Manufacturing

Twin Otter Hydraulic Wheel Skis

Twin Otter - Hydraulic Wheel Ski

Building something that is made to take a punishment requires sound engineering and a rigorous belief in quality. Our hydraulic wheel skis have taken the Twin Otter to some of the harshest cold climate locations in the world and provided a safe and reliable way to land and take off no matter the conditions. The Twin Otter’s versatility and maneuverability coupled with the Genaire hydraulically actuated wheel ski makes landing on unprepared snow or ice a reality and has allowed for new exploration, military support and rescue missions.

Since the 70’s Genaire has been performing Repair and Overhaul service on skis and began manufacturing in 1986. Genaire manufactures skis with a “wheel through” design which allows for the selection of either a ski landing or a normal wheel landing depending on conditions.

When landing on skis the aircrafts hydraulic system actuates a sling on each ski, drawing it down under the wheel creating the flat ski surface.

When the wheel landing position is selected, the sling moves up and forward, allowing the wheel to descend to the limit of its travel, and positioning the ski for maximum clearance of the runway.

The Genaire manufactured skis are self-trimming in flight, using a rigging system of cables, links and shock units. In addition, the main skis employ an attitude compensating mechanism. When properly installed, these systems maintain the skis in a level attitude in the “ski-landing” position and raised clear of the wheels the “wheel landing” position.

Along with Manufacturing Wheel Skis, Genaire also provides repair and overhaul services and maintains a full inventory of spare parts and assemblies which are available to all our customers. Trained technicians and Engineering staff are on hand to support customers with any technical issues they experience.

See more info on our Repair and Overhaul page.

History of the Hydraulic Wheel Ski

The lightweight aluminum construction hydraulically actuated wheel penetrating ski was originally designed by Bristol Aerospace in the 1960’s. Genaire purchased the technical information and manufacturing rights of the 3000 nose ski model and the 5500 main skis in 1985.

The ski set consists of the following:

P/N 258-24003-1 Nose Ski
P/N 258-24002-11 LH Main Ski
P/N 258-24002-12 RH Main Ski

In 1986, Genaire received Transport Canada approval for the manufacture and repair of the same hydraulic wheel skis. These skis are approved for use on the Twin Otter 100 thru 400 series aircraft under DOT A-82.

For over 50 years Genaire has been supporting Twin Otter operators across Canada including the Canadian Department of National Defence, Viking Air as well as other Arctic/Antarctic operators.

Aircraft Pallet

P/N	NSN	Description	Approval	A/C Type
SK338	1670-21-906-3424	Honeycomb Core Cargo Pallet 88”x108”	TSO-C90c DND USAF	C130 C17
SK416		USAF Medical Pallet 8 Track 88”x108”	Arinc/Field	C-17
SK442	1670-20-000-7617	DND VIP Seat Pallet 4 Track 88”x108”	DND	C130 C17
SK485		SPAF Medical Evac Pallet 4 Track 88”x125”	Arinc/Field
SK537		SPAF Medical Pallet 8 Track 108”x108”	Arinc/Field
SK528		USAF Seat Pallet 4 Track 88”x108”	Volair	C130
SK560		RNZAF Seat Pallet 6 Track 88”x108”	Arinc/Field	C130

SK338 Honeycomb Core Cargo Pallet 88”x108”

If the Department of National Defence Canada is moving any type of air cargo, chances are it's on one of our pallets. Genaire Limited SK338 has been the primary aircraft cargo pallet utilized for all air movements of cargo by the Department of National Defence Canada since the late 1980’s. Since then, Genaire has been manufacturing, repairing and overhauling aluminum pallets. See our page on repair and overhaul for more info.

We have designed and patented an aluminum honeycomb core pallet (SK338), which because of its unique all aluminum core construction, eliminates core degradation from moisture ingress that is inherent in balsa core pallets. Its 0.090 thick aluminum 7075-T6 bottom sheet provides exceptional strength to prevent damage during loading and off-loading.

SK416 USAF Medical Evacuation Pallet 88”x108”

Unfortunately, from time to time we have to make a product we hope won’t be used very often. However, in 2006 Genaire was tasked with the design and manufacture of the Arinc/Field Medical Evac Pallet. This pallet is specially designed for aero medical evacuation of injured personnel. Times of war or natural disaster cause our military to jump into action and take great risk, and we are beyond proud of the pallet we’ve developed to allow them to do this good work.

This pallet incorporates an 8 track system flush mounted to the top surface, which allows the multiuse reconfigurable medical support system to be attached. The system allows the attachment for at least one litter stanchion set and medical support personnel seats. The upper surface of the pallet is covered with anti-slip coating to prevent slippage due to fluids.

For More Info

SK485 SPAF Medical Evacuation Pallet 88”x125”

Specifically designed for the Spanish Air Force (SPAF) for use of Aero Medical evacuation of injured personnel. The top surface, as all medical platforms, is covered with anti-slip coating which includes 4 tracks that are flush mounted. The 4 tracks allow a multitude of configurations to meet the mission requirements.

SK442 DND VIP Seating Pallet 88”x108”

Used exclusively by the Department of National Defence Canada for VIP seating configuration. The flush mounted tracks on the surface of the pallet allow multiuse configuration of VIP seating and Troop seating. The upper surface is covered with anti-slip coating to eliminate slipping hazards.

SK528 USAF Seating Pallet 88”x108”

Seating pallet used by United States Air Forces (USAF). The 4 track system enables users to configure the seating pallet to meet mission requirements.

SK560 RNZAF Seating Pallet 88”x108”

Seating pallet used by Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Top surface utilizes 6 flush mounted tracks to attach seats for troop transport.

We also service what we sell. Genaire offers full repair and overhaul services on our pallets.

Aircraft Pallet Stacker

SK643 Pallet Stacker NSN 3990-20-008-5204

The pallet stacker was manufactured initially for the Department of National Defence. The stacker is used at the Air Force base to segregate unserviceable pallets requiring repair and overhaul. This sorting and segregation prevents the buildup of cargo loads on an unserviceable asset causing unnecessary delays.

The SK643 Pallet stacker is designed to fit standard 108 x 88 air cargo pallets, but could be made in various sizes. The vertical posts are flared to self-align the pallets, and will accommodate up to 20 in one stacker. There is forklift access cut outs for ease of loading/unloading.

This stacker could also be used to store and prevent damage to serviceable pallets not in use or pending loading.

Aircraft Maintenance Stands

While the safety of the pilot is critical, the ground crew also need a safe working environment. At Genaire we design and manufacture a complete line of Maintenance Stands to take care of the ground crews safety.

All our stands are coated with chemical resistant coating (CARC) to protect the surfaces from chemical and biological weapons and include safety features such as kick plates, positive safety locks, and bumpers.

Our three main stands are:

B-1 Stand (1730-21-805-2269) is a 3ft-12ft stand with removable upper handrails to enable the stand to be configured for use as boarding stairs. To stabilize the stand during use, integral screw down outriggers are deployed.

B-4 Stand (1730-21-805-1524) is a 3ft-7ft hydraulic scissor action type stand complete with easy access ladder. Features include removable handrails and kick plates.

B-5 Stand (1730-21-805-1525) is a 7ft-12ft hydraulic scissor action type stand similar to the B-4 stand with the extended height leg section.

F18 Fighter Boarding Ladders

The SK-410 F-18 Boarding Ladder (NSN 1730-21-906-4041) is not your typical ladder.

This boarding ladder, with its lightweight aluminum foldable construction, features wheels to easily maneuver the ladder in and out of position quickly.

CARC paint protects the surfaces from chemical and biological weapons and the ladder has protection bumpers in any location where the ladder may come in contact with the aircraft.

Custom variations of this ladder have been designed for our customers to meet mission requirements, such as a double ladder for the ground crew to aid in pilot extraction from the aircraft, and are manufactured upon request.

C-130 Bumper Boards

When you provide services to the Canadian Military, sometimes you get asked to develop a solution to a problem that didn’t exist before. DND asked us to solve just such a problem so we developed the SK642 Bumper Boards (NSN 1560-20-007-7619).

These lightweight aluminum constructed Bumper Boards protect the rear door C-130 aircraft from towmotor fork damage during loading and unloading. Plus, the highly visible design aids the forklift driver to position the pallet.