HANDLING OF AIRPLANES IN THE FIELD AND AT THE BASES PREVIOUS TO AND
AFTER FLIGHTS
No unimportant part of the operation and maintenance of airplanes
is their handling in the field, and at the various bases previous
to, between, and after flights. This phase of the entire subject
contemplates the transportation of airplanes in knockdown condition
either by railway or truck, their unloading and unpacking, to a certain
extent their assembly, their storage in hangars and sheds, their
storage and disposition in the open, their disassembling and packing
for transportation, etc.
=The Unloading and Unpacking of Airplanes.=—The personnel required to
unload an airplane properly boxed and crated from a railway car, is
15 men and two non-commissioned officers. The tools needed for this
purpose are:
1 ax.
2 crowbars.
6 lengths of iron pipe about 2 in. in diameter, 3 ft. long.
6 lengths of iron pipe about 2 in. in diameter, 4 ft. long.
100 ft. manila rope, 1 in. in diameter.
A regular flat-bed moving truck or ordinary truck with a flat-bed
trailer should be provided for handling the machine from the car to
the field erecting shop.
Airplanes are usually shipped in automobile cars with end doors or
gondola cars. After opening doors of cars, examine and inspect all
crates and boxes carefully to see that they are all there in accordance
with the bill of loading or shipping memorandum, as well as to see that
they are in good condition. If any boxes are found damaged, they should
not be removed from the car without first reporting the fact to the
receiving officer.
Next, all cleats and bracing should be removed. The crate containing
the fuselage and engine should, if possible, be unloaded first. The
heavy end where the engine is fixed should be lifted up, have 2-in.
pipe rollers put underneath and manipulated into the truck which has
been backed up against the car door so that this heavy end, when
finally placed, will rest on the body of the truck as far forward as
possible. Next lash the front end of the box securely to the truck.
Should it happen that the fuselage crate is so located in the car that
the light end must of necessity emerge first through the door, then
this end may be run on to a truck and the crate removed from the car
with the heavy end adequately supported by sufficient help. Another
truck is then backed up against the rear of the first one which has
been moved into the clear, and the heavy end of the fuselage crate
brought to rest as far forward as possible in the second truck. It is
then secured and the first truck released.
After the box is properly lashed by means of the manila rope, a man
should be placed on each side of it to watch and see that the lashings
do not loosen and the box shift in transit. Trucks should be driven
slowly, especially over rough ground, tracks, etc. In addition to the
fuselage crate it may also be possible to load the panel crates on this
same truck, but as a rule it is better to load these on a second truck.
Common sense goes a long way in transporting aircrafts by motor trucks.
Unloading of the crates is done with the use of skids applied to the
rear of the truck and secured so as to form a sort of an inclined plane
down which to slide the boxes on the pipe rollers to the ground. These
skids should be at least 4 in. by 4 in. by 6 ft. and made of strong
wood. The rear end of the crate may be brought to the ground, rested
there, and the truck moved forward slowly until the entire length rests
on the ground. Care must be used not to jolt or drop this box at any
stage whatsoever.
When uncrating the fuselage, remove the top and both ends of the box.
Fold both sides of box flat down on ground and use same for assembling
machine. The wing boxes should have the tops removed and planes lifted
out in that manner.
Next, the airplane is assembled in accordance with instructions already
given.
=The Dismantling and Loading of Airplanes.=—When airplanes are to be
prepared for shipment by motor truck or railway, they should, of
course, be taken down and crated similar to the way they were shipped
from the factory. The order in which this is done should be as follows:
Remove propeller.
Unfasten control wires.
Unfasten main planes from fuselage and dismantle on ground.
Remove tail surfaces.
Unless machine is to be placed in box, landing gear and tail skid
should remain attached to fuselage.
If the machine is crated it should be handled when shipped the same
as described above. If, however, it is to be loaded without being
crated, then the following procedure should be observed. Using two
planks, 2 in. by 12 in. by 18 ft. long for runway from ground into car,
load machine into car, engine first. Block wheels to prevent machine
shifting. Secure fuselage, tail end, to the floor of the car by means
of ropes passed over the fuselage and fastened to the floor with
cleats. The wings should be crated against the sides of car and secured
by wires, ropes or canvas strips. All boxes should be marked with name
of organization, destination, weight, cubic contents, hoisting centers,
number of box, “This Side Up,” etc. A shipping memorandum should always
be made out and mailed to destination when shipment goes forth.
=Storing of Airplanes and Parts at Bases and in Fields.=—Airplanes when
not in active flying duty are stored in hangars or sheds especially
adapted to house them. Under certain conditions it is necessary to
store them in the open. In each case particular precautions should be
observed in order not to subject the machines to unnecessary wear and
tear.
Since moisture is one of the airplanes’ worst enemies in that it
deteriorates the weatherproofing and the fabric, distorts and otherwise
injures the wooden parts of the machines and worst of all, rusts the
metal parts, the first consideration for proper storage facilities
should be the absence of moisture. Next, extreme heat and cold are a
menace to airplanes. The temperature of the air surrounding them while
in storage should be regulated as much as possible. Under shelter,
especially when the machine is to be out of active service for 48
hr. or more, the entire machine should be raised off the ground a
few inches so that the wheels are free and the flexible connections
released. This is done by the points where the undercarriage struts
meet the skids. Furthermore, the wings might well be supported and
the weight thus taken off the landing wires, and hinge connections
by placing padded trestles underneath the wing skids. Care should be
exercised that dirt, grease, water, etc., does not accumulate in any
part of the airplane.
Furthermore, all water should be drained from the radiator and gasoline
from the gasoline tank. The propeller should be placed in a vertical
position and covered with a weatherproof cloth. The engine cockpit and
instruments should all be covered and the magneto should be enclosed in
a thick layer of felt or cotton waste. If any fluid is apt to freeze,
and oil will freeze in temperatures low enough, it should be carefully
drained.
When spare parts such as wings, struts, fuselages, etc., are stored,
the same general precautions outlined above should be observed. Spare
planes particularly should be placed in such a manner that their weight
is evenly supported. Never should planes of any kind be laid flat on
the ground. They should always stand edgewise, with the leading edge
down, supported several inches off the ground on blocks or boards
evenly spaced. One plane must not be allowed to lean against another.
In fact, the best way is to suspend planes by means of canvas slings
hung from overhead. Within the loop of the slings there must be a
batten about 2½ in. wide.
All parts of an airplane subject to attack by rust should be kept well
coated with grease or oil. Periodically the entire machine should be
wiped by means of clean, dry cheese cloth or selected cotton waste.
Engines which are in stored planes or which have been set aside for
future use should be turned over by hand daily.
It will sometimes be impossible for airplane sheds or hangars to be
brought up to the front on service, hence, airplanes must be prepared
to remain in the open. When this is the case they should be placed
to the leeward of the highest hedge available, a clump of trees, a
building, a bank, a knoll, or hill, etc. They should be sunk as low
as possible by digging a trench for the wheels and undercarriage.
The nose of the plane should, of course, first be run into the wind,
and then the wings and the tail pegged down with ropes, particularly
if there is any chance of a wind starting up. The engine, propeller,
instruments, and cockpit should be covered over with a waterproof cloth
and great care taken to protect the propeller from the sun, for it will
surely warp if not cared for properly. At night in cold or wet weather
the magneto should be packed round with waste and water in the radiator
drained. While machines are stored in the open, the necessity of wiping
them to keep them moisture and dirt free is all the more urgent and
should be pursued with doubled energy.