Story ID: 588
Alpha Chocks Expands Product Line
By: Jeb Burnside
Caption: Alpha Chocks adds carbon fiber products.
Word Count: 253
Wheel chocks are one of those items flight crews don’t think much about, at least until Switzerland-based Alpha Chocks (Booth C7519) came on the scene. The three-year-old company offers collapsible wheel chocks in three sizes, for aircraft ranging from light pistons to large business jets and commercial transports, and is now offering ones made with carbon fiber.

The company’s newest product is also its largest wheel chock, dubbed the “Max.” It’s constructed primarily from carbon fiber, tipping the scales at only 3 kg, and stops aircraft weighing up to 350 tons per wheel. Alpha Chocks builds its two smaller products out of forged 6082 T6 aluminum, which is then powder-coated and assembled with stainless-steel hardware. The Mini, suitable for aircraft weighing up to 20 tons per wheel, weighs some 300 grams and is available with a soft case. Each Mid chock will use up 1.2 kg of useful load, and can handle wheels with 65 tons of aircraft behind them.

All Alpha Chocks feature a unique “over-center” design, allowing them to be collapsed and removed with one hand, even when the secured airplane has rolled slightly since they were installed. All models also can be customized with colors and logos, and packaged with hard or soft cases. The Max also is available with its bottom surface covered with a coating from Rhino Linings, which often is used for protecting utility and off-road vehicles. The company’s customers to date include operators like NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and many more.