Today, about 90% of non-bulk cargo worldwide is transported by container. Large Cargo ships carry these containers around the world. World’s largest cargo ships can carry as many containers as would fill more than 30 trains, each a mile long and stacked two containers high. Inside those containers, you could fit 36,000 cars or 863 million tins of baked beans.
However, the cargo ship are slow. Some take over 15 days to carry cargo from China to US.
Boeing wants to build special planes that carry these containers for quicker deliveries. The fuselage includes cargo space for carrying containers in transverse direction. The containers are placed in a row on the runway. Track of the landing gear is wider than the length of the containers. The aircraft rolls over the containers and aligns opening in the bottom of the cargo space with the container row. The aircraft then lowers onto the container row. The containers are inserted into the cargo space. The containers engage with the twist lock fasteners supported by the frame of the aircraft. The aircraft is then raised with containers supported in the cargo space. The aircraft then takes off. The cargo space can remain open throughout the flight. Alternatively, the bottom of the aircraft may be covered during flight.
Patent Information:
Number – US 9,205,910 B1
Title – CARGO AIRCRAFT FOR TRANSPORTING INTERMODAL CONTAINERS IN TRANSVERSE ORIENTATION
Inventors – Lowell B. Campbell, Mukilteo, WA (US); and Victor Ken Stuhr, Seattle, WA (US)
Assignee – The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on – Aug. 20, 2015
Appl. No. – 14/830,867.
Application 14/830,867 is a division of application No. 13/968,422,
filed on Aug. 15, 2013, granted, now 9,139,283.