Bangor International Airport is now taking advantage of faster de-icing solutions following the purchase of a new Global ER-2875 last year (2018).
The extended reach de-icer from Global Ground Support, known as the Beast from the East, has the longest side reach and highest cab/nozzle height of any mobile de-icer in the world, bringing the operator’s eye level to 78 feet.
“The extra 10 feet of boom will be particularly valuable on larger military and cargo aircraft with a T-tail configuration,” says Tony Caruso, director of Bangor International Airport. It means better visual inspection of the aircraft when cleaned and – from the pilot’s perspective – a speedier de-icing process and faster turn-around, Caruso adds.
Specifically designed for larger aircraft like the Airbus A-380 (pictured below), Antonov An-225, C5 and C17 military airplanes and similarly large cargo planes, the ER-2875 has a fluid tank capacity of 2,800 gallons, with a flow rate of 60 gallons per minute.
The hydraulically-driven centrifugal compressor is mounted on the operator platform and uses forced air, either alone or in combination with de-icing fluid, to remove all forms of frozen contamination from the critical surfaces of the aircraft.
The Royal Air Force was one of the first to experience what will now be considered the norm in de-icing technologies.
Feature image by Bangor International Airport
