Air Force Academy cadets have designed a lightweight and relatively cheap replacement for a cumbersome tool used in loading and unloading cargo planes.
The students say their 20-pound aluminum stool is designed to support the cargo ramp on a C-130 and could carry up to 61 tons. It was developed in an engineering class during the spring semester.
Maj. Trent Greenwell, the cadets’ adviser, says it could be built for $100 to $150 from readily available material.
It would replace a 75-pound stool currently in use. The Air Force says C-130 crews sometimes have to move the stool more than 10 times on a mission.
The academy’s Mechanical Engineering Department is working with Air Force engineers to develop a testing procedure to see if the new stool meets requirements.
