Most fun memories on the job

[groundguy]

So this is kind of open ended, but is there any fun memories from working at the airport you have or wish you could experience again?

At the smaller, regional airport I used to work at, there was just one service road and it bordered the taxiway. If it was a slow night and I was driving the tug on the road at just the right timing, I could line up parallel with an airliner turning onto the taxiway and "race" them back. Our tug tractors weren't that fast and i didn't like breaking the 15mph speed limit but it was a blast and I wish I could do it again. Riding alongside that close to a jet is the coolest feeling ever. ☺

 

[777_max]

Getting to drive customers cars, Teslas, BMWs, Ferraris, Lamborghini etc.

Tips: These can be hit or miss depending on the person but a $20 ain't bad for washing up the guys car and carrying a few bags.
One slow night, my co-worker and I washed up a TBM who was notorious for getting really bad exhaust soot stains. An hour later, the guy shows up to grab something out of the plane. When he saw how clean it was, the guy was so happy that he gave my co-worker and I $100 each.

Leftover airplane catering. NetJets usually has good stuff. Also taking home beer/soda that has passed its expiration date off our charter planes. The stuff always tastes just fine, but can't have a customer seeing that we have expired beer onboard.

Getting to see the inside of some really amazing airplanes... BBJs, Gulfstreams, Global Express etc. My company also does military contract fuel so we see a lot of awesome military planes.

Working airshows: The blue angels are the best crew of people i've ever worked with. Before I even had a chance to shift my fuel truck into pump, they would have the hose hooked up, ready to go. All I had to do was pump. Feels kinda cool to be working behind the scenes to make an airshow happen.

That feeling you get when you finish a perfect hangar stack job. Of course sometimes that feeling can be short-lived when the guy whose plane is buried in the back and flies twice a year calls and says he's going out first thing in the morning.


+1 on the tug races.

 

[denverpilot]

Pushing really big aircraft out in the snow safely at the old Stapleton. Slip and slide but the big Paymover would handle it if you drove her right.

Secondarily running around at the beginning of a shift and finding the bag tugs who's governors were either set a bit hot, or not working at all and surreptitiously stealing them from whatever gate they were on and moving them to ours. Easiest way to get away with that one was by saying you noticed it was nearly empty on fuel so you swapped tugs and went and filled that one. Hahaha.

Go fast, get done, get inside where it was warm. LOL.

 

[knot4u]

Sitting behind the blast fence at the approach end of runway 8 at KBUR during heavy rain at night seeing and hearing the vortices. Getting some from one of the counter girls in an unused office in the FBO. Dry ice parties in the line shack.

 

[777_max]

Pushing really big aircraft out in the snow safely at the old Stapleton. Slip and slide but the big Paymover would handle it if you drove her right.

Secondarily running around at the beginning of a shift and finding the bag tugs who's governors were either set a bit hot, or not working at all and surreptitiously stealing them from whatever gate they were on and moving them to ours. Easiest way to get away with that one was by saying you noticed it was nearly empty on fuel so you swapped tugs and went and filled that one. Hahaha.

Go fast, get done, get inside where it was warm. LOL.

Some days I wanna scream during the winter when it snows on our ramp. Our pushback tug does great in the snow but we can't use that to move smaller airplanes and when it snows, the piece of crap, repurposed bag tugs with bald tires we use get no traction.
On the top of my wishlist, is a lektro tug, just to help get planes into the hangars tighter. Some fuel trucks that are actually from this century would be nice too I suppose.

 

[groundguy]

One slow night, my co-worker and I washed up a TBM who was notorious for getting really bad exhaust soot stains. An hour later, the guy shows up to grab something out of the plane. When he saw how clean it was, the guy was so happy that he gave my co-worker and I $100 each.

Leftover airplane catering.

My company also does military contract fuel so we see a lot of awesome military planes.

Working airshows: The blue angels are the best crew of people i've ever worked with.

Nice touch cleaning the TBM! I've considered cleaning not planes but customer cars but I've been afraid some might be picky about how its cleaned..

+1 on catering but its really amazing just how much food is wasted by passengers! Everyday we get entire netjets meals dumped on us haha

VERY jealous on your military contract and air shows, our competitor FBO has it.. What's the coolest jet you've serviced besides blue angels ? At my previous FBO, the most unique I got to do was dumping the lav on a C-32 (air force 2) lol

 

[ahw01]

Sitting behind the blast fence at the approach end of runway 8 at KBUR during heavy rain at night seeing and hearing the vortices. Getting some from one of the counter girls in an unused office in the FBO. Dry ice parties in the line shack.

Dude!

 

[knot4u]

Nice touch cleaning the TBM! I've considered cleaning not planes but customer cars but I've been afraid some might be picky about how its cleaned..

+1 on catering but its really amazing just how much food is wasted by passengers! Everyday we get entire netjets meals dumped on us haha

VERY jealous on your military contract and air shows, our competitor FBO has it.. What's the coolest jet you've serviced besides blue angels ? At my previous FBO, the most unique I got to do was dumping the lav on a C-32 (air force 2) lol

I got to deal with Air Force One (the 707) when Clinton came into Burbank after the Northridge earthquake. That is a story best told over beers.

 

[knot4u]

Dude!

If you put a bunch of early 20s aged males and females together for extended periods of time late at night certain things are bound to happen. Or were you commenting on how awesome it was at the blast fence? Whatever, it's all over two decades ago. Don't waste your youth, don't get in trouble, but make sure you have fun along the way.

 

[777_max]

Nice touch cleaning the TBM! I've considered cleaning not planes but customer cars but I've been afraid some might be picky about how its cleaned..

+1 on catering but its really amazing just how much food is wasted by passengers! Everyday we get entire netjets meals dumped on us haha

VERY jealous on your military contract and air shows, our competitor FBO has it.. What's the coolest jet you've serviced besides blue angels ? At my previous FBO, the most unique I got to do was dumping the lav on a C-32 (air force 2) lol

Gotta keep on top of the TBMs, otherwise the exhaust soot will just keep building up on the pain and it'll be trashed after awhile.
Coolest military jet I've done with the F-22 raptor during last summers airshow. That and the v-22 osprey, although I hear they're awful maintenance wise.