January 28 - Volga-Dnepr Airlines has flown a 70-tonne electrodynamic vibration tester from Shanghai to Russia onboard one of its AN-124-100 freighters.
"The electrodynamic vibration tester, or test stand, is applied in various test operations, such as strength tests or instrument standardisation. The cargo consisted of two big pieces: a 24-tonne slip table and a 28-tonne shaker, as well as supporting equipment," said Azat Yakupov, senior engineer at Volga-Dnepr Airlines.
"For loading and offloading we used mobile cranes and seven tonnes of our own unique loading equipment, which included a ramp extension and a rail and roller system. As the customer had required the largest pieces of cargo to be delivered packed in wooden crates, our engineers had to secure the shipments inside the aircraft through holes in the crates," Yakupov added.
The delivery was organised on behalf of Russian logistics company Everest. In China the official agent of AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of Volga-Dnepr Group, was on hand to support the customer by: organising delivery of the equipment to Shanghai's Pudong International airport; arranging handling at the cargo terminal; securing a 60-tonne capacity crane for loading; and processing the necessary documentation. The sensitive equipment was then delivered to the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.
