The responsibilities performed by airside ground crews cover a lot of territory. That means the ground support equipment (GSE) they require to do their jobs is comprised of a diverse collection of vehicles, tools, safety equipment, and stock. It’s not all baggage carts and aircraft tugs (though those are important too). Paying attention to this variety of equipment, and keeping it updated, can improve the working conditions of airside ground crews. The equipment can make their jobs efficient and less difficult, while increasing their comfort level and safety. If you manage or are otherwise responsible for equipping an airside ground crew, consider the following GSE upgrades, updates, and additions that will improve their time on the apron.

Weather-Appropriate Equipment

Ground support crews are often required to work outdoors regardless of the weather. For many crews, that means dealing with sweltering heat in the summer and glacial frigidity in the winter. Providing information on how best to dress for the weather, as well as necessities for weather protection, are simple ways to improve working conditions. For the summer, light, long-sleeved clothing, hats, and sunscreen are always a good idea. Be sure to provide access to air-conditioned shelter and water. In the winter, clothing should be layered, and the heaters in every GSE vehicle should be operational. Additionally, something as simple as a dual-ear headset to cover both ears can make a big difference in freezing weather.

Aircraft Tug and Pushback Tractor Safety Features

There’s no question that the most important reason to equip an aircraft tug or pushback tractor with safety features is to keep the operator safe. Those safety features often serve the dual purpose of greatly reducing the risk of expensive damage to both the GSE and the aircraft that it’s servicing. The best GSE providers include safety features that come with, or can be installed on, tugs, pushbacks, and tow tractors. Consider the SiPsHitch™ Linear Force Monitoring System from GSE provider AERO Specialties, which reduces or eliminates overstress damage to an aircraft’s nose gear. It does so by recording and measuring the stress during a tow and alerts the operator to any situations where there is a risk of overstress. Similarly, TLD’s Aircraft Safe Docking (ASD) system prevents collision damage during docking.

Other GSE Safety Features

There area number of ways for costly (and even dangerous) incidents to occur airside, and a number of safeguards that can be employed to prevent them. Another GSE safety innovation offered by AERO Specialties is the “Safe-Lav” system, which prevents lavatory cart overfill incidents. While lavatory filling isn’t the first thing that comes to mind as a hazardous operation, an overfill accident can cost thousands of dollars and put an aircraft temporarily out of commission. Finding ways in which any GSE can be made safer to use, and reducing the potential for human error, will result in happier ground support crew.

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 tow tractor 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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Many industries, aviation included, are pushing for cleaner, lower-emission, more environmentally friendly solutions. Many of the green initiatives related to the aviation industry have been dedicated to lowering the emissions of aircraft. While reducing the emissions of aircraft is often the biggest focus, there are other areas for improvement. The efficiency of aircraft tugs and other airside equipment is also a concern for any environmentally conscious airport.
            
Every major airport has a number of aircraft tugs and other ground support equipment (GSE) vehicles in operation. These include baggage and staircase vehicles, aircraft tow tractors, hauling carts, refuelers, ground power units, and others. Any effective strategies for cleaner, greener aviation must incorporate steps to lighten the carbon footprint of both the aircraft and the airside.

Switching to Electric GSE

Among the biggest of the global aviation environmental initiatives is the push for moving to electric hybrid and, eventually, fully electric vehicles. Due to the massive fuel consumption of jetliners, they’ve gotten much of the public attention when the subject of aviation emission-reduction is brought up.

On the other hand, updating every aircraft tug and stair-truck is a vital step on the way to a low-emissions operation. The transition has already begun, with several airports and airlines in Europe and Oceania moving toward 100% electric GSE and shuttle fleets. The transition doesn’t have to be instant. Replacing old vehicles with new electric GSE such as an Electric Baggage/Cargo Tow Tractor is a step in the right direction.

Optimizing Fleet Management

Whether the GSE in a fleet are internal combustion, hybrid, or fully electric, inefficient use of those GSE is an energy (and money) waster. One of the most common, important, and effective tools for optimizing the use of GSE is fleet management software. A sound fleet management software system, particularly when combined with solid telematics, can be a huge efficiency boon. The more efficient a fleet, the more money saved, even if it runs on combustion fuel.

Organization and Standardization in Airport Management

One of the more frustrating scenarios the manager of a GSE fleet can face is challenges to efficiency that they have no control over. It’s not uncommon for the airport, each airline, and a ground crew to have separate service level agreements. The specific details and procedures those agreements describe are also not always entirely clear, and communication is certainly not always ensured. If the details of specific territories, routes, and the other details of GSE use are not hammered out between the different parties involved, then bottlenecks, delays, and even the risk of accidents can ensue. Beginning an initiative to establish some standardization and communication protocols between different parties can save a lot of headaches and strife.

Implementing GSE Pooling

Going hand in hand with communication between groups sharing the same airside work environment, GSE pooling is another popular solution. GSE pooling is when all of an airport or terminal’s ground crews share a communal collection of GSE. GSE pooling reduces the number of GSE vehicles in use at any one time on the apron by ensuring they’re only being used when needed. It saves fuel, reduces congestion, and compels the sort of inter-crew and inter-agency communication that can serve an airport’s airside work environment, as well as reduce carbon emissions.

About AERO Specialties

AERO Specialties is one of the aviation industry’s most reliable manufacturers and distributors of ground support equipment (GSE). By combining cutting-edge innovations in recent technology with the most exacting manufacturing standards, they produce GSE designed to optimize any FBO or airport’s operations. AERO Specialties also ensures that each member of their team, from the GSE mechanics to sales and customer service, is thoroughly familiar with all the equipment, their functions, and operation. Basically, if your aviation business needs it, from a high-powered aircraft tow tractor to an LED marshalling wand, AERO Specialties will have it.

Make AERO Specialties your copilot to launch your aviation business to new heights, at Aerospecialties.com

Original Source: http://bit.ly/2MTPH0o