We Are a Team!

I've always heard how important it is to be a team... there is no "I" in "team."  However, I never played any sports so I felt this concept would never apply to me... until recently.

I have realized that the airlines would cease to be if the employees didn't work as a team.  And I'm not just talking about the company employees- it is so much bigger than that.  I'll use a simple flight from Palm Springs to Los Angeles to illustrate what I mean- keep in mind that this flight is usually only 30 minutes.

Before we, the crew, even have a plane to fly, the mechanics (who work tirelessly through the night) have to bring one from the MTX hanger to the gate.  The ground personnel (rampers) get the plane all tidyed up, push the ramp up to the plane, get the checked bags on, and I'm sure a bazillion other things that I don't see.

We print off a release, prepared by dispatchers, which is a ton of pages of important information that will affect our flight.  A few of the many items on there are: fuel load, departure airport, destination airport, any alternates, NOTAMS, weather, etc.

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We come out the the plane to see the fueler waiting for us to tell him the fuel load.  These fuelers are so good at their job!  They are quick, super friendly, and somehow manage to stay clean of fuel.  I'm sure I would come home with fuel all over me if I had to do that job.  

The captain climbs into the plane and gets it started while the flight attendant runs through the checklists.  I get the awesome job of the walkaround.  I used to dislike walkarounds, but with such beautiful weather in So-Cal, they aren't so bad.  It's a good chance for me to get up and stretch my legs.

About the time I get done with the walkaround the customer service agents begin boarding.  I climb into the cockpit to complete my list of duties.  I listen to the weather recorded by ATC and then give them a call to get our clearance.  I rarely have to wait more than 5 seconds for them to return my call and ramble off a crazy long clearance.  It is amazing how quick they are!

By the time we make it out to the runway, can you see how many people have to do their jobs for this one little plane to get their?  We haven't even taken off yet!  And I'm sure there is more that goes on behind the scenes that I don't even know about.

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ATC assists us through our entire flight.  They are there to help us- remember that.  Sometimes they have a hard day and may be short with us, but they are keeping us safe, so let's not forget that.  On our flight from PSP to LAX we usually talk to 10 different controllers.  That's a lot of people that have to do their job right for us to make it there safely.  They sequence us from one controller to the next, always making sure that we are where they need us to be.

When we land at LAX, the ground controllers get us from the runway to our ramp area.  LAX is a large airport, but because of the efficiency of the controllers, it is my favorite airport to fly to.  I don't know how the controllers do it, but they do...and it's amazing!  There are times they are so busy that there is no break on the frequency to call them; but because they are so good at their jobs, they know we are waiting and will call when they can.  I seriously don't know how they keep it all straight in their minds.

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After speaking with ramp control and getting cleared into our alleyway, rampers are there to guide us in.  When I first started flying for the airlines I would get a so annoyed if they weren't standing there waiting for us, but now that I know how much work they do, I don't mind so much.  Besides, without them, we couldn't safely pull into the gate.  These rampers have to work in whatever weather condition it is- rain, snow, ice, extreme heat, wind.  I would never want that job, so I respect those that do it, and especially those that do it with a smile on their face.

After the passengers deplane, we go through the entire thing again.  There are so many people that have to do their job, and do it right, for us to make it safely from gate to gate.  I would not have my fantastic career as a First Officer if it weren't for the other employees that I deal with every day.  So next time you decide to talk badly about any of these people that you interact with, remember that you would not have a job if it weren't for them, and visa versa.  Gone are the days when the pilots can treat others as less, talk bad about the machanics, or tell ATC how to do their job.  We are all a TEAM!