Airline ramps at night

If you've already read this post, you may want to scroll down to the bottom as I've added a couple of new photos and commentary. Thanks.

I received an email recently from Jeff, who works on the ramp for a competitor airline. Who knows, we may merge someday! He expressed how he enjoys his job, particularly late at night when a darkened ramp is his private domain. He asked that I post a few night ramp shots. Thanks for the idea Jeff, I'd probably not thought of this.

I agree with Jeff, because I prefer flying at night when the environment is more subdued. Your first impression of a night ramp is its quietness. To the uninitiated it can be eerie. The activity is dramatically less, there are fewer vehicles moving about and APU's generally aren't screaming at thousands of rpm's. This American 757 on the ramp in Las Vegas, awaits maintenance to perform tomorrows busy schedule. The ever present glitz on the strip burns brightly beneath its belly.  

This Air Tran 737 is shrouded in fog on a San Francisco ramp near midnight. Near the bay with significant moisture in the air, not only is it very quiet, but it's cold too. Even during the summer months. Have you ever attended a ball game at old Candlestick Park? It might be 70F downtown, but everyone in the stadium is huddled together for warmth. ATIS proclaims the weather here tonight as 100' overcast, a half mile in fog, wind light and variable and temperature and dewpoint match at 14C, (56F) as we prepare to push back and fly a redeye to the upper midwest. Perfect conditions tonight for condensation nuclei on this lonely looking ramp.  In just a few hours though, this solitude will evaporate like the fog, as business and vacation travelers swarm into SFO searching for transportation. 

There is nothing cold here though as we've landed in Kona, Hawaii to board more passengers, upload fuel and depart on a late night Pacific crossing to Seattle. It's 10:00 p.m., there are many aircraft around us with APU's running, so it's hardly quiet. Just out of view are Delta, United, USAir and Hawaiian jets. There are no jetways or loading bridges here, so everyone, passengers included, have a chance to experience an airline ramp; whether they want to or not! Although I have noticed that most seem to enjoy experiencing these large, jet-airliners up close and personal. You may not have been bitten by the flying bug, but how often do you have the opportunity to stroll past a magnificent B-757 or B-767? This ATA 737 had just pulled in, disgorged its passengers and crew and prepared to leave for Oakland. Due to the hour the local control tower is now closed too, so we'll receive our oceanic clearance from Honolulu Center and broadcast in the blind as we taxi out and takeoff. An hour from now after everyone has departed for a west coast city, this ramp too will be wrapped in stillness, light breezes and the pleasant fragrance of yellow hibiscus and red ohia. 

To our right, near the fields rotating beacon and control tower, this Hawaiian Airlines B-717 has just arrived from Honolulu and off loads vacationers.  In true Southwest Airlines fashion, in a mere 20 minutes, she'll be reloaded and underway back to HNL. Intermixed with the aroma of combusted jet fuel and exotic plants, these deplaning passengers enjoy a balmy evening as they stroll across this tropical airline ramp. Meanwhile back home, airline ramps in Ohio, Nebraska, Montana and Pennsylvania, await their return as snow swirls, ice clings and bone chilling winds strafe the tarmac. But they'll worry about that in a week or so as they scrape their windshields in the long term parking lot.

We're back in SFO as I climb down the jetway stairs and head for Operations to review and sign my flight release, flight plan and supporting information. It's a beautiful starry night as I pause to enjoy the sky and pass by this DAL 737. Either its recently pulled in or they're preparing to leave, but the external power isn't plugged in and the APU is loud, shattering the peace on this ramp. But gone is the hustle and bustle, the urgency, the manager with a clipboard pushing for an on time departure.

What's that you say? You've never heard of or seen managers on the ramp with clipboards? Here's a picture of a few in the "Approved Smoking Zone," critiquing a ground crew at work. Personally, I think the flight would have turned more quickly if one or more had jumped in and lent a hand, particularly considering the adverse weather conditions. You know, leadership by example! With personnel cutbacks, I think there were more hands critiquing than unloading!  

Here's a scene at LAX that the passengers rarely see; the FOD barrel, tarps covering stuff, usually skydrol or oil cans, jetway stanchions with dangling hydraulic lines, random trucks, slippery oil covered ramps, baggage carts and external power cords. Though less so at night, during the day this is a dangerous, noisy environment. Your head needs to be on a swivel, hearing protection in place, aware of heavy vehicular movement. (Sorry, I don't know why this shot won't click larger.)

Though brightly illuminated, it's a dark snowy night here in MSP. The snow makes an otherwise grimy environment appear cleaner, brighter and even quieter than normal. If you look just aft of the nosewheel doors, you'll observe that we're plugged into external power, the APU is off and it's peaceful out here. It was nearly -10F on this night as others prepared our aircraft to depart for Seattle.  I enjoyed walking around the airplane as snow fell, insulating everything with an inch of light, fresh contaminant that would have to be removed a little later. I suspect though, that those who work outside in these conditions may have a different viewpoint. It was cold, as a brisk 15 knot wind intensified the bite; I turned up my collar and sought relief climbing up the jetway stairs. Maybe I'll take more pictures another time! 

Well, OK, just one more before I seek refuge inside this fuselage. This is one of my favorite photos. I love the cleanliness, the fog, the sticking snow, low light and beautiful curving lines of this magnificent machine. When compared to Airbuses and even other Boeings for that matter, the 757's sleek, flowing lines set her apart. Look at the unique windshield and drooped nose design in the previous photo. Esthetically, she's in a class by herself, designed by aeronautical engineers with artistic tastes. The engine is a Pratt & Whitney PW2037, originally designed as a JT10D, that produces 37,000 pounds of thrust and weighs 7,200 pounds. That's more than three and a half tons suspended on that pylon.

Just a gate away is this America West Airbus and her crew, probably unaccustomed to these rather harsh northern conditions at nearly 45 degrees north latitude. In a few hours though, they'll return to a significantly milder, desert ramp in Phoenix. At sunrise, their PHX ramp will be bathed in cool shades of orange, purple and dark red, intoxicating colors unique to our desert southwest. It's a beautiful sight that I've only experienced at sunrise. In fact it influenced the new Southwest Airlines paint scheme.  

Looming large over our A-330 here in DTW is the ramp control tower with fewer personnel after hours on this cold winter night. The forward cargo door is open, the push tractor is in place, the ground tank fuel supply is attached and empty igloo carts wait nearby. But she's not going anywhere until tomorrow morning when her small army of support people arrive and this ramp comes alive with activity. The yellow hoses that you see beneath the fuselage deliver conditioned air, in this case to keep her interior warm through the night and prevent water tanks and lavatories from freezing. It will also help the CRT's boot up more easily tomorrow morning.

It's mild tonight on the Las Vegas ramp as this MD-88 rests at gate D3. But I've experienced summer evenings when the desert cools to the mid 50's after a high of 100 during the day. This ramp never sleeps as there seems to be around the clock activity. Why people come here I don't know, but it is one of the most active airfields that I've yet experienced.

It's about 11:00 p.m. at SFO as this Frontier Airbus pushes from the gate and starts her engines. In a few moments, with engines running, flaps extended and checklists in progress, she'll move out to runway 1R via taxiway Bravo and serenity will return.

As much as I enjoy the ramp and getting out onto it, let me leave you with my customary view. Normally I'm behind the glass; elevated, dry and warm, often with a cup of coffee in hand. But I appreciate the efforts those on the ramp, accomplishing the work necessary to get us underway. Thanks again Jeff for your request, I certainly enjoyed putting this post together.

Whoops, looking through my collection I found these two shots that I wanted to add. The top picture is of our 757-300 in Honolulu. We'll be leaving shortly with a full load for LAX. Do you see the bottom of the jetway stairs just to the right of the planes nose? Stroll over to those stairs and turn 90 degrees to your right. See the photo below? That's the view from this point! We're plugged in, the APU is silent for the moment and all I can hear is the rustling of these palm trees overhead. It's delightful!

This is the old tower building adjacant to our departure gate. I've written previously about non-discript, cement stick, modern towers that now dominate the landscape. This building, like the tower at LGA, is a wonderful example of our romantic past when a control tower was identified with a specific airfield. If I close my eyes here, I can hear a Pan-Am 707 or DC-8 starting up or a Hawaiian Airlines Convair 340 or Northwest Airlines Stratocruiser rumble past. Though out of date, like the aircraft that I just mentioned, I'm pleased that this building has been saved from a wrecking ball. It represents a better time in our industry, when transportation to this distant, tropical archipelago was as much a part of a family vacation, as the vacation it self. The Kodak prints that Dad's took at the airport or of airplanes, were added to the family album and glued next to those of the family on Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background. Getting here, dressed in your Sunday best, was an adventure!      

Once again... thanks for following along.  Aloha, Rand

I've just created a new blog dedicated to flying low and slow in my Cub.  If you enjoy little antiques, I hope that you'll take the time to visit with us there too.