Question for CRJ drivers

Flyboy718

Well-Known Member
Hello!

I work ramp at O'hare and now that we're into the warmer parts of the year, I have a question about the PCA hose.

It seems to happen mostly with CRJ aircraft, but we get called constantly to disconnect the air because its "blowing hot air".

Nearly 100% of the time, the air coming out is ice cold, but upon going upstairs, the plane is roasting.

Any ideas what the issue is with this? Just a curious ramper and aspiring pilot.

Thanks!
 
Hello!

I work ramp at O'hare and now that we're into the warmer parts of the year, I have a question about the PCA hose.

It seems to happen mostly with CRJ aircraft, but we get called constantly to disconnect the air because its "blowing hot air".

Nearly 100% of the time, the air coming out is ice cold, but upon going upstairs, the plane is roasting.

Any ideas what the issue is with this? Just a curious ramper and aspiring pilot.

Thanks!
My best guess - the angle at which the PCA connects on the 700 on the right side - I often find that the hose was reeled out short and the kink by the connector is preventing the air from going into the airplane. The hose is inflated and the air is blowing, but I'm not sure where to.
 
The kink in those theory is a good one.

Second possibility is that there is a hole in the hose, either around the connector or elsewhere and when there is a restriction on the exit of the hose wh e'd n it's connected to the plane, most of the air gets forced out of the holes in the hose.
 
In those instances is there air coming out of any of the vents? If not then there is a kink in the hose somewhere. Unfortunately very common....
 
Also, the air coming from the ground machine may be cold, but the hose sits in the sun / on the pavement and gets hot between flights, and thus warms the air before it gets to the plane. And the hose still gets heated by the sun while in use, with the same result of cold air not making it to the plane.
 
The kink in those theory is a good one.

Second possibility is that there is a hole in the hose, either around the connector or elsewhere and when there is a restriction on the exit of the hose wh e'd n it's connected to the plane, most of the air gets forced out of the holes in the hose.

This actually seems to be a good point I hadn't really thought about. Our hoses almost always have a few holes in them, and I'm sure the manifold that it connects to gets considerably smaller past the adapter, forcing a decent amount of air outside rather than in.

Also, the air coming from the ground machine may be cold, but the hose sits in the sun / on the pavement and gets hot between flights, and thus warms the air before it gets to the plane. And the hose still gets heated by the sun while in use, with the same result of cold air not making it to the plane.

Usually when we get the call, I'll pull the hose right off the plane while it's (the PCA) still running and the air is still pretty cold immediately where it connects to the aircraft.



I guess my question has more or less been answered though. The problem seems to be that the plane just doesnt get enough air rather than "its blowing hot air".

Some pilots seem to think I'm insane when I tell them it's most definitely actively blowing cold air.
 
Also depends on where the CRJ crew is checking the airflow. A lot of the time the air coming from the overhead gaspers in the cockpit can be warm and the gaspers in the back cooler. The cockpit gasper lines in some planes probably heat up from physical contact with the roof of the plane.
 
As a former ramp rat at SMF, yeah, the hoses can definitely get kinked if you're not careful laying them out. Though most of the time I dealt with CRJs, I wasn't doing the PCA hookup... I was usually hucking bags!
 
A lot of the time the air coming from the overhead gaspers in the cockpit can be warm and the gaspers in the back cooler.
Ah...thank you for flashbacks to the Q where the cockpit could only be warmer than the cabin. You’d get the temp up front dialed in and the FA would decide they were a hair cold and select the temperature somewhere between Arizona and hell, and it would kick in and you’d be sweating before you could take control and reset the temperature to something less than the human boiling point.
 
20190608_075006.jpg
 
I remember that the cockpits of PDTs Dash 8-100s were hotter than the sun. Those Canuck even included a flight deck fan that drew air from the nose wheel well, which was fusion temperature and made lots of noise for comedic effect.
 
When you disconnect the ground air and they crank up the packs, does a CRJ cool down ok?

Yes as long as no passengers are onboard. It's takes a long time to cool a heat soaked empty cabin with the PACKS though... When passengers start boarding add 2-3 degrees celcius to the current cabin temperature, and that's what you're stuck with...
 
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