6 hours ago, Mike S KPDX said:

Seeing this pic reminds me of this video that I found.  I did not know there were visual marker points on the aircraft to limit the turning of the tug.  The comment about it being called the 'red line' but the ground crew refer to it as the 'unemployment line' was funny.

They do quite a few things in a pretty unsafe manner on that video. We'd get in a right load of trouble if we did it that sloppily. To list a few issues...

Right from the off, the headset guy doesn't look in the direction of the push to visually confirm the way is clear prior to giving the commence push signal to the driver, in fact he isn't even looking that direction at all when they set off. He is far too close to the tug throughout the maneuver, especially since he is on the inside of the turn, which means the tug driver has to watch out for him instead of being able to concentrate on the push maneuver. He is also too close to be able to see the rest of the aeroplane to look out for potential problems, such as an APU fire.

Being that close to the tug instead of a good ten-to-fifteen feet off to the side of it - as he should be - means there is also no way he could revert to hand signals to the crew from that position since the crew cannot see you down there under the nose, which he should be ready to do if the headset goes U/S. If he is restricted by the headset wire length, then he should really be on the other side for the push because he is not in danger from the tug's turn, and he is not at risk of being forced close to the engine, which can get fairly close with shorter Airbus models such as that one. Being on the other side would also means he is on the P1 pilot's side, which if you have the option, is usually better.

He is barely looking at the engines when they crank, which he is supposed to do since half the reason you even have a headset person is to monitor for an engine fire or other problem because the flight deck crew cannot see the engines, and the headsetter would probably be the first person to know if there was a fire, or at least that would be the case if he was actually looking at the engines, like he is supposed to be doing. This is also why there is a guarded APU fire extinguisher activation switch in the recess where the headset plugs in. Airbus did not put it there for a laugh, it is for the headset person to use if there is a fire in the APU. Who else does he think that APU fire extinguisher bottle switch is for?

The tug drives away before the headsetter is clear of the aeroplane, this is not what you are supposed to do; you back up once you disconnect, turn ninety degrees and move a little bit off then stop in front of the engine so that the crew can see that the way is not yet clear for the aeroplane to commence taxying, as an additional protective measure for the headset person. The headset guy then removes the bypass pin, headset etc and moves to alongside the waiting tug, and then walks with the tug off the taxiway. When the headsetter can see the tug is clear of the wingtip, that's when he can give the wave-off signal, showing the bypass pin to the crew and they can confirm the tug is clear of the plane with the headset guy. Last but not least, the headsetter has a mask on, which will affect the clarity of his voice on the headset; there is no need for him to have a mask on for that procedure because he is not near anyone else; he could probably do with losing the sunglasses too, since they will stop him getting a good look at the engines when monitoring the start.

I would not want that pair pushing my aeroplane out, because if that's what they do when filming a pushback where they were presumably doing their best for the camera, and they think it's good enough to actually show themselves on youtube doing that, can you imagine what they are like when the camera is not rolling? 🤣

Edited September 12, 20214 yr by Chock

Good news once again.

Cheers

bs

Edited September 13, 20214 yr by bean_sprout

wow, thanks chock, very detailed.  I am kind of embarrassed I posted it.  Have you by chance seen a better video?  I really did not know it was that complex.

1 hour ago, Mike S KPDX said:

Have you by chance seen a better video?  I really did not know it was that complex.

It's not what I'd call complex, but like everything in aviation, it has the potential to be very unforgiving if you make a mistake, so you have to follow the procedures properly to ensure nobody gets hurt. The really dodgy ones are actually smaller aeroplanes where you are much nearer to the engines, such as the ATR-42 and the Dornier 328; you get awfully close to those big spinning propellers.

I'm gonna do a vid of it myself at some point soon, assuming I get time. Then everyone can slag me off and say I'm doing it wrong as well. 🤣

Edited September 13, 20214 yr by Chock