Cube Jacks Streamline Flight Simulator Installations Around Globe

Landry Simulation provides an unprecedented experience in the simulation industry. The New York-based company installs, updates, and relocates flight training devices for airlines, aircrew training centers, and aircraft manufacturers. The installation process involves setting the simulator, which weighs between 35,00 and 50,000 pounds, onto a hydraulic actuator.

“To set a simulator, Landry Simulation historically used a system of chain-falls, hydraulic cylinders, and a significant amount of wooden cribbing,” said John Kuka, Director of Business Development for Engineered Rigging. “The company’s founder, Claude Landry, approached Engineered Rigging to improve the installation process.”

Landry asked Engineered Rigging to identify the safest, most efficient method for its operations using equipment that is easy to transport. After analyzing the simulator installation process, Kuka recommended the Enerpac SCJ-50 Cube Jack System as the ideal solution. Easy-to-use and portable, the powerful cube jacks have a 56-ton lifting capacity per jack. The system utilizes base lifting frames and self-aligning, lightweight steel cribbing blocks, instead of wooden cribbing materials. To simplify control of the lifting operation, all of the system controls are contained within the cube jack aside from the main directional valve located on the hydraulic power unit.

“An in-person demonstration helped Claude gain an appreciation for the equipment’s compact design and functionality,” added Kuka. “Seeing it in action, he realized that the cube jack system is a perfect fit for the safety and efficiency goals he wanted to achieve. However, he had one critical concern.”

Typically Engineered Rigging’s cube jack systems (our fleet includes both the SCJ-50 and SCJ-100) are powered by split-flow pumps which require 480v/3 phase power. However, the build-out spaces for Landry Simulation’s flight simulators often have only standard 115v power. Working with our partners at Enerpac, Kuka identified an alternative power source: the ZE-Series hydraulic pump and a split-flow manifold.

Landry Simulation purchased three SCJ-50 Cube Jacks, a ZE-Series hydraulic pump and one manifold. The expert team first used the new system for an installation at a flight training center in Dallas and reported the new lifting system improved productivity and reduced the time to install the simulator.

Kuka said, “The Engineered Rigging team enjoys working with our customers to understand their needs and identify the best heavy lifting solutions. I was thrilled that we provided Landry Simulation with the technology to safely and efficiently install flight simulators around the world.”