Elevator Uses & Functions

Aircraft Elevators
Aircraft elevators can refer to an elevator that lifts an aircraft or an elevator located within an aircraft. An elevator for an aircraft lifts the plane from the flight deck to the hangar. An elevator within an aircraft lifts flight attendants with food and beverage trolleys between levels on double-decker planes.

Boat Lift
These elevators are occasionally found in canals and are used as an alternative to the typical lock system, which raises and lowers water levels. A boat lift physically moves the boat instead.

Freight Elevators
Freight elevators are designed to carry goods, not passengers. These large elevators can carry heavy loads, typically much more than a passenger elevator can carry. A rugged interior protects freight elevators from the wear and tear of loading and unloading cargo.

Passenger Elevators
When most people think of elevators, they think of passenger lift types that transport passengers from floor to floor. These elevators can have additional features, too, including loudspeakers to play music or announcements, audio or visual advertising, or television displays. Express elevators are a popular variation in high-rise buildings: They run from the ground floor to a sky lobby, skipping the floors in between.

Residential Elevators
These are less complex than a typical passenger elevator. Many residential elevators feature unique designs that allow them to be more aesthetically pleasing and fit with the surrounding architecture. Some of these elevators are so small that they can only carry one to two passengers using a pneumatic lift system.

Stage Lift
The hydraulic lifts in this machinery raise and lower sections of a theater stage. Radio City Music Hall famously has four of these elevators, which can lift entire casts and orchestras.

Vehicle Elevators
A vehicle elevator is typically found in a garage or at a manufacturing center. These hydraulic lifts make a building more accessible to a driver. Some even rotate so that the driver only has to move forward and never reverse.