Heavy lift cargo aircraft present both challenges and solutions to modern logistics. If you need something substantial transported quickly, you should be aware that these options are available to you, as well as the parameters of each.
This quarterly resource we’ve put together for you provides an overview of the various technical dimensions of heavy lift cargo aircraft, while serving as a starting point for your outsize cargo solutions.
If you have any further questions or need some help in this regard, we’d be happy to advise. Please contact us.
AIRCRAFT CHARACTERISTICS SUMMARY
LEGISLATION TO KNOW
⇢ THE JONES ACT
The Jones Act (Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) foreign-flagged ships to operate at US ports, while requiring domestic port-to-port transactions be on US-flagged carriers, including aircraft.
Originally enacted in the wake of WWI to stimulate the shipping industry, it stipulates:
- Only US-flagged carriers can conduct the business of port-to-port transport and unloading.
- Ownership of the ships must be at least 75% American.
- Sailors must be American citizens.
- Ships must be built in the USA.
⇢ CABOTAGE
Cabotage principles are designed to guarantee the participation of a country’s citizens in its own domestic trade. These laws foster the development of a merchant marine and give preference to local labor and industry. More importantly, they support national security and protect the domestic economy.
MORE ABOUT U.S. PLANES (747s)
⇢ BOEING LARGE CARGO FREIGHTER (LCF)
The Boeing Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), more commonly known as the Dreamlifter, hauls more cargo by volume than any airplane in the world (Boeing 2018). Since its first flight in September 2006, Boeing has used the Dreamlifter to haul 787 parts to its production facilities in Washington state. In converting it from 747-400 passenger airplane, more than 30,000 pounds of aluminum are removed from each airplane for the modification.
⇢ BOEING 747-8F
The 747-8F is one of the largest cargo aircraft in production. Since deliveries began in late 2011, 83 orders have been fulfilled world- wide, 19 of which are operated in the United States. Two commercial operators exist in the USA: Atlas Air and UPS, with respective fleet sizes of 10 and 9. The 8F is the largest commercial freighter in Boeing’s fleet, offering 16% more revenue cargo volume than the second-best 747-400F.
MORE ABOUT FOREIGN PLANES (Antonov Series)
⇢ ANTONOV-124-100
The Antonov-124-100 is a leader in the air cargo market. The combination of its cargo compartment size, flight range and uplift capability without special loading equipment make it particularly effective at carrying a wide range of oversized cargo (Volga-Dnepr Group). It includes an onboard system of cargo handling equipment, including two travelling cranes, two winches, rollgang and tie-down equipment.
⇢ ANTONOV AN-225
Romantically named ‘Mriya’ (Ukranian: ‘dream’) by the Kiev-based company, only one Antonov-225 exists, and it is the world’s biggest aircraft. It was conceived by Soviet engineers in the dying days of the Cold War and first took flight in 1988. The An-225 holds a mind-blowing 240 aviation records, including transportation of the heaviest and largest single piece of commercialcargo: the Buran spacecraft, the Soviet Union’s answer to NASA’s Space Shuttle. (Chapman-Freeborn, 2017; Fedykovych, 2017)
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