Originally posted by SPreston
I once maintained the underwing ramp fueling valve pits in a major US International airport.
Oh, you mean a hydrant system.
Originally posted by SPreston
But I don't think that makes me a pilot or the effective equivalent knowledge of a pilot does it?
Ah…
I see the personal attacks, and questions of experience are still on-going despite there being multiple requests now to stop them. I think all
truthers suffer from a habit of selective reading skills. They only read what they want to see, or what they think they can pick on, and harp on that
to the tenth degree.
Originally posted by SPreston
Most baggage handlers would not make credible piloting experts would they?
Maybe because I was not a baggage handler as I have already explained.
The guys who sling bags are called Ramp Agents, and they actually do more then just sling bags as well. In my experience, most Ramp Agents are
ex-military mechanics who do not have their civilian A&P license, but are planning on going over to a maintenance department as soon as they get it.
Two of my Ramp Agents were civilian flight instructors, one of whom I took flight lessons from.
Lead agents run flights and control gates, they sign responsibility paperwork for those flights that is turned into flight ops on their
checklist/loadsheet. They oversee presetting the gates before arrival, marshaling in aircraft, they control the flow of traffic around the aircraft,
they oversee the load plan/weight and balance of the aircraft, they take care of all ground handling (GPU’s, Airstarts, de-icing, Etc.), They tow
the aircraft, perform final walk-arounds before departure, and run the push-back. It’s their job to ensure the safety of everyone in and around the
aircraft while it is in their custody. In the Navy, I believe the equivalent position is called a Lead Safety Officer or Yellow Shirt:
Yellow Shirts:Flight Deck Officers and Plane Directors.
These are the only people on the flight deck authorized to move aircraft, or to give hand signals regarding taxiing the a/c, or moving it.
There is normally one Lead Agent per Gate...
The Ramp Supervisor (usually only one per shift per airline/airside/terminal) is the Lead Agents boss…
The Ramp Supervisor only reports to the Station Manager (one per company per station, period).
Flight Ops oversees and coordinates everyone from the Ramp, Passenger Service, Catering, Cabin Service, Fueling, and Maintenance departments, along
with the Flight Crew. They assign the gates and equipment, ensure the loading of everything is in compliance with the requirements of that flight
(weight and balance, food, fuel, water, etc.), and run the numbers for the Flight Crew. They are like the information hub that is directly connected
into the corporate control center. Everyone answers to Flight Ops.
Get it…
Let me put it this way. If you were out on the flightline with your little truck, tool kit, and air compressor
, and a Lead Agent told you to pack
up and leave his gate… You better start packing your crap up pronto.
Originally posted by SPreston
How about the cabin cleaners who actually board the aircraft?
So they are involved with towing aircraft, engine starts, ground powering, load and balance, etc? BTW a Lead Agent can throw the Cabin Service people
off his ramp. In fact, he has the authority to throw anyone he wants off his ramp with the exception of his superiors. He is given that authority
because he is responsible for that aircraft when it is not in the pilot’s hands, or in the hands of maintenance. If something happens to that
aircraft between the time he begins to marshal it, to the time he pushes it out, it's HIS buttocks.
Does cabin service have that responsibility as well?
[edit on 10/15/2009 by defcon5]
