Airside ground crew coordination and managing every aircraft tug in a ground support equipment (GSE) fleet is a momentous daily responsibility. Preparing for future, and future conditions, is an easy task to overlook during the daily routine. With the approach of winter weather, however, taking extra time to plan can significantly improve operations when poor conditions arrive. Preparing for those conditions is going to work out far more successfully than scrambling to react when they arrive. In short, the best time to prepare for winter is before it hits.

Communication Networks for Emergencies

There’s no question that establishing, reinforcing, and checking up on intra-airport communication networks is crucial in case of emergencies. When well-planned and maintained, these networks also serve to improve daily operation. The lack of dedicated communication protocols and infrastructure is unfortunately common in a surprising number of aerodromes.

There is often insufficient communication between general airport management and ground crews, flight crews and ground crews, and between the individual ground crews at larger airports. Lacking communication can cause delays and exacerbate dangerous situations. Setting up communications protocols which allow ground crews to communicate conditions and issues to appropriate parties is essential for hectic winter months.

Deicing on Standby

As potentially frustrating and counterproductive as a communication breakdown is when the aircraft pushback used as a plow breaks down, discovering too late that there’s no more deicing fluid is no better. Being sure to stock up everything you need to keep your deicing equipment ready to go, because it’s easy to not think about deicing fluid when there’s no need for it. Pre-season and end-of-season inventory checks can do wonders for efficiency once the snow hits.

Any deicing vehicles, sprayers, tanks, platforms, and the like that haven’t been used since last winter should be examined by mechanics to ensure they’re all in good working order. Check to be sure that all the types of deicing fluid you need are available and consider the less obvious deicing equipment. For instance, consider dual-ear deicing headsets for the crew.

Ground Crew Prepared

Just as important as making sure winter equipment is available and in working order is ensuring that the operators and ground crew are prepared for winter. Ground crews need the training and experience to use the specialized winter equipment, as well as the communications systems that they’ll be relying on in poor weather. Training crew for winter conditions on GSE they are certified to use shouldn’t be overlooked. Pulling a string of baggage carts or a jetliner in the winter is an entirely different animal than it is in the summer.

About AERO Specialties

AERO Specialties offers GSE designed to optimize performance for their customers, whether civilian or military, at an FBO, corporate airport, or consumer airport. To additionally ensure excellence, they train each and every member of the AERO Specialties team to be entirely familiar with all of their GSE offerings. So whether you need a safe, powerful aircraft ground power unit or LED marshalling wands, AERO Specialties has you covered.

Help your aviation business reach new heights with AERO Specialties, at Aerospecialties.com

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Being a member of an airside support crew can be harrowing at the best of times. Millions of dollars, the comfort and convenience of thousands of passengers, and, in many cases, the safety and lives of those passengers are in the hands of the ground crews. On top of which, aircraft tugs and pushbacks, baggage and lav carts, and a fleet of other ground support equipment (GSE), are zipping around on the apron. Not to mention that massive aircraft being tugged, pushed-back, or taxiing have to be dodged.

And that’s the work environment when the weather is nice, warm, and clear. When winter and the snow hit, every one of those challenges remains, on top of which the crews have to deal with accumulating snow, iced-up wings, ice on the ground, blinding wind, icy fog, storms inhibiting visibility, and often, bitter cold. Particularly frustrating is that the conditions being that much more difficult results in an increased chance of delays, which can place even more pressure on the ground crews to perform their duties as quickly as possible without sacrificing thoroughness. So what are the best ways for ground crews to do the work efficiently and effectively, while also remaining safe?

Snow Buildup

According to the FAA, once 1/8 of an inch of wet snow or slush accumulates on the runway, it’s officially a “contaminant.”And that’s the same designation for an inch or less of dry snow and any depth of compacted snow. The designation is as stringent as it is for a good reason. Ground crews are no doubt aware that takeoff and landing are by far the two most pivotal parts of a flight. Snow can both fall and compact extremely quickly, particularly with even moderate traffic. It doesn’t take much snow to result in aircraft slides that, due to the speeds and momentum of aircraft taking off or landing, can prove catastrophic.

As such, removal of snow from runways has to be a top priority. But rushing the snow removal, whether by plowing, salting, or spraying deicing fluid, can prove dangerous as well. An aircraft tug or snowplow, while not dealing with the size or momentum of an aircraft, is still a large vehicle being driven around a lot of other large vehicles and human beings. So ensure that—consistently, but particularly in inclement weather—communication with managers, the tower, and other crews is a top priority.

The Dangers of Ice

The risk of GSE sliding on frozen precipitation has been touched on, but more dangerous than snow is the threat of black ice. Black ice can form extremely quickly, both under snow and on tarmac that otherwise looks clear. And anyone who’s ever hit a patch of it is aware that you don’t need to be going fast to find yourself in a dangerous slide. Accompanied by its own set of challenges and dangers is the deicing of both the runways and the aircraft.

While the necessity to fully deice an aircraft has been forever branded into the mind of every deicer, there are other concerns that can get less attention. The necessity for communication is one of those. Failures in communication while deicing have led to serious injuries and accidents. Deicing fluid seeping into the cabin of the aircraft being sprayed and partially-received messages resulting in pilots swinging into deicing vehicles are just a couple of the unfortunate products of failures to communicate. The bottom line is, be safe, be aware, be communicative, and use quality deicing and snow removal equipment, and you should be just fine.

AERO Specialties offers a wide variety of deicing products, including deice trucks, fluids, and portable deicing units. When used properly, these products will greatly enhance your safety on the ramp.

About AERO Specialties

AERO Specialties has established an international reputation as one of the most innovative thought leaders in the industry. They are committed to producing and providing the best-quality GSE on the market, by consistently remaining on the cutting edge of airside technological advancement. That dedication to superior GSE is also shared by AERO Specialties’ team members. They insist that everyone on the staff—from sales to support—are given detailed, in-depth training on GSE including the duties of airside ground crews and their equipment. From an aircraft pushback to deicing products, AERO Specialties has what you need to keep your aviation business flying high.

Find out how your aviation business can really take off with AERO Specialties’ GSE equipment, at Aerospecialties.com

Original Source: https://goo.gl/ZUNaTD

Any member of an airside ground crew, which certainly includes the management, will tell you that the work can be pretty high-stress. They are operating under two mandates which are not only often in competition, they can seem fairly contradictory. Those mandates are: “Do the job as quickly as possible!” And, “Be thorough, complete checklists, double-check, make no mistakes, be careful, and be safe.”
Although both of those priorities make sense from the perspective of the airlines and those airside serving at the pleasure of those airlines, delays on the ground can cost millions—literally. Not even just big delays. According to an industry report, a large airline loses as much as $35 million (USD) annually for every additional five minutes of ground time. According to the same report, it’s also pointed out that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that the aviation industry would save $4 billion annually by taking preventative safety measures. More specifically, by “improving safety and reducing damage to aircraft and ground vehicles.”

So how can the ground crew work as quickly as possible while also ensuring that there are no oversights or mistakes—a single one of which can not only cost millions but lead to consequences far more dire?

Staying on Top of GSE Maintenance

This may seem obvious, but in the fast-moving, high-intensity pressure cooker of aviation ground work, it can be easy to put off scheduled maintenance of the GSE or procrastinate on dealing with a fault code that isn’t going to immediately result in equipment failure.

The true cost of cutting those corners and whatever trivial amount of time was saved by dragging feet on maintenance, upkeep, and repair becomes far too clear when an aircraft tug breaks down on some access-blocking part of the apron or taxiway. That’s the sort of event that would likewise contribute to considerably more than five minutes of ground time.

And unfortunately, breaking down can be the best-case scenario for a GSE failure. If one of those same aircraft tugs experiences a failure while attempting to dock, thousands of dollars of additional damage can be done and the aircraft can become jackknifed, etc. Basically, nothing good can come from failing to stay right on top of maintenance and repair, but a whole lot of bad can.

Leveraging the Best Technology

There are a number of technological advances that can make and have made the work of ground crews easier, safer, and more efficient. More comprehensive additions like an entire GSE fleet linked by digital telematics and tracking can certainly improve safety and efficiency. But those improvements can be simple too. Lighting is a good example.

Replacing older light sources with LEDs can help considerably, both interior and exterior. Navigation lighting for an aircraft pushback tractor, headlights, signal lights, flashing beacons, backup-warning lights—anything that can provide a crew member with a better view of the job they’re doing or successfully advise aviation staff of a caution can be improved with high-quality lights.

Most important of all, however, is good communications between on-ground crew and management and coordination staff, a well-maintained and serviced GSE fleet, and a commitment to doing the job right.

About AERO Specialties

AERO Specialties is dedicated to both quality and customer service. As part of that dedication, they ensure that all AERO Specialties’ team members, including sales and support staff, not only understand the equipment but also have an extensive, detailed understanding of aircraft handling and maintenance. AERO Specialties specializes in aircraft tugs, aircraft solutions in baggage and cargo handling, intercom systems, hydraulic fluid services, and aircraft lighting. They offer such parts as towbar and towbar head ball lock pins, shear pins, oxygen charge adapters, nitrogen service adapters, ground power unit cables, and many more parts to support your equipment fleet.

To optimize the quality and efficiency of GSE, visit AERO Specialties at Aerospecialties.com



Original Source: https://goo.gl/BgTtWA