Field International Ltd… Bespoke GSE Design:

www.fieldinternational.com    

Field House, 18-20 Nuffield Ind Est 

Poole, Dorset, BH17 0RB. 

Tel:+44 (0)1202 676331 

Fax:+44 (0)1202 684043 

email: sales@fieldinternational.com 

Ground support equipment 

Ground support equipment turnkey Design, Manufacture & Installation including Aircraft Jigs & Fixtures,ground support equipment component Manufacture, aero engine tooling, wing repair tooling, Undercarriage handling trolleys, wheel recovery jacks, Oil test rigs, engine covers and engine cowling bungs, rubber components and machined parts and brazed components. 

BVQI, NATO & ISO Accreditations 

Aero engine tooling 

The challenge for a manufacturer in this sector is the types and variations of aero engines and the locations on an airframe where engines can be installed. 

A wide range of engine types are used in aircraft. Each type has particular advantages and drawbacks, and its performance in terms of power output or thrust and fuel consumption is critically important in most cases. For a particular type of aircraft, there is often a single engine type that is most suitable, so the choice is primarily concerned with specifying the manufacturer and model. Also of importance are the location and installation of the engine or engines on the aircraft. The choice of installation is influenced by the type of aircraft, the type of engine and the way in which the aircraft will be used in service. 

Aircraft power plants fall into five main types: turbo jet, turbo-fan, turbo-prop, prop-fan and piston engine. 

Ground support equipment design

The future of GSE is green. Many suppliers have, or are developing, energy efficient products. In addition, the quest to plug the gaps and to deliver an environmental agenda is encouraging the refurbishment of older products.  

Damage to aircraft can occur through the wrong use of equipment with regional jets and smaller aircraft when handled on the ground by the same equipment that might handle a 757, 767 or larger aircraft. Generally, if you are using ground support equipment that is the right size for a 737 and smaller, with care, that will cross over to regional jets; but as soon as you use equipment for aircraft larger than a 737, you are using the wrong class of equipment.  

An industry leader in the manufacture and design of aircraft ground support tooling, Field International Ltd specialises in bespoke GSE and aero engine tooling. As a Boeing aircraft tooling licensee, Field will provide the most up-to-date products manufactured to Boeing’s latest drawing specifications. From initial concept to design and manufacture, Field's engineering staff has the experience to produce custom designed tooling and GSE for any application. Taking project from initial concept to final design (turbine engine tools and components, aircraft jacks, aircraft stands, gse trolleys) as a licensee makes the company one of only a privileged few worldwide. Field are also equally privileged to be an Airbus tooling licensee. 

One-stop-shopping solutions promise to eliminate the headaches that most maintenance managers face when searching among various suppliers to fulfill their ground support equipment needs. This is all part of the big two airframe manufacturers' business strategy. 

  Aircraft jigs and fixtures 

A Jig is a type of fixture for positively guiding and supporting tools. Assembly jigs are bigger in scale, up to and including airframe assembly jigs. The origin of Jigs and Fixtures can be traced back to the Swiss watch and clock industry and they help ensure accuracy of manufactured individual detail parts, sub-assemblies, sections, or main components, and finally, the complete structure.  

A fixture is a special tool used for locating the work, clamping the work and supporting the work, holding all the elements together in a rigid unit during a manufacturing operation. 

Aircraft jigs and fixtures can be cast in iron, fabricated from steel plates or sections welded or bolted, made out of materials such as magnesium, resin, wood, plastics and composites. 

Different types are assembly fixtures,machining jigs and fixtures, drilling Jigs, boring Jigs, welding fixtures, trim jigs, control or master jigs. 

PCAs Pre-conditioned Air for Large Aircraft Cooling

Besides a large range of ground support equipment which includes systems such as pop-up and hatch type pits, towbars, aircraft connectors and cable coils, a substantial purpose of ground support equipment is directed into finding new efficient and environmentally friendly ways to supply aircraft with essential services while parked at the gate. This is a unit that will probably revolutionise the manner in which pre-conditioned air (PCA) is supplied to the parked aircraft with no need for any type of diesel generator. Needed is a unit capable of sufficiently cooling large aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A340/A330, in extremely hot climates. 

Airbus ground support equipment

Increasingly we are seeing the Tunnel System. This system is based on the concept of providing all necessary services to the aircraft from below the apron tarmac. By connecting through pop-up or hatch type systems positioned close to the aircraft, the remainder of the tarmac is kept totally free for other airport traffic. The proximity of the services means that no time is lost when an aircraft comes in to the gate, thereby reducing even further the expected turnaround time. Another important aspect is of course that no equipment installed within the Tunnel System needs any type of diesel generator, thereby drastically reducing any pollution linked to the servicing of aircraft. 

Airbus has delivered the 1000th aircraft from the A330/A340 Family, so a330 ground support equipment and a340 ground support equipment has a substantial market. 

Since the first aircraft from the A330/A340 Family was delivered in 1993, the product line has become the most successful mid-size widebody programme ever, with 1,406 firm orders from 103 customers worldwide. Today, aircraft from the family are flying with 100 operators worldwide and the world fleet has accumulated more than 27 million flight hours in over 5 million revenue flights. 

The A330/A340 Family comprises the twin engine A330 for medium and long range operations and the four engine A340 for very long haul routes. A new freighter version of the A330 is currently under development and will enter service in 2010.

Military ground support equipment

Military ground support equipment design for current military aircraft is subject to the many influences of new aircraft configurations. Primary emphasis is placed on support philosophy, mechanical GSE configurations, operational site requirements, and aircraft missions with associated support needs. 

Support concepts include: trestle line testing, built-in test, total support packages, GSE configuration, Rapid Automated Problem Identification Data System software, and total weapons systems harmonisation. 

Effective GSE design analyses support concepts and hardware configurations and defines specific areas requiring improvements to assure future total support capability.