A-300 FROM UNLOAD TO UPLOAD – AN OFW EXPERIENCE
The Airbus A300 is a wide-body medium-to-long range
airliner; it has the distinction of being the first twin-engine wide-body
aircraft in the world. Sometimes you find yourself in a difficult situation
when trying to download or upload this aircraft. There are no automated rollers
on this flight and all cargo must be pushed our pulled to the loading door.
To adjust for the weight in the plane, a pallet cannot be
simply pushed down the plane and right out the doors. You have to adjust the
load for each pallet unloaded or loaded to keep the plane from tipping. As each
pallet is shifted out the door, other pallets must be brought forward to adjust
the weight in the plane. Heavier pallets can be a struggle to get out or in the
aircraft. You need to have some heavy pushers to move the pallet down the
plane. Often this entails exerting all you have into pushing or pulling the
pallets. Without a full staffed crew it
makes it even more difficult as you have others on forklifts and the highloader
to perform their jobs as well. We have been in some tough situations before,
but we always seem to manage. Completing a full download within an hour is
quite an accomplishment for our little team here.
Not many would be willing to put forth the effort or
determination to get the job done here this team preforms. They work long hours
at times without much rest. Sometimes they go straight from loading and
unloading containers to working either a 747, an IL76 or an A-300 such as this.
Then after the download is completed they are out to make the deliveries so the
task can be completed. This is called dedication to the job and team work. This
team takes a whole lot of pride in all they do and I could not be more proud of
them.
