Ground Vehicles Are The Coolest Parts Of Airports

James Jones
Created by James Jones (User Generated Content*)User Generated Content is not posted by anyone affiliated with, or on behalf of, Playbuzz.com.
On Jun 14, 2019
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In all aspects of life, there are those silent, or less acknowledged, aspects of an operation. Whether those are editors, managers or stagehands, there are so many occupations that when done their job well are hardly noticeable - and that’s often the point! It is definitely a strange thought that doing the best quality work possible means that nobody is supposed to be able to see it. Interestingly enough, many of these silent operations happen in plain sight - we are just so accustomed to the back office work that we pay less attention to them over time. One of the best examples of this is at airports. Imagine an airport without any airplanes: how empty would it really be? The answer is not empty at all, because there is a vast network of ground vehicles at airports that make air travel possible. This article will take a look at some of these unsung machines that we often disregard during our travels.

Pushback Tractors/Pushback Tugs: Some of the most interesting ground vehicles at an airport that you will see are called aircraft pushback tractors. If you have ever been in an airplane, chances are that you wanted that window seat to enjoy the aerial views that have inspired humans ever since the first flights - however, most of the time we end up staring at the concrete airport tarmac before and after the flight. This is probably the time when you have seen aircraft pushback tractors in action. There are different types of these aircraft pushback tractors and they can range from standard tugs to vehicles called SuperTugs, which often look like monstrous and sleek machines akin to Hollywood-style movie productions. They are typically open-wheeled vehicles that run off of a supply of electricity or more commonly diesel fuel. The cab is often open unless the airport is located in an especially cold environment, in which case the cab will be closed off behind a glass structure most like any other automobile. An aircraft pushback tractor’s function is pretty straightforward - to steady and guide an airplane to its proper place at its proper time. The pushback tractor is operated by a driver that sits behind a large steering wheel, almost like a bus, from where they will use a headset to communicate with the pilot and the airport’s air control center. In order to communicate on the ground with all of the moving people and parts on the tarmac, the vehicle comes equipped with standard automobile features like a horn, parking brake, gear shifters, lights, and a turn signal. While this seems ancillary, they are extremely important in being able to immediately communicate in a nonverbal way to the complex choreography of an airport’s tarmac. The drive of the pushback tractor will clear the aircraft from its gate once the airplane’s brakes are disabled - this is when the driver is in complete control of the aircraft. Typically the drive will communicate to the pilot to start to warm up the engines as both the aircraft and pushback tractor make their way out to the runway. The concept is much like any other tug, where it’s an extremely powerful smaller unit having the capacity to move something much greater in size - it is truly a remarkable feat of engineering and human coordination to make this possible, making it one of the coolest vehicles you can find at an airport.

Fueling Vehicles: Although they may not be the coolest vehicles that you will find at an airport, they are hands down the most essential - after all how else would the aircraft even fly without proper fuel? Airport fueling vehicles look much like normal fueling vehicles that service diesel fuel to gas stations for automobiles. While they may look the same, the fueling vehicles at airports have stricter requirements for their operation. Many of these requirements involve positioning, location and timing. The fueling vehicle, in order to operate most efficiently, must be positioned in a certain location to fuel the aircraft as quickly as possible. After all, an aircraft functions on a very complex schedule even if we may experience delays from a frequent flyer perspective. The fueling vehicle is required to move out of the way as quickly as possible and only approach the aircraft under certain conditions. Many of these protocols are for safety as well as efficiency. It begins to take the form of a pit stop at times.

Luggage Vehicles: These vehicles are probably the most noticeable of all ground operations simply because they take care of all of our belongings! Very often they are visible from the terminal and aircraft as they use their belted carriages to elevate luggage from transfer carts up into the fuselage of the aircraft. They have special hydraulics in order for the belt ramp to be placed at different angles. They do not operate too quickly either and are wide enough to accommodate larger pieces of luggage. They are often positioned at the door of the aircraft in order to load both larger bulks of containers as well as individual pieces of luggage.

Lavatory/Water Vehicles: Last but not least, these specialized vehicles are crucial in providing the amenities offered on most commercial flights. These are important elements in preparing the aircraft for their next journey. In addition to refueling, aircraft must have these basic amenities replenished, sanitized and emptied. While the lavatory vehicle is not the most lavish concept, they are absolutely essential in ground operations at an airport.

After taking a closer look at some of the vehicles you may see driving around on the tarmac at an airport maybe you have a deeper appreciation of what goes into ensuring a safe and enjoyable flight. It is a fact that airports would not be able to operate with anything less than these resources - there is truly a lot to consider when analyzing the operations of our airports. They are massive feats of ingenuity and innovation and the fact that all of these components smoothly function 24/7 year round is almost as remarkable as the idea of human flight in itself.


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