fastened to the eye bolt no accidental slipping or coming loose here the harder you pull the tighter the Rope is held the mechanical tightener takes up slack by the numbers a1 a2 and a3 a simple twist of the wrist it's as easy as all that and there you are rope tight and load tight secure and solid as a rock in this whole business of flying freight the one thing of prime importance is security tie the cargo down by mechanical means by rod and beam by hook and tightener by rope or net but make sure it's down so that it will remain safely in place throughout its flight a pilot has enough to take care of up there without having to worry about an insecure cargo see to it that he does not have to worry about that flying heavy cargo is a complicated difficult and an expensive business but it's fast speed that's it's great advantage that doesn't mean speed just between let's say Dayton and Minneapolis between Minneapolis and Fargo and to continue that speed to Edmonton only to have a long wait there before it takes off again on a fast flight to the next stop and then on to its final destination speed means speed all the way overall speed in flying freight calls for overall planning lieutenant Williams doesn't shift loads around inside an airplane until the proper place is found for them he does all that before the airplane ever arrives how much is to be loaded its weight the space it will require in the airplane all those things must be known beforehand the load can then be arranged in units of the proper weight here blocks represent various sizes and weights of shipment a model of the airplane is used to plan their distribution room is found to load for 1000 pound units in tact and 400 pounds of a fifth don't think only of your own convenience though in loading cargo when you know that one shipment is going off at the next Airport located so that it can be reached without having first to offload another shipment destined for a point father on arrange the cargo in the order in which each shipment is to be unloaded a good air transportation officer plans for his particular link in terms of the entire chain a traffic blackboard helps him visualize the picture in the first column he enters the serial number of the airplane the type in column 2 in the third column e puts down the estimated time of arrival which he gets from the airport the plane has just left the code letters of the airport appear in the fourth column and the destination Airport in column 6 column 5 estimated time of departure gauged from the estimated time required to unload and load in column 7 and X indicates that the plane is landed a circle decks that the load is made up column eight gives the amount which may be loaded at this point this column number nine is particularly important it is reserved for entries on the condition of the airplane whether it requires mechanical attention or is ready again to take off whatever a cargo airplane leaves a field a dispatch message is sent on ahead of it the message identifies the airplane gives its route an estimated time of arrival and supplies information necessary for planning loads it tells the transportation officer the weight of the cargo and the number of passengers to be unloaded at his station and advises him of what is to go on through to the next stop this gives the officer a first approximation of the cargo he will be able to load the golden rule in loading and dispatching is to consider the fellow at the next station and at the ones after that as you want them to consider you when their stuff is coming in your direction the important thing is to keep them moving all the way the railroads do that a cracked rain can often change crews at a division point discharge and take on mail baggage and express and be underway again in two minutes that's what we must accomplish in transporting Freight by air three airplanes on a transcontinental trip spend 18 hours in the air nine hours on the ground reduce that Brown time to three hours and you'll acquire another airplane up for it with off priorities without manpower without raw materials it's up to you to put that phantom airplane to work for it is only by making use of all the possibilities of transporting Freight by air that this new industry and the newcomers to it can best serve our country in war and at the same time create a service for the peace to come