From the day’s flights to the station pack.
Seven films at one ground handling station: a belt loader red-tagged before the morning peak, a tug that touches an aircraft, a new starter with no airside authority, a Dash 8 with no turn profile, a new high-loader, a water truck’s sanitation and a frayed helipad strap. The operator’s phone and the dashboard play together, chapter by chapter. See the airport’s whole day.
Film 2 of 7: At the stand
Tug PT-02 touches a 737’s cargo door at pushback. The driver records it on the phone, the tug is locked out at once, and only the recorded inspection lifts it.
Tug PT-02 touches a 737’s cargo door at pushback. It is locked out at once, and only a recorded inspection lifts the lockout.
Tug PT-02 touches a 737’s cargo door at pushback. It is locked out at once, and only a recorded inspection lifts the lockout.
- The turn set at stand 4. 06:20, before ZZ418 arrives on stand 4. K. Fifita, the turn coordinator, picks the flight on the phone. Stand 4 has no bridge, so the profile asks for stairs. STR-02 and GPU-02 are tapped in as uses on ZZ418. Each use waits on the phone until it sends, never twice. A unit with no check in force is flagged.
- Turn set check. 06:24. K. Fifita runs the turn set check at the stand, from the catalogue’s template. Brakes in the restraint area, nothing touching the aircraft, the GPU lead secured. IATA is cited by chapter only. Ready, or not ready with the shortfall recorded.
- A tug touches a cargo door. 07:05. Lining up to push back ZZ418, tug PT-02 touches the forward cargo door. T. Ramos records it on the phone. The aircraft, the stand, what happened, and photos of the unit and the aircraft. It works with no signal. In the contact register PT-02 is locked out until a supervisor records the inspection.
- Locked out. On the board PT-02 is out of service: LO-CONTACT, inspect before use. The contact is an open event. The tug row stays covered: PT-01 is free, with a pre-use check in force. Anyone who scans PT-02 is told no. The supervisor decides who else to tell; Escudo tells nobody.
- The inspection lifts it. 09:40. The workshop has inspected PT-02. L. Tran records what was found and who was told: the airline’s engineer. The insurer line records the notice the handler gave. Escudo does not contact the insurer. Recording the inspection lifts LO-CONTACT. Whether the aircraft may be used is for the airline’s engineer to decide.
Illustrated from the real operator app and dashboard, with the GSE module on. The station’s turn profile, limits, templates and wording are set by each handler. The board shows each unit and hour by the handler’s own records. Escudo Aviation never approves a lifting device, never declares a unit fit for aircraft work and never says a permit or authority holds beyond the dates and areas recorded; the airport issues permits, authorities and notices. Helicopter limits are the maker’s, marked maker to confirm. Sharing units with another handler is not built yet. Alerts appear in the dashboard. The handler, the airport, people, flights, aircraft registrations, and permit, card and notice numbers are invented.
Everything on the GSE board, in one place.
Each station sets its turn profiles, its flights, its units with their GSE type, and what the airport asks for.
What the board counts
Each station is Covered (from records), Tight or Short (forecast), worked out on each check, lockout or flight change and every 15 minutes. A shortfall is an open event that a supervisor acknowledges; if nobody does, it goes to managers and then administrators.
Lockouts the records work out
- LO-STD Red tag: a critical item failed on the pre-use check
- LO-ACFT Aircraft protection failed: bumpers, proximity sensors, stabilisers
- LO-CONTACT Aircraft contact or near miss, until a supervisor records the inspection
- LO-STAT A statutory item overdue, failed or with no interval set
- LO-FUELQ Fuel quality: fuel quarantined until the check is repeated and passed
- LO-WATERQ Water hygiene: no water service until cleared
- LO-QUAR Quarantined: a loose item segregated until replaced or repaired
- LO-PERMIT Airside vehicle permit missing, withdrawn, expired or not covering an area
- LO-NOTICE Airport defect notice, restricted or out of service until cleared
- LO-CRED The operator holds no in-date credential or airside driving authority: the check does not count
- LO-NOCHECK No pre-use check in force, or used without one
How statutory due dates are set
- Periodic inspection (A). Fallback, maker first: the maker’s interval, else a competent person’s, else 12 months (model WHS Regulations r 213).
- Elevating work platforms. Fallback, maker first: routine inspection at least every 3 months, periodic every 12 months, major at 10 years of service then every 5 (Safe Work Australia EWP guide). A per-unit switch for catering trucks, ambulifts and stairs, off by default: your competent person decides.
- Load test, test and tag, sanitation, six-monthly service. No default. The operator sets the interval before the unit goes into service; until then the unit is locked out.
- Cylinder tests and calibration. From the cylinder stamp and the calibration certificate.
- Item registration. A dated item registration, 5 years from grant (model WHS Regulations r 272; WA registrations do not expire), whose expiry locks the unit out. A design registration number is stored with no due date.
83 GSE templates in the catalogue
Pre-use and daily checks by equipment type (74)
- Aircraft movement (6)
- Baggage and cargo (14)
- Passenger (9)
- Aircraft servicing (14)
- Fuelling (4)
- Maintenance support (11)
- Airside support (13)
- Emergency equipment (3)
Across the station (4)
- Anti-collision and proximity system check
- Traction battery check
- Turn set at the stand
- GSE station daily check
Helicopter ground handling (5)
- Helicopter ground handling wheels check
- Helicopter dolly or moving platform check
- Helicopter tug check
- Helideck or pad tie-downs and chocks check
- Helicopter external load equipment check
Each template is copied in as a draft. Your station checks it against each maker’s manual and its own ground operations manual, changes it to its own wording and publishes it. Helicopter limits are the maker’s, marked maker to confirm.
6 ground support equipment and airside drills in the drill library
- Fuelling spill at the aircraft
- Hydrant dispenser and refueller emergency stop
- Equipment contacts an aircraft
- GSE fire on the apron
- Pushback tow bar or headset failure
- Passenger stairs in an evacuation or high wind
No interval is stated by a regulator for these, so you set it by your risk assessment or procedures. Runs, signatures and the drill pack work as they do for the aerodrome exercise.
What Escudo Aviation never does
Records only. Escudo Aviation keeps the records, works out the board and reminds people. The decisions stay with your operators, your supervisors, the person with management or control of the plant, and the airport. More on GSE Ready.
- Approve a lifting device, a hook, a sling or any plant
- Declare a unit fit for aircraft work: the operator’s declaration is on the check, and the supervisor decides
- Say a permit or an airside driving authority holds beyond the dates and areas recorded
- Issue a permit, an authority or an airport defect notice: the airport issues them, and you record them
- Decide whether the airport is satisfied with a close-out
- Tell the airline, its engineer or an insurer: you record who you told
- Say a unit, a permit or a driver meets a standard
- Name a handler, an airline or an airport as a customer without its written agreement
Put one station on the board
Send us your unit list, a pre-use check and a day’s flights. We will set up the station and show you the board working.