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Offloading the Antonov...
Nov. 12th, 2008 07:15 amOur scheduled departure for the airport finally came, and by the time our bus got out there, the An-124 cargo plane had already landed and was actually starting to assume its unloading configuration, with its nose rising in the air and its tail doors opening wide as if the beast were some kind of huge insect.
It was pretty cold - near freezing - most assuredly made to feel below freezing by a moderate breeze from the west. While containers of ground support equipment were being offloaded from the aft of the aircraft, crew members scrambled like ants to erect a ramp at the front of the plane, down which the satellite container was to move in preparation for the transfer to the flatcar on the adjacent siding.
The sun was low in the sky as I took the following picture:
Once the ramp was built, the 170-ton crane was positioned and configured for work. The trick here is to position the crane in such a way that, having lifted the container from the ramp, it can turn and lower the container onto the flatcar. Once the crane is ready, it's then a question of waiting for all of the GSE to be unloaded, as the satellite container must be the last item removed from the plane. I took the following shot while we were waiting. The big blob of light in the sky that looks like a floodlight is last night's full moon.
In past campaigns, it usually took a while for the container to be rolled out onto the ramp, but last night, the container literally slid out onto a set of rails, and so quickly and effortlessly that the usual crowd of gawkers - everyone present isn't working all the time, after all - instinctively dispersed from the front end of the ramp. I have to admit, it felt a little weird to see the container come out so fast, with no apparent up-close-and-personal human control.
Once the container reached the lift position, slings were attached, allowing me to take the next shots, of the slinging operation and of the now empty cargo aircraft:
Fortunately, the wind had died down shortly after our group arrived, but deserts being what they are, the temperature had fallen noticeably since the sun left the sky. I got no good shots of the actual transfer operation and, having received word (erroneously, as it turns out) that I should accompany a van of group members back to the hotel, I called it a night, got my stuff off the bus, and headed home for a late dinner.
What I consider to be the first major milestone of the campaign - getting the satellite off the Antonov and onto the railcar - is complete.
Cheers...
It was pretty cold - near freezing - most assuredly made to feel below freezing by a moderate breeze from the west. While containers of ground support equipment were being offloaded from the aft of the aircraft, crew members scrambled like ants to erect a ramp at the front of the plane, down which the satellite container was to move in preparation for the transfer to the flatcar on the adjacent siding.
The sun was low in the sky as I took the following picture:
Once the ramp was built, the 170-ton crane was positioned and configured for work. The trick here is to position the crane in such a way that, having lifted the container from the ramp, it can turn and lower the container onto the flatcar. Once the crane is ready, it's then a question of waiting for all of the GSE to be unloaded, as the satellite container must be the last item removed from the plane. I took the following shot while we were waiting. The big blob of light in the sky that looks like a floodlight is last night's full moon.
In past campaigns, it usually took a while for the container to be rolled out onto the ramp, but last night, the container literally slid out onto a set of rails, and so quickly and effortlessly that the usual crowd of gawkers - everyone present isn't working all the time, after all - instinctively dispersed from the front end of the ramp. I have to admit, it felt a little weird to see the container come out so fast, with no apparent up-close-and-personal human control.
Once the container reached the lift position, slings were attached, allowing me to take the next shots, of the slinging operation and of the now empty cargo aircraft:
Fortunately, the wind had died down shortly after our group arrived, but deserts being what they are, the temperature had fallen noticeably since the sun left the sky. I got no good shots of the actual transfer operation and, having received word (erroneously, as it turns out) that I should accompany a van of group members back to the hotel, I called it a night, got my stuff off the bus, and headed home for a late dinner.
What I consider to be the first major milestone of the campaign - getting the satellite off the Antonov and onto the railcar - is complete.
Cheers...
