48 JUNE 2008 GHI New in the marketplace For some obscure reason there has been an upsurge in activity within the British Isles on the subject of PRM equipment. Five companies round off this particular part of the feature. Promove is actually a Welsh enterprise which has developed a sling for moving and handling incapacitated or disabled persons, including bariatric persons, in confined or outdoor spaces where a hoist cannot be used. Director Dana Thomas says that the sling is suitable for all weights and is portable, lightweight, compact and quickly deployed. It can easily be placed beneath an incapacitated person, whether on the ground, seated in a chair or in a tight corner. Moreover, it provides good support, forming a secure bucket shaped seat under the individual. An innovative design of the handles allows the sling to be used by two to four operatives (or up to eight for bariatric patients), making moving individuals in difficult situations an easier and safer task. It has been independently tested to a safe working load of 290 kilogrammes and complies with current manual handling and health and safety policies. Almost needless to say, the risk of musculoskeletal injury to the assistants in attendance is greatly reduced. Whilst the device has not yet drawn the attention of the aviation sector, Dana points out that it would be a suitable accessory for the handler with a PRM transportation requirement. “We would anticipate in most cases that the ground staff will have a narrow boarding chair and the Promove would be used to transfer an individual into this chair prior to boarding. This chair would then be used to take the individual up the steps and on board the aircraft, where the Promove would be used again to transfer the individual from the boarding chair into the aircraft seat. “However, in the absence of a narrow boarding chair, the Promove could be used with four operatives, two at the front and two behind, using handle extensions (four are provided with the sling) to transfer a disabled individual from a wheelchair standing on the tarmac up the steps and on to the aircraft. It might be required to place the disabled individual on the floor As the Directorate’s spokesman wryly observes: “This is legislation, it’s not necessarily the answer to everything.” As mentioned, there is also, in some quarters at least, a degree of confusion over the powers of the aircraft captain in cases of PRM carriage. Maria Nyman, who is Policy Officer at the European Disability Forum in Brussels, again underlines some of the nagging inadequacies of the latest legislation. “Article 4 provides us with an exception to the carriage of persons with disabilities for safety reasons, but only if they are justified by international, European or national legislation. Therefore, airline policies are no longer relevant; a pilot does not have the right to refuse a disabled person carriage unless there is justified legislation in force. Currently, there is no such legislation. “Of course, the European Disability Forum is very disappointed about the possibility of not allowing a person to travel (as mentioned in Article 4) but the situation will still be better than before the entry into force of this regulation, because today some air carriers have very discriminatory, socalled safety policies, which will become illegal as from July 26 this year.” of the aircraft (on a cushion) inside the door as an intermediate stage, before finally transferring him into the aircraft seat. “Ideally, the Promove should be used in conjunction with a narrow boarding chair, as carrying individuals over a long distance can cause injury to operatives. There are selfclimbing narrow boarding chairs available and the Promove could be used in conjunction with these devices to transfer the individual from their wheelchair into the narrow boarding chair, if they have no upper body strength and are unable to transfer themselves.” Aviation Equipment Resources is the name behind Ambistair, which is an innovative solution for the handler looking to transport a PRM up or down aircraft steps with the minimum of effort and without extra assistance. Developed in conjunction with the UK stairlift specialist Stannah, the Ambistair made its commercial debut at InterAirport Munich last year. A cost-effective alternative to the traditional ambulift, this chair runs on a rail-like structure that can be retro-fitted to a set of passenger steps with little effort. Battery-powered and with a failsafe operation, together with back-up systems, it guarantees smooth and dignified progress for the PRM unable to use stairs. Novel sling could be used in the aviation sector. Two or four personnel required in its use.

transparent panels ensure that the occupants are contained within the vehicle’s confines whilst any opening door automatically cuts off the engine power. Sensors around the vehicle lessen the chances of collision or accidental impact and the passengers benefit from seatbelts and a comprehensive roll cage. The driver’s pedals are shielded by a metal ridge, ensuring stray bags do not interfere with the controls. The gel battery-driven engine is quickly charged through a simple plug and flex and the engine is governed, allowing for smooth pulling away and controlled descents. This latter facet is quite important at the new T5 where there are plenty of gradients to negotiate. In all, some 25 of these innovative buggies have been purchased by OCS and have duly been installed at the terminal. Development, because it involved OCS, the HSE and BAA, has meant that the end product is truly comprehensive in its scope. Indeed, after some months of running this GSE, OCS has reported no snags or shortcomings in their operation. It is now looking forward to the summer season to see these vehicles really prove their worth. Outside Europe AirAsia has looked to set the benchmark in terms of being a universally accessible low cost carrier by announcing that disabled guests travelling with it will henceforth be able to fly with greater ease, thanks to the airline’s newly acquired ambulifts. The airline is placing one ambulift in its low cost terminal hub in Kuala Lumpur and another in its Kota Kinabalu hub. Previously, disabled guests needed the assistance of AirAsia’s ground staff to physically carry them on board the aircraft but taking serious consideration of the barriers faced by the disabled community, the low cost carrier decided to purchase the ambulifts, which will be used to transport the PRMs directly from the ground to the aircraft and vice versa. In addition, the airline has also acquired aisle wheelchairs to be used with the ambulifts and onboard the aircraft. For extra support, AirAsia’s in-flight lavatories are already equipped with special built-in handles for the PRM. GHI JUNE 2008 49 Recently, Aviation Equipment Resources sold an example to Newquay and others to Worldwide Flight Solutions for use in its US operation. There has also been interest from American and Canadian airlines, along with Norwegian enquiries. At the time of writing, with the application ready to go, the only thing holding back sales is the customer. Faced with the new PRM legislation, there appears to be an element of caution amongst handlers, some of whom have to commit themselves to this, or indeed more traditional technology. The incipient legislation is likely to be strictly enforced and so handlers will ignore it at their peril. Yet another UK manufacturer with an interest in the sector is that of Airside. Following huge interest in its PRM Eagle Hoist at Munich last October, in March Airside GSE embarked on a roadshow to Germany with the Australian-made device to show off its capabilities. The trip lasted a week and embraced three airports (Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Hannover): each was able to test the cabin hoist for a day and a couple of the airports subsequently asked for longer periods in which to run and assess the novel equipment. Airside’s Mike Cardy relates that he could have sold the demonstration unit several times over, such was the level of interest exhibited. Its Eagle hoist has now been sold to Krackow airport and next on the cards are some sales to OCS at Heathrow for use in Terminal 3. Mike Cardy stresses that the airline’s customers will need a little education on the use of the hoist, since the PRM has to be located on the right hand side of the aircraft. The S-MAX Amazon may sound a bit of a mouthful but this handy piece of PRM kit is manufactured by specialist AAT. Light in weight, narrow yet strong enough to be able to cope with a PRM weighing up to 160 kilogrammes, this stair climber was originally introduced back in 2005, following an intensive study of the marketplace and the requirements of this specific sector. A measure of the equipment’s success can be gauged by the fact that it is currently seeing use in most UK airports; moreover, the manufacturer has chalked up sales around Europe as well as in South Africa, Eastern Europe, the West Indies and Polynesia. Company spokesperson Peter Wingrave points out that the PRM aid really came into being following the growing concerns over the numbers of smaller aircraft which were being handled remotely. “Take away airbridge access and you begin to experience difficulties,” he states. He also refers to the fact that the device works on several levels, in that it satisfies the demands of both the DDA and the HSE. Capable of being used with any aircraft save the Jetstream, and requiring just two staff (although it can be operated with one), it represents a costeffective solution to anyone looking to provide PRM assistance. For services provider OCS, 2008 has been something of a milestone for this year has seen it realise a project that was begun around 12 months ago. Faced with somewhat outmoded PRM buggy equipment, equipment that had not really been modified or adapted for many years, and the fact that Heathrow’s Terminal 5 was due to open in March 2008, the handler went back to basics and designed a new PRM buggy from scratch. As would be expected with something designed from a blank page, the new equipment, which is built by Bradshaw Electric Vehicles, bristles with clever touches. Lightweight