Airfield Operations
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Isle Du Cyber
Posts: 933
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Airfield Operations
Can anyone give some information about Airfield Operations?
Is there a publication anywhere giving a descripition of this job??
The reason to ask is at our airport a new operations department was set uo in the last 24 months, they have taken a couple of other departments jobs and made some people redundent by doing so.
They seem to be known as RAMP Rats or even Ramp Police and they are not doing anywhere near the work they were set up to do.
Like Airfield Marshaling.
Bird Scaring.
Escort Duties well they only do the posh ones.
They are not pro-active enough on the ramp, and have been impolite to some airside custorers handling agents ETC, with very poor communication skills.
The airport has non English people working on the ramp so they have taken on a non English person as one of the ops staff, his English might scrape to a grade 3 in the VHF grading system
They have been trained in the use of a VHF radio so they can do runway checks and can freerome around the estate, but do not hold a VHF licence, a number of times they have stamped on more immportant radio calls, it is just a matter of time before an aircraft has to go around due to much chit chat on the tower frequency.
So the question is, at regional airports around the U.K. is an operations department worth having?? It must be costing this airport the best part of HALF a MILLION pounds to run a year.
Is there a publication anywhere giving a descripition of this job??
The reason to ask is at our airport a new operations department was set uo in the last 24 months, they have taken a couple of other departments jobs and made some people redundent by doing so.
They seem to be known as RAMP Rats or even Ramp Police and they are not doing anywhere near the work they were set up to do.
Like Airfield Marshaling.
Bird Scaring.
Escort Duties well they only do the posh ones.
They are not pro-active enough on the ramp, and have been impolite to some airside custorers handling agents ETC, with very poor communication skills.
The airport has non English people working on the ramp so they have taken on a non English person as one of the ops staff, his English might scrape to a grade 3 in the VHF grading system
They have been trained in the use of a VHF radio so they can do runway checks and can freerome around the estate, but do not hold a VHF licence, a number of times they have stamped on more immportant radio calls, it is just a matter of time before an aircraft has to go around due to much chit chat on the tower frequency.
So the question is, at regional airports around the U.K. is an operations department worth having?? It must be costing this airport the best part of HALF a MILLION pounds to run a year.
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tracey Island
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't know what airport you are at but I can assure you that what you describe does not happen on the majority of airports.
The type of operation you describe would be run off the airfield here. Which airport are you at? (PM me if you can't say on here) Do you have an Airfield Operations Manager with any experience? It sounds like no one at your airport has any idea about what they are doing. They could benefit with a visit to a proper Airfield Safety Unit.
CAP 700 is a good starting point (The Bible) and CAP168 would be worth a read....
In answer to your question, yes they are worth having......However your airport sounds as though it would be better of without...
Good luck...But, I think in the name of safety you should make complaints to the airport authority and if you have no joy there complain to the CAA.....
The type of operation you describe would be run off the airfield here. Which airport are you at? (PM me if you can't say on here) Do you have an Airfield Operations Manager with any experience? It sounds like no one at your airport has any idea about what they are doing. They could benefit with a visit to a proper Airfield Safety Unit.
CAP 700 is a good starting point (The Bible) and CAP168 would be worth a read....
In answer to your question, yes they are worth having......However your airport sounds as though it would be better of without...
Good luck...But, I think in the name of safety you should make complaints to the airport authority and if you have no joy there complain to the CAA.....
