Aircraft cable ships on reels. If you're anything like us here at Loos Wires, you're reminded of that fact every morning when you sit down, flip on the computer, and kick your feet up on the reel under your desk to take your first nap of the day.

Beyond assisting in our relaxation, reels actually serve the purpose of allowing for efficient and effective storage and shipment of wire, aircraft cable, and wire rope. I know that sounds obvious, but if you stop to think about it for a moment, reels are a very specialized tool.

Reels have two distinct parts: flanges, which are the large wheels the reel rolls on, and the drum, which holds the cable and connects the two flanges. The diameter of the drum, the diameter of the flanges, and their distance apart determine how much and of what type wire rope they can carry. The larger the diameter of the flange in relation to the drum, the more of a particular size aircraft cable a reel can carry. But you can't simply shrink the drum and safely accommodate more cable. The smaller the drum diameter, the more pressure is placed on the wires closest to the drum, creating cast. The stiffer the cable, the more pronounced the effect of small drums. So, when working with 1x7 and 1x19 wire ropes, we use larger reels that have large diameter flanges and drums. This means a much larger reel will be required to ship 1/4" 1x7 guy wire than the same footage of 1/4" 7x19 Exerflex Pro Fitness Cable.

The reels we use at here at Loos to ship cable to you come in many sizes. We stock over 30 different sizes of reels, ranging from 6" to 56" diameter. This gives us the flexibility to ship aircraft cable to our customers in the quantity requested and in a manner to ensure it arrives undamaged.

So, the next time you need 500 feet of 5/16" 1x19 Yacht Rigging Cable, we've got the reel for that. 9,450 feet of 3/64" Military Specification Aircraft Cable, no problem. 1" Type 316 Stainless 6x37 Wire Rope in a 1500 foot continuous length, we call on one of the big guys!

When it comes time to ship your aircraft cable, tell your Product Manager if you have a special reel requirement. We'll do whatever it takes to meet your needs.