Pilots are a rare breed, maybe even a rare one, and they have an affection for their planes that even a girlfriend or wife might envy. Many pilots live next to a private airstrip and have a hangar behind their house where they can taxi and take off.
Inside these hangars is not only the main aircraft, but also some aircraft project that is underway. Walking into the hangar, one of the things you will almost always find is a portable air compressor. And, with a little reflection, you can understand why.
Portable air compressors provide compressed air to power air tools and inflate tires, both necessary functions for any serious aircraft owner. Tire pressure will vary seasonally and can be adjusted based on the type of airport the pilot intends to fly from. Large soft tires work best on grass runways, smaller tires work best on hard surface runways.
Most modern aircraft are covered with aluminum attached to the ribs and spars with rivets that are driven into place with a pneumatic tool. In the typical aircraft owner’s hangar, you’ll find various tools for shaping, cutting, and installing aluminum on the aircraft, and the best tools are powered by portable air compressors.
Many different types of air tools used by pilots and aircraft mechanics are necessary for the proper care and maintenance of aircraft, including impact wrenches, riveters, inflation nozzles, cutting tools, air drills, and rotary sanders, to name a few.
When deciding on the right portable air compressor for the hangar, pilots will consider the type and number of air tools they will be using on their projects. Once the compression needs of these tools have been determined, a portable air compressor with 1.25 to 1.5 times the maximum expected airflow in pounds per square inch (PSI) or cubic feet per minute is typically chosen. (CFM).
For example, a pneumatic drill may require only 4 CFM to function properly, while a grinder may require more than 8 CFM to function properly.
Pilots find many uses for air tools, such as using a pneumatic sandblasting tool to clean spark plugs, an impact wrench to change aircraft wheels, and a spray painter to touch up or paint the aircraft.
Among the benefits of air tools powered by a portable air compressor are the fact that the tools will last longer, have variable speed and torque control settings, run cooler, present no fire hazard or emit harmful emissions to the environment. atmosphere.
Another benefit is that air tools are more powerful while not requiring so much effort from the operator that they cause fatigue.
That’s why you’ll almost always find a portable air compressor in a pilot’s aircraft hangar.