Imagine reaching your destination and finding a vital piece of equipment is missing. Perhaps it was left behind when the aircraft was unloaded in the dark. That’s why ATA Specification 300 recommends using white containers for goods shipped by air. Continue reading
“ATA Specification 300: Specification for Packaging of Aircraft Supplies” helps airlines manage the cost of shipping delicate and high-value items. It spells out how containers and flight cases should be constructed to protect contents against damage while minimizing weight and volume. It addresses how containers are to be marked and how they should be designed to facilitate loading and unloading. ATA Specification 300 even covers security features to reveal unauthorized access. The goal is, reducing the cost of air transport. Continue reading
Late in 2012 it was reported that American Airlines was replacing its paper flight manuals with iPads. No doubt, iPads are sleeker and take up less space. But, the switch was justified by weight reduction.
Weight is very important to airlines. More fuel is required to move each additional pound through the air. It is one reason they pay close attention to what goes in the hold. Continue reading
In the desert, relative humidity levels may be as low as 5%. In the tropics, 100% is possible. Anything over 40% is generally considered humid. Humidity causes metal to corrode and mold to form. Lower humidity is a problem too, as drops in temperature cause condensation. If that happens inside a transit case or shipping container, the contents can be damaged or completely ruined. Continue reading
You can’t prevent moisture from entering an enclosure. It’s in the sealed-in air. It’s in the enclosed materials. It even permeates through the walls and seals of the enclosure. And, when a transit case is equipped with a breather for pressure equalization, air will be drawn in from outside, too. Continue reading
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) makes excellent transit cases, especially when formed by the rotational molding process. HDPE is lightweight, strong, corrosion-proof, and resistant to solvents and acids. It remains stable through a wide temperature range. Rotational molding (roto-molding for short) distributes HDPE powder over the surfaces of a mold. The mold is heated and rotated. This allows liquid HDPE to create hollow shapes with complex geometries.
