After a couple of weeks in the office, I finally got the chance to take my first business trip to an airport and witness the ground support industry from the vantage point of the AOA. Last week, I met Jeff Davis, manager of Wisconsin Aviation’s operations in Madison, WI, followed a day later with a visit with Krys Brown, manager of the company’s operations in Watertown, WI.
I learned the basics of the equipment I certainly plan to know better. It was a nice, hot day to get acquainted with the hard work that goes on in the relatively short time a commercial jet is parked at the gate. Davis pointed out tugs, push-backs, tow bars, ramps, converters, and A/C units. Even though temperatures were nearly 100 degrees, Davis also took me to a storage field where his deicers were parked until winter. My biggest surprise of the day was looking at an electric push-back. Not only was this equipment significantly smaller than its diesel-powered cousin, but I really was amazed that a bucket in the front of the unit had the muscle to pick up the front wheel of a plane.
Back in his office, Davis rattled off a number of story ideas that could make it in the pages of future issues of Ground Support Worldwide. For example, he told me how OSHA was starting to inspect his operations to a degree he hadn’t seen in the 20 years since he’s held his job. He also told me to consider an article on biofuels. While no one doubts biofuels perform well once they’re in an aircraft’s tank, Davis has plenty of concerns for what these new fuels do to his storage tanks, filters, and hoses. In other words, expensive pieces of infrastructure and equipment that are his primary concern.
While I was there primarily to learn about equipment, I’m always curious to know how guys like Davis manage their businesses. I was surprised to find out just how many government agencies routinely audit the company’s operations. Davis and his crew have to contend with regular visits from the Madison Fire Department; the airport’s own fire department; the Dane County Airport Authority, the Department of Natural Resources; and, of course, FAA and TSA.
My visit with Brown was a bit shorter if only because her airport is a business aviation airport with no commercial flights. We did, however, continue an interesting discussion on another story topic that Davis also raised – that tugs are built as tough as a tank with half-inch steel skin. Not surprisingly, the bodies will last forever, but she shared Davis’ concerns about parts and reconditioned equipment.
Now, if I could visit all my 15,000 readers as easily I did with two. I certainly look forward to meeting as many as I can. Tomorrow, I’m heading to the EAA Show in Oshkosh and I’m in the process of updating my passport for a trip to inter airport Europe in October.
I’d like to hear from any and all of you as to what could make for great features in Ground Support Worldwide. Find me at LinkedIn or through our Facebook page all of which you can travel to from our website. Or write in a comment in the space below.