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Ground support for aircraft is no joke. Everyone wants the best, and as much as they can of the best for their aircraft. Consequently, setting priorities can be difficult. It’s hard to determine what you should look for first. Everyone’s needs will be different across different companies and air fields, but there are still some basics to take into consideration with respect to military-grade ground support equipment. The following are three of the most necessary components. They may not be everything you need, and they may be things you already have on hand, but they remain critically important items to look into regardless.
Frequency converters for ground-based power sources are the first thing to look for. Frequency converters are important; without them, ground-based power supplies may or may not be compatible with other aircraft equipment. That’s something no one wants to gamble on, obviously, so it’s best to settle that outright with a proper frequency converter, to spare yourself unnecessary trouble. This also makes it easier to purchase other equipment. When you know what power frequencies are supported, you can gear the rest of your kit around them. It’s an infrastructural staple that’s very nice to have settled first and foremost.
Air carts are next. Preconditioned air is necessary for most modern aircraft. You need these functional one way or another, so it can be important to select these early on to make sure subsequent purchases are compatible with your carts. Combination carts are gaining in popularity as their quality has improved through groups like ITW Military GSE, so getting a single cart that is compatible with multiple planes is very possible and cost-effective if you’re dealing with a mixed fleet.
Finally, you’ll need to deal with battery chargers and power supplies. Much like frequency converters, without batteries and power supplies you’re frequently without power. No explanation is required for why this is unacceptable. However, unlike the previous two items, you can’t gear further equipment around what power supplies you’ll require, so these come last. If you’re ever uncertain about the stability of your power supplies, look into what can be done about them. It’s better to have some unused redundancy in your equipment than it is to be caught off-guard.
These are the basics, but through a good supplier, you’ll be able to find what you need and make plans about your future investments in ground support equipment. Without ground support you can’t get off the ground, so don’t skimp on the details.
