When Cold Air Hits the Airside: Ground Crew and GSE Winter Preparation

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