Land & Water recently made an unusual hire of some of its floating pontoons. They were supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to facilitate safety trials on Apache helicopter cockpits in advance of these aircraft being commissioned by the Royal Navy.
The pontoons, made up of small, lightweight sections that bolt together, are ideal for use in small confined spaces, where access is difficult. The testing took place at the UK’s largest indoor water testing facility at Gosport where the only access was via a steep narrow staircase.
Richard Maclean, Director of Land & Water Plant, said, “These floating pontoons made a genuine difference to the speed at which this crucial research was able to be completed. Manoeuvring the pontoons into and out of the testing tank was made simple by them being so lightweight and mobile.”
“The ease of assembly makes them extremely versatile in their application and we have also used them assembled as walkways, rafts, barges, pontoons. It is even possible to put outboard motors on them. We like the concept of these small modular pontoons so much that we have entered into a supply agreement with the UK’s official Distributor with the aim of substantially increasing the size of our hire fleet over the coming months.” |
