Walk around Checks

I have had a few people ask me what the ground crew are talking to the pilots about when they see them plugged-in to the aircraft during push back, wearing the bright luminous headset. I'm planning to cover that in the next post following on from this one to explain a few things first. Yes I know, it's not particularly exciting stuff but it may cure someone's curiosity and times are quiet in work with no interesting stories to tell this week.

Once it's confirmed all the passengers are on board and every thing's good to go, I'll collect my paperwork from the flight deck, check with the cabin crew and step off their aircraft onto the steps or jetway, allowing them to close up. I'll wait until the door is closed and check the handle latches or returns to the correct position, before descending the steps to do my walk around in a religious manner.

Starting at the nose, I'll walk round in an anti-clockwise direction (is that bad luck?) checking for several things, including paper notes of money. Yes, it has happened! I'll be looking around the main gear to check that the chocks are now removed. I'll have a quick look round the engine making sure the engineers haven't left any servicing panels up and that nothing is dripping or oozing from the wing or gear area.

I am not an engineer and the primary aim of the walk around in my position is to make sure we haven't left anything lying open, unlatched or dripping. Any discrete leaks or abnormalities will have been picked up by the flight crew as they did their more detailed walk around already. Anything I think is abnormal, I'll bring to the attention of the crew or the engineer if he's still around and get them to check it out.

Further back, I'll check any more doors are closed and properly latched, and then pass round the back of the tail, generally by this stage being deafened by the APU exhaust and hot air. Up the right hand side of the aircraft, I'll check the cargo hold doors are all closed the main doors are again all securely closed. Same with the right engine or engines, check there are no access panels left open, and that the fuelling panel on the underside of the wing has been closed by the fueller.

Towards the front of the aircraft, I'll check that the nose wheel chocks are removed, the tow bar is properly connected to the aircraft and to the push back tug, and the all important steering by-pass pin is in place complete with red flag.

The pin has an important function other than it's flag faffing in the wind. When it's in place, it disables the hydraulics used for steering the nose wheel. This allows us to move the nose wheel freely letting us control what direction we are pushing the aircraft. The tow bar should never be connected until the pin is in place, and should only be removed when the tow bar has been disconnected from the nose gear. Anyone removing the pin prematurely or trying to connect the tow bar without it quickly finds themselves acquainted with my metal-toe cap boot.

Common things to find during my walk around aren't actual doors lying open but the small flaps covering the switches that operate them to be left open. On the A320, the forward and aft hold doors are opened hydraulically. The ramp guy will pull the handle on the cargo door to unlock it, and then use a switch to open raise it open. The switch itself is found on the belly of the aircraft with a small flap covering it that is sometimes left overlooked by them when closing up.

I usually find lots of FOD (Foreign Object Debris) items lying around the aircraft. If you ever wonder why the padlock you locked your suitcase with before leaving has disappeared, it's probably lying on the ramp. I have found countless padlocks of all descriptions, together with the fancy address labels contained in a leather tag joined to a case by a mere piece of string. It's just as well I'm not in the business of stalking, for finding random addresses comes easily in this business.

With my checks complete I put on the headset and take one final look making sure all the ground equipment and union workers are clear of the aircraft on both sides, and await the call from the flight deck. Coming next.