1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for moving cargo using aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for handling cargo in a sling beneath an aircraft.
2. Background
In addition to carrying passengers, aircraft may also be used to move cargo from one location to another location. Some aircraft may carry cargo within the fuselage of the aircraft. These types of aircraft may have a nose or tail section that may open to allow cargo to be moved in and out of the aircraft. Other types of aircraft may have a door on the side of the fuselage that allows cargo to be moved in and out of the aircraft.
In other cases, the cargo may not be easily placed within the fuselage of an aircraft. With this type of cargo, one or more slings may be used to move the cargo. For example, containers, pallets, vehicles, and/or other types of cargo may be carried on a sling from one location to another location. With this type of cargo, the aircraft may take the form of a helicopter.
Attaching cargo to a sling of an aircraft may require manpower and time. For example, with a sling, the sling may be attached to a helicopter and the cargo. This process may require the sling to be placed and secured to the cargo. Two or three persons on the ground may provide the operations needed to move the sling and cargo in place relative to each other. This type of loading of cargo on a sling also may require an operator in the aircraft to position the aircraft in response to guidance from personnel on the ground to attach the sling to the cargo.
This type of process may require more personnel and/or time than desired. When the cargo is moved to the destination location, a similar number of steps may be performed to place the cargo on the ground at the destination and to detach the cargo from the sling.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.