Summer time is here and it is a hot one in Phoenix! 106 ° Fahrenheit on down on the ramp as “Lady on the Ramp” pushes back a Boeing 737-800 at Sky Harbor International Airport.
As a Phoenix native and having flown out of Sky Harbor hundreds of times, I love seeing the behind the scenes action! Thanks to you and your crew for keeping everything moving! Stay safe and cool 😎
You sure earn your money. This is hard work especially working on the tarmac in the extreme heat. 🥵 I hope they pay you guys a good wage for all the hard work you do. Thanks for sharing this video with us.
Thank you for showing the public how we are so well supported by groundcrew, who provide an extra level of safety. We couldn't fly without you. Enjoy the juice pops, you deserve them.
Oh wow! Sometimes when we aren’t plugged in with the comms cord, the 37 pilots will open their window and chat. Or let us know what they need. 747’s are not part of our fleet, but would love to work on them. Are they super tall, can you open your windows and talk? I hope you have a great week! 😁
@@ladyandtheramp The cockpit is 30 feet from the ground and 20 feet in front of the nose gear. I've never tried opening the window to talk to the ground. The person on comms is walking to the side off the tug so one of us in the cockpit can see them and someone else is running the tug. I'm on a layover in Hong King at the moment. You have great week as well.
The time of year where I always question my decision to become a ramper in PHX… stay hydrated out there! But honestly, I think I’d take this over freezing rain and snow though.
Had the privilege to go to PHX as a kid in 1994, traveling from cold France. My very first feeling coming out of the terminal was the intense heat, which I had never experienced. You're a legend for doing this job on all this boiling tarmac!
Nice work Jessica. Intersting how the engines of 737 almost toch the ground. This was a big problem to 737 MAX. You getting tanned with all this sun on your head. Here we say we have a sun for each one. Kiss from Brazil
@@ladyandtheramp We are in winter now, by the way we are in the rainiest season, many floods everywhere, it is something that we must face year after year... big hug for you!... you are a genius and I admire you for that !...
At 73 I have no idea how many flights I have taken, I have been an aviation buff pretty much my whole life. I have always wondered in the back of my mind about the people and the work ground crews do. After coming across your channel recently, I don’t know why, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the professionalism from the front and the back of the jet, extends right through the unsung heroes of the ground crews. Thank you all for making flying as safe as it can be!
Put my way through college working as a ramp rat in MEM for UAL. 5 years on the ramp no matter the weather. Did it all: bags, freight, unloading/loading, mail, refueling, parking aircraft. One of the scariest memories I have is first time I parked a 727 at the gate. Standing on the ramp directly in front of a moving airplane is a very scary sight until you get used to the the job. Great memories of the job. Still love watching the ramp rats at work.
You present very clear and interesting actions related to airplanes that ordinary people cannot see so closely. I will watch your videos the first time I see them. Keep doing these videos.
To answer your cool vest question.-- They are like your saftey vest just slimmer but had cool sleeves in the sides front and back. that we would put on under our Armor. And would have like 30 Otter Pops inside of it.
Oh wow! That is super cool!! How much does it weigh? I bet that would be great out here on the ramp 😁 We get military bags, seems like when they are deploying or transferring to different bases …such huge props to all of you that serve! Those bags are heavy! And you guys carry them all over. And then you have all this gear you wear. Which I bet is heavy too! I am sure you guys are strong! 💪
I would at times need to do a road trip to work on planes in PHX. The hardest part was the heat, as everything was HOT, not being used to it. If I knew I was going to PHX for an AOG plane, I start drinking extra water right away. Even the ground at 2AM was still hot, so crawling and touching things was a bear.
Oh wow! That would be horrible that be on the scalding ground! And you are right…even at night it doesn’t cool down :/ good idea to start drinking water 💦 early!
And my hats off to everyone on the ramp staff that works at Hartsfield-Jackson International. I worked as a contract security officer at Hartsfield International during 1990s so I totally understand what ramp conditions feel like especially during the summer in Atlanta...... that humidity is no joke
the engine check by station crews is basically making sure there’s no ppe or water bottles sitting inside the cowling. only the pilot or ame are responsible for inspecting the blades due to receiving official training. continue to have a look for fod, that is appreciated.
At least the humidity is about 10% in Phoenix. I've known someone who is a loadmaster at KSDF and he loads up 747s, MD-11s, A300s, etc, and like right now it's 95-100 here. In the winter it might be 0 or below 0 with wind screaming down from central Canada. Both the heat and the extreme cold can really test you. I guess at least when it's cold you can wear more but that only goes so far.
I learn so much from your videos!!! I really appreciate you telling us second by second what you are doing and why. Thank you for all you do and for all that the ground crews do to keep the airplanes going!!!
Been there...done that and know exactly what you are doing - requiring teamwork from everyone on the ramp. The 'middle' '90's working air cargo when my shift began at 2am and ended at 10am or when the last Air Cargo flight departed. Good job 'Ramper's !.
Also, single duplex radio communications between pilots and the tower. If only we had a reliable messaging app that could give clear directions to pilots and verify they receive the message. Maybe in another hundred years.
I wondered about that myself. Guessing as old school as it looks it’s proven to be reliable and easy to just plug in/out…. Lol. I’ve still got an 8 track on a shelf in my garage.
You showed it was indeed hot. Waiting on the ramp til the captains nails dried was excessive. It’s great you also take a look at the plane preflight. Another layer of safety. I watch Stig too. American Airlines has 2 excellent ambassadors that do a great job of representing their brand. Btw I was joking about the captains nails.
Oh no worries! 😂. And Stig has a great channel! It is cool to see all the different work groups that are part of the giant jigsaw puzzle that keeps air travel going throughout the world!
I wanted to ask you this question about Phoenix heat. Do you take any protection, or does the airlines provide any protection to its field workers because of the heat? Fascinating video, as usual..
Yes! Heat related issues are something that is as big deal here! In spring time we get these continuing education courses on different types of heat illnesses and the precautions needed to help prevent them. We need to acclimate to the heat by working though spring into the summer months. Hydration, wearing light weight clothing, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc…are a must!! We have a “juice cart” that comes around to all the gates. It has Gatorade, sugar free Gatorade and water. And we also have “cool down” breaks in between flights 😁
Great video, fantastic job by you & the crew, and I always love your narration explaining what is happening. Thanks for all the extra work and sharing with everyone. Be careful& have fun!
On a business trip to Phoenix once, I saw the thermometer display at a bank showing 104 degrees. I said how hot it was. My rep came back with, "But it's a dry heat". To me, it was still freaking hot. Here in the PHL area, it's been 95 degrees but it's reported as a heat index of 102 degrees. Unlike Phoenix, it may be 95 here, but 'it's a damp heat' !! Ugh!! Stay cool, crew.
Oh man…I can’t imagine being in the humidity!! Here it is like a hot blow dryer on your face when you walk outside. But it isn’t wet… I hope you stay cool as well!
Honestly, the insight here is invaluable! Thanks for taking the time to share. Do you typically work on the same gates all the time? Additionally, on the body of the plane, does it note the model number? Always curious how so many know what model number a plane is…
We do not typically work on the same gate day in day out. But on the same concourse. On the Boeings and Airbuses, they do have the aircraft type on the underneath or the side
In this particular video if you look on the underside of the fuselage, just ahead of the nose gear, it is labeled, “73-8.” That indicates a 737-800. Great question. Keep looking for those!
I’ve been removing and replacing Deck boards on my back porch which is 500 sq ft.. Today it hit 102°. Got started at 5:30 am. By 2pm I was wiped out from the heat…The humidity is aweful..Two Gatoraids. A lot of water…. Never got cramps in my arms but I did after I quit for the day.. Got a couple more days before I’m done. Dragging still…
@@ladyandtheramp I took the day off from it. Lol. Finally feel normal again. Been dragging alll day. Yes. Its looking very good! Will start back early tomorrow.
@@ladyandtheramp Well MCO all the planes go out full of bags. DFW not so much. Both were fun to work at, but DFW was great for travel a ton of cities u can get to. MCO flew to like 9 cities.
It made it to 102° in Columbia SC today.. If you’ve never been here the humidity is unbelievable. Walk outside at 5 am and its instant sweat..And a shout out to the Gnats and on the coast the ‘no see ums’ …
Oh man…kudos to all of you who live in humidity! I bet you have to stay hydrated as well, loosing all that water to sweating all the time! And the gnats…😧 But I hear South Carolina is gorgeous! I want to visit sometime! 😁
@@ladyandtheramp its about two hours from my home to Charleston. I’m Just a few hours from the Appalachian Mountains. I kive on Lake Murray. 500 plus miles of shoreline. Lot to do around here. You’d dig Charleston. We stay at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. Worth every penny as you can take the water taxi everywhere. We do that and Uber. Lot to see. The retired Carrier Yorktown is next door at Patriots Point
Hello lady and the ramp, another great 👍 video. The plane is heading back to my home state. Still haven’t figured out how to get my name in the comments yet lol but I’m working on it 😂
Hi Jessica, it’s around 93* F in Indiana. It’s not so much the temperature but the humidity is brutal. Stay hydrated and I’ll see you in your next RU-vid video. Keep up the good work 👍✈️
For all of your fans…would you please (just once) stroll to the south side of the terminal during your lunch break and take steaming hot cups of coffee to all the Southwest rampers? With the increased temps in Phoenix, I think it would be a kind gesture.
Hey Hey Lady. Fellow Arizonan (Tucson).. Got a question for you I just Retired from the Army and have 2 years left with Public Safety and Looking to Ramp It up. But don't really know what to look for, been out of the Job Seeking for a bit LOL. Ive looked at Delta, SW, AM but don't seem to find the Ramp path and or a Place to contact. I tried couple 1-800 on sites but kept asking me if i was looking to fly or Envoy Program. Which would love to but at 48y/o and some High Miles on these wheels from Overseas. That's out of Picture. So any Guidance would be GREAT!! and Love the channel found you one night and have marathoned most of your videos keep it up..
Hello again 👋 Our official title is “Fleet Service Agent”. You can set your preferences on the website. And then it will alert you when we are hiring. And you can keep checking as well. Go to jobs.AA.com. And make a profile in there. It might take a little bit. But then you can search and see all different types of jobs as well. If you are open to go to a different station, I hear, DFW is always hiring. Then maybe you can transfer when there is an opening in PHX. Good luck! 😁
FOD? well seconds b4 u said "theres no FOD on the ground, a piece of paper blew right by,,from my days on the flight line, ANYthing was FOD. nut, stone, tool, paper, get a slip of paper blocking a pressure sensing port,,,in the olden days (66-72) we never straddled a tow bar,,one side or the other..,, nice pushback
We have to make sure no FOD is in the safety envelope. And we contract out to another entity to clean the other areas! But we can definitely always do better! 😁 Our procedure is to never step over the tow bar, with exception to releasing it from the nose gear. Especially on a 737 where it is so low to the ground and you kind of have to go up into the plane to remove the bypass pin. What type of aircraft did you work on?
How does the wing-walker communicate with you, to alert you about the plane pushing from the nearby stand? Do you have some sort of radio communications between you and your crew?
She put up an “x” with her wands and pointed to the aircraft that was pushing from the end gate. She wasn’t all the way out yet to her position, so was also telling me :)
All of the pushbacks for my company have tow bars. But I have heard of “towbar less” push tugs that have like a scoop that lifts up the nose gear. I have never used one of those before :)
We have great benefits! From flight benefits to medical/dental insurance and a 401k. I love the flexibility that comes with the job as well. You can really adjust the schedule to what fits your family/work life 😁
I am employeed only by American. So I only work with their aircraft. Each company has their own policies and procedures …so I cannot push another airline’s aircraft without being employed and trained by them 😁
Yes, we do during our walk around. We check for every thing she is but think about it: it never hurts to have a second check because as a pilot I can miss something if I am the pilot doing the walk around.
You are correct! We are looking as well…just for any type of deviation, dent, something that does not look right, marks (like bird strikes), drips, panel doors shut, etc… If we see anything out of the norm…we contact the manager and or the pilot. And then it is determined to send out the aircraft mechanics. And let those with that specific knowledge determine the next step will be :) lots of eyes on the aircraft! Like he said up above 😁
While Boeing undoubtedly has some significant issues to overcome, the two 737-max accidents were avoidable if those foreign carrier’s training programs been worth a damn, the runaway trim would have been overridden in seconds.
I have said that all along. The Max was flying in this country for thousands of flights without incident. Simple logic but the public wants to label the company murderers in a country they can’t identify on a map. I’m sad for the people’s family’s of those that died. I believe it was preventable with more skill from the pilots. Boeing will be fine. They make amazing aircraft.