Gooood vid. Brings back memories. Worked the ramp at age 20 starting my airline career busting bags and all the other jobs required to turn an aircraft around. Retired as an FAA Licensed Aircraft Dispatcher. Best aviation job ever. Miss the jumpseats and simulator for annual quals.
For the responsibility of moving those machines that cost millions of dollars, you certainly get my vote for a raise in pay! Whether you are aware you are an inspiration for those who want to get into this line of work. You do awesome work with a smile and great attitude! I hope your employer is watching. It's time to recognize ramp agents and their importance!!! In my books you are just as important as the pilots and crew.
As a well-experienced truck driver, I have a great deal of respect for pushback drivers. I'm quite certain it takes a great deal of skill to steer that plane where you want to take it.
It's a little different (opposite steering) from a truck and trailer because there are two pivot points. And, as I bet you're aware, the longer the wheel base on the plane/trailer, the easier it is to steer because they dont react as quickly. Tiny planes are a little more squirrely in my opinion. And I agree with the skill. They dont usually let the new guys do pushbacks with all that's at stake. Gotta be a good worker and show that you know what you're doing. Its an indicator you're good at your job @ladyandtheramp 🙂
I’m a lead deicer at HPN and I have to plug into the headset to talk with pilots for checks before deicing. I have it easy compared to the ground crew and I depend on their help often so I show my appreciation for their hard work!
@@TB-um1xz a lead is the one who orchestrates the operation and guides the trucks during the operation as well as talking to the pilots. It maybe be different at other airports but that’s how it’s done at the airport I work at. Also we are a third party deicer not rampers doing deicing. I work for IDS
Thanks for uploading this video. I am a former airline pilot and I was always very appreciative of our ramp agents pushing back our aircraft and generally taking care of us on the ramp. I never saw from your perspective so that was really interesting. I now fly private corporate jets and no longer taxi into those gates but my jet still get serviced by ramp agents at private FBOs for fuel, towing, ground power units etc.
Glad you enjoyed it! I have really enjoyed talking to the pilots and if ever I have a question, they have been so wiling to share their knowledge with us! It is definitely a team effort! Thank you!
Yes, you are correct! It is a more difficult push. The A30 gate is an end gate…so we have to go into the taxi way and then back into the alley way to disconnect.
In case you don't know what I'm talking about in my original comment, folks... 😁 "Lady and the Ramp" is a _pun_ of Walt Disney's _Lady and the Tramp_ film from 1955. And the moment I'm talking about is one of the most iconic scenes of the era: the *_Spaghetti Kiss,_* where the two dogs eat the same strand of spaghetti from both ends, only to have their lips meet from biting the strand at the same time!! 😆
Thanks for the video. It was fun to watch a pushback from the cab. Several years ago I worked at BLI and had the opportunity to push back a private A319 whose #2 engine failed to start. The flight engineer opened the door and pushed a ladder out and climbed down, then proceeded to open the cowling and work on the engine until it started. Weird but then it was a foreign operator and you never know what to expect. :-)
I worked on bushing back for a couple of years, I bushed mainly airbuses 320s, the Bush Back manual dictated that we disconnect the tow bar from the tug first, disconnect it from the plane, few guys did the short cut by just disconnect in one step, from the plane, but they will get a warning if they got caught. I wonder what is your manual says, and if we were just wasting time disconnecting in 3 steps?!!
In our ROM (Ramp Operations Manual), the procedure is to disconnect the tow bar from the aircraft, after coming to a complete stop and the tug operator instructs the pilot to set the parking brake.
I have worked at my local international airport for 18 years and have done pushback work among many other things. The standard way to disconnect the towbar here is also from tug first and then from the plane. This is to minimise the chance of damage to the landing gear, the towbar itself and most importantly the person doing the disconnecting. Safety first in EVERY task! It only takes a few seconds more but can save time, money and pain in the long run.
We have clearance from the tower to push the aircraft back to make sure the alleyway is clear. And we have 2 wing walkers who making sure the aircraft will not hit anything 👍
I learned a lot from your videos!! I just push back a a320 today it was nerve wracking but the captain was like good push so I’m guessing I did it right 😂
Some people have the impression that being a "baggage handler" is the worst job in the world. Truth is, that working "under the wing" was the best time I ever had working. Great video and enjoy the life, I miss it every day.
"She pushes jumbos from concourse to track. She overtimes it and never is lax. She never bothers with dudes who can't jack. That's why the Lady works the Ramp".
Good question! It is the ground crew. We insert a bypass pin prior to pushing which allows us the control of the nose gear. Once we are finished with the push and we ask the pilot to set brakes. We then remove the bypass pin and it gives the control back to the pilot.
Being an airliner pushback driver isn’t easy. Work in all weather conditions, the ground can be slippery, loud noises from the turbofan engines, etc. Also that Airbus A321 is worth over $100 million so better not run that into anything. She doing a good job.
@@ladyandtheramp What does it take to get into one of these jobs? I take it you have to throw some luggage before they let you hook onto an airplane on your first day?
There are alleyways designated by letters. The tower tells the captain what alleyway or line they want us to push to. Then the captain communicates that to the push tug driver! 😁
In the airline I worked for we always disconnected the tow bar from the tug before disconnecting from the aircraft. This released the tension in the bar and reduced the possibility of damage to the aircraft nose oleo.
I have heard and seen that from other companies! But with my company…we do it the opposite. After the brakes are set on the aircraft, we disconnect the tow bar from the nose gear, disconnect the communication cable and then do not disconnect the tow bar until we are back in the gate parking space for the push tug :) we are supposed to have the nose gear, tow bar and tug all lined up so as to not create that tension you spoke of.
I have heard and seen that from other companies! But with my company…we do it the opposite. After the brakes are set on the aircraft, we disconnect the tow bar from the nose gear, disconnect the communication cable and then do not disconnect the tow bar until we are back in the gate parking space for the push tug :) we are supposed to have the nose gear, tow bar and tug all lined up so as to not create that tension you spoke of.
I worked the ramp at MIA Intl' back In 78 loved the job was In my senior year of high school and you couldn't pull me away .The company I worked for handled 23 international airlines and there was always overtime I volunteered so much that they often would turn me down to give others a shot. Miss those day's being around the planes and such .I now drive 4 1/2 hrs to Atlanta and spend the weekend there plane spotting. To be young again .
Awesome! You channel just popped up on recommendations. Love and miss that view and that job. Was a ramper for 10 years at HSV for multiple airlines with various different aircraft but started out mostly on AA MD80s and Eagle ERJ135s to 145s.
@@ladyandtheramp 5 long bins and the 6th at the tail end and it's difficult to stand up in but someone could if they stand up at about a 90 degree angle. We normally would be on our knees with top of our heads touching the ceiling or lay on our backs. You have a favorite aircraft to work?
This gate is at the end of the terminal. There is an active taxiway to the north. So we have to do a big “J” turn. We get clearance from the tower to go into the taxiway…but cannot drop the plane there. So then we continue the push back into the alleyway. Where we can safely drop it.
"Lady and the Ramp?" 😊 I know where THAT's coming from!! Unfortunately, I don't think a moment exists in working as an airport ramp agent where it's very similar to that one scene we all know about!! 😁
Parabéns Deus Abençoe muito sua vida e sua família! Qual seu nome cidade estado é País? Quando vc virá ao Brasil? São José dos Campos SP Brasil Embraer gostaria de conhece la
I enjoy your videos of sky harbor airport my best friend lives in Phoenix. I Enjoy these videos of what it takes to get the airplane properly on its own. Please continue with your videos.
Nice job, I watch a livestream from Sky Harbor and I went down a month ago to do some plane spotting on the top of the terminal 4 garage. Keep up the good work!
@@ladyandtheramp My home airport is Paine Field PAE/KPAE. It's a regional airport but is home to Boeing's Everett widebody factory. So I see a lot of cool planes.
