Chocks FIRST?
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Chocks FIRST?
Hi,
I recently flew out of Newquay with Flybe on the 1500hrs (06/04/12). I was in the departure lounge and could see the arrival of the flight onto the apron.
From what I could make out, the flight crew indicated from the flight deck they required ground power. With this, the marshaller, with chocks in hand threw the chocks to one side! Ran over to a near by vehicle with unit and promptly drove this in front of the aircraft nose (unchocked aircraft!) Then went back for the chocks, kicking these into some sort of place near the nose wheel! Lastly, attaching the units cable????
No indication
(thumbs up etc..) seemed to come from the marshaller to indicate aircraft clear to approach, as other ground personal seemed to be waiting on his signal.
As far as I am aware, chocks would be the FIRST piece on ground equipment in place, surely, even with brakes applied in aircraft????
Plain Talk
I recently flew out of Newquay with Flybe on the 1500hrs (06/04/12). I was in the departure lounge and could see the arrival of the flight onto the apron.
From what I could make out, the flight crew indicated from the flight deck they required ground power. With this, the marshaller, with chocks in hand threw the chocks to one side! Ran over to a near by vehicle with unit and promptly drove this in front of the aircraft nose (unchocked aircraft!) Then went back for the chocks, kicking these into some sort of place near the nose wheel! Lastly, attaching the units cable????
No indication
(thumbs up etc..) seemed to come from the marshaller to indicate aircraft clear to approach, as other ground personal seemed to be waiting on his signal. As far as I am aware, chocks would be the FIRST piece on ground equipment in place, surely, even with brakes applied in aircraft????
Plain Talk
Last edited by PlainTalk; 11th Apr 2012 at 12:49.
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The joys of working in regional airports with "local" companys doing the ground handling. Which order things get plugged in is the least of your worrys. Bog drops are always good for a laugh.
Service Air might be annoyingly useless at times but at least they are consistant with procedures.
I might add that wasn't a dig at the dispatchers and ramp rats of service air its the controllers who seem to be clueless. I have seen a 18 year old dispatcher take charge when one of them didn't turn up for work. 3 rotations later everything was still on time and smillie faces all round, never had to ask for a thing. Two days later it was back to normal with nobody having a clue what was going on.
Service Air might be annoyingly useless at times but at least they are consistant with procedures.
I might add that wasn't a dig at the dispatchers and ramp rats of service air its the controllers who seem to be clueless. I have seen a 18 year old dispatcher take charge when one of them didn't turn up for work. 3 rotations later everything was still on time and smillie faces all round, never had to ask for a thing. Two days later it was back to normal with nobody having a clue what was going on.
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From what I have seen, (as I fly in/out of Newquay quite alot) the airport has its own ground handling personal? Not that there seems to be that many of them at times but then Newquay airport (council owned!) has managed over the last four years of ownership to lose most of their flights. Only Flybe and some smaller aircraft to the Isle of Scilly's. Wonder why? 
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I might add that wasn't a dig at the dispatchers and ramp rats of service air its the controllers who seem to be clueless. I have seen a 18 year old dispatcher take charge when one of them didn't turn up for work. 3 rotations later everything was still on time and smillie faces all round, never had to ask for a thing. Two days later it was back to normal with nobody having a clue what was going on.
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I know of several airports where the ground power unit will be connected while we still taxi towards the final position. Usually only during the last 5m. They do not even ask, just connect. Some of those are not deemed regional airports either. Can't say anything about newquay though, never was there.
I don't know if it is a false sense of security with automated docking systems where airplanes usually will stand at the same exact position every time, however even then brakes can fail.
I don't know if it is a false sense of security with automated docking systems where airplanes usually will stand at the same exact position every time, however even then brakes can fail.
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It scares the **** out of me when they start walking towards my props still turning to plug in.
Not all servise air controllers are as you describe. And any hint of out of base managment on the base and nobody has a clue who is in charge and the headless chicken dance starts.
Some bases are cracking others are pants, some shifts are brillant others always seem to have something going wrong. The good shifts usually seem to have some stroppy dispatcher of northern/welsh/scottish/irish extraction putting up with no nonsense from either crew or ground crew.
Not all servise air controllers are as you describe. And any hint of out of base managment on the base and nobody has a clue who is in charge and the headless chicken dance starts.
Some bases are cracking others are pants, some shifts are brillant others always seem to have something going wrong. The good shifts usually seem to have some stroppy dispatcher of northern/welsh/scottish/irish extraction putting up with no nonsense from either crew or ground crew.
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The good shifts usually seem to have some stroppy dispatcher of northern/welsh/scottish/irish extraction putting up with no nonsense from either crew or ground crew.
