Custom Air Force Pilot Lockers

If you’re thinking about adding safe and secure storage areas for flight equipment storage, custom Air Force pilot lockers are the way to go.

Air Force pilots must trust their lives to specialized equipment. That includes flight suits, high-performance helmet systems, parachutes, and more. The best way to ensure this gear remains in optimal working order, organized, and protected is by using the highest quality storage system.

When pilots become frustrated with their existing flight equipment storage system, it’s the Flight Chief’s responsibility to find solutions. That includes incorporating equipment storage designed to accommodate every pilot on the base.

Understanding Custom Air Force Pilot Lockers

Air Force parts and supply storage lockers are for pilot gear that needs secure storage. They need secure systems featuring heavy-duty materials, innovative designs, and quality construction. Flight equipment storage manages and secures aircrew flight equipment, including flight-ready gear and parachutes. Incorporating high-density electric racks with your lockers helps military bases double their storage capacity within the same footprint.

Air Force equipment storage puts essential equipment and gear at the point of use. In doing so, that improves efficiency and provides security enhancements. In addition to remaining accessible to pilots, military parachute storage must have safe and secure storage. Incorporating powered mobile racks or high-density electric racks helps military bases achieve those goals.

Air Force equipment storage’s design is specifically for:

• Adding storage capacity
• Creating faster turnaround time for retrieving equipment
• Easier access to parts and supplies
• Enhanced security
• High-density storage allows users to add or move carriages.
• Integration with existing or new drawer, rack, and shelving systems
• Organization for optimal efficiency
• Protecting equipment and supplies from unauthorized personnel
• Safer access

Why Facilities Should Use Air Force Parts and Supply Storage

Storage areas contain a significant amount of wasted space. When static storage solutions are present, that means storage areas containing several empty aisles. Incorporating high-density electric racks means facilities can mount racking or shelving on carriages that slide along rails. In doing so, they maintain access to items while simultaneously eliminating wasted space.

When facilities incorporate powered mobile racks, that helps them increase their storage space. The main reason is that these racks take up half the floor space while providing the same storage capacity. So, when facilities add these systems to their floor plans, that can nearly double their storage capacity.

The U.S. Air Force needs useful parts and supply storage to ensure what they need is readily accessible within a moment’s notice. Part of what impedes a military base’s storage systems is that they must follow strict guidelines when disposing of used equipment, materials, or supplies. The Defense Logistics Agency is responsible for disposing of excesses of DoD (Department of Defense) personal property, foreign access personal property, hazardous waste, scrap, and property requiring demilitarization.

The Defence Logistics Agency cannot accept the following items:

• Ammunition or explosive materials (MPPEH)
• Articles from foreign services
• Biohazard or infectious medical waste, including biohazard, infectious, and medical-generated wastes
• Classified communications security (COMSEC) material
• Consecrated religious items
• Cryptographic equipment
• Inspection stamps
• Pressurized containers
• Privacy Act data
• Radioactive material or waste
• Refuse and trash

Because Air Force bases must store large quantities of items, bases face dirt and dust accumulation and security issues. Solving these problems involves replacing outdated systems with solutions that allow them to increase storage capacities without expansions and provide easy access.

How High-Density Electric Racks Improve Efficiency

Organization within military bases is more than keeping everything in its place – it takes time and effort to create an efficient Air Force parts and supply storage system. Optimizing organization means military personnel is maximizing the capacity and efficiency within the smallest available storage spaces.

A common issue U.S. military bases across the world face is storage constraints. Incorporating high-density electric racks solves this problem and helps military bases retrieve items at the touch of a button. It isn’t uncommon to find these storage solutions in libraries, medical facilities, and offices. However, high-density storage applications are available for nearly any workplace, including the military.

When facilities have better organization, that leads to an increase in efficiency as well. Because military personnel spends less time retrieving items, high-density storage systems improve efficiency on bases dramatically. Efficiency also extends to the ways these storage systems save space within facilities by up to 50%.

Along with storing equipment and supplies efficiently, high-density electric racks must be easy and quick to access. These storage systems must also adapt or reconfigure to accommodate the changing needs of the military base.

Benefits and Features of Flight Equipment Storage

Personnel faces many challenges regarding tracking storage on a busy military base. Because pilots must access equipment and supplies frequently, it’s challenging to know who has what and when retrieval occurred. That’s where the benefit of using custom lockers comes into play. Not only are equipment and supplies easy to access, but these items are also secure and efficient.

Additional benefits include:

• Add a layer of security by installing security hatches within the locker
• Can add fixed or folding shelves inside the lockers
• Can choose from hinged and sliding doors
• Can make lockers to fit any requirement

Additional features include:

• Choose from expanded metal, sheet metal, welded wire, and woven wire.
• Custom sizes, options, and configurations are available.
• Doors include padlock lugs.
• Heavy-duty steel construction

How Military Parachute Storage Benefits the Air Force

Pararescuemen have one mission, and that’s providing evacuation in any environment, medical treatment, recovery, and rescue day or night. Because they do whatever’s necessary to save someone’s life, their flight gear must remain as safe and secure as possible.

Many military bases have inefficient storage methods that make it difficult to move and retrieve gear and other supplies. That leads to concerns regarding retrieving items, like parachutes, without catching them on points along the way. Many bases keep parachutes behind large cages to enhance security. However, that makes it cumbersome to walk through storage areas.

Military parachute storage is beneficial to the Air Force because:

• Racks are infinitely adjustable horizontally and vertically
• There are no sharp edges present that could damage equipment
• They can store a variety of gear sizes
• They create one centralized storage and access point

Technical Specifications and Design

As storage needs on military bases continue to multiply, so is the need for better-designed material handling systems. It isn’t uncommon for military bases to turn to in-house engineering teams for solutions. Architects and designers provide innovative storage solutions to individuals in the athletic, educational, legal, medical, and military industries, and more.

General Technical Specifications:

• Adjustable cantilever arms allowing parachutes to hang from their straps comfortably
• Horizontal and vertical adjustments to accommodate flight gear of various sizes without much maneuvering
• Rounded corners and deburred edges to prevent punctures or snags during storage and retrieval
• Thumbscrews prevent items from shifting while in storage

Increased Storage Capacity Solutions

It isn’t uncommon for military bases to have wasted storage space. Implementing custom Air Force lockers means the reduction and potential elimination of this wasted space. The technical specifications for each system vary by height, storage capacity, weight, and more. Here are two examples:

Model: TA-50 Wire Military Locker: #SMS-41-FG-TA50AS-S-MB

• Dimensions: 3’6″ Wide x 2′ Deep x 6’6″ High
• Doors: There’s a handle, padlock lugs, and a three-point locking system.
• Framework construction: 14-gauge 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ steel on the bottom frame, door, and top
• Hanger rod: Steel 5/8″ round rod
• Shelves: 16-gauge flanged sheet metal
• Warranty: One-year limited manufacturer’s warranty

Model: Military Gear Locker: #SMS-20-WL-361884

• Clothing hanging rod: One full-width hanging garment rod
• Construction: Perforated doors and side panels and welded steel construction
• Dimensions: 3′ Wide x 1’6″ Deep x 7′ High
• Doors: The double-hinged perforated doors include a padlock hasp
• Shelves: One full shelf and two adjustable half-shelves
• Warranty: Lifetime limited manufacturer’s warranty

When military bases turn to expert designers, they can integrate high-density storage systems within their existing footprint. Implementing custom Air Force lockers within an existing storage space involves several architectural and design phases.

Architectural and design phases:

1. Spec creation following a thorough site evaluation
2. Creating CAD drawings
3. Presentation of plans
4. Project implementation within the military base’s existing footprint
5. Installation of the equipment

Air Force Equipment Storage Solutions

Southwest Solutions Group® provides innovative design and installation solutions for Air Force equipment storage. Contact one of our expert designers today by calling us at 1-800-803-1083 or send us a message. They’ll walk you through which of these secure storage solutions are best for your business.

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