Composed of a ball lock pin (the so-called steering pin), a retaining cable, and a red warning streamer, Halder has now dipped the pin handles in the same flaming red colour as the warning streamers to ensure the pins are not overlooked prior to take-off.
To allow the tractors to push the aircraft onto the runway without effort, the steering pins deactivate the aircraft's own steering hydraulics. For this purpose, they are inserted into the steering axle of the aircraft.
It is essential that all of these pins be removed prior to take-off to avert the most dire consequences. To keep the ground crew from forgetting their removal, the red warning streamers attached to the pins have lettering that reads “Remove before flight” (RPF flag).
Benedikt Uhl, Aviation Products Sales at Erwin Halder KG, said: “Our Bypass Kits - and thus the warning streamers - are used in any type of weather. While all components are manufactured from high-quality and weather-resistant materials, there is always the possibility of the warning streamers becoming lost. Sadly, this also increases the risk of the pins being overlooked. This is why we have decided to boost the signal effect of the pins themselves by giving their handles a flaming red colour.”
Forming the core of the Bypass Pin Kits, Halder's ball lock pins are an excellent choice for connections that need to be undone frequently - e.g. during ground support and aircraft maintenance activities. The pin can be inserted into or removed from a bore hole with ease by simply pressing the button at the bottom end of the pin to unlock the balls. When the button is released, the balls will lock in place automatically. The T-handle – which Halder now pairs exclusively with their bypass pins – can be operated effortlessly even with gloves and affords the ground support crew exceptional ease of use.
The matching pin with one move of the hand
The Bypass Pin Kits are available from stock in small quantities for many aircraft models made by Airbus and Boeing. Larger quantities can be procured at short notice, and even kits for other models or types of aircraft made by different manufacturers can be made available within short delivery deadlines upon request.
To allow the ground crew to handle this job with greater ease, Halder is now printing each aircraft model designation, e.g. Boeing 747, on the warning streamers. This makes the tedious search for the matching pin a thing of the past.
Uhl added: “As we work in close cooperation with representatives of the industry, we are in a position to adapt our bypass pins to all specific requirements. An example: As it is inserted from bottom to top on the Boeing 747, the pin is at risk of slipping out. This is why the Bypass Pin Kit for the Boeing 747 is supplemented with an elastic lanyard with hook. This addition makes it possible to counter-lock the pin from the top.”
