AS aircraft pirouette in the sky over Farnborough this week, some equally precise choreography is taking place on the ground. Members of the show¹s Air Support Team have the task of moving aircraft to and from the static display as they prepare for, then return from, their display flights. A team of 50 engineers, drawn from Woking, Berkshire-based Wynnwith Engineering and Lasham, Hampshire-based ATC Lasham, organises these ground movements as well as providing extensive support and back-up services for visiting aircraft. The team¹s leader is Martin Miller and its co-ordinator, Gabbie Joyce. Role Our role is to provide handling, support and back-up services for every aircraft that touches down at Farnborough, says Gabbie. While some aviation companies bring in their own specialists to maintain their aircraft, many rely on the services provided by the Air Support Team. Based on the north side of the airfield, the team hires in the many vehicles essential to keep the event running smoothly ¡ everything from aircraft movement tugs to fuel and water tankers, toilets and airstairs. We have engineering teams who can deal with all manner of incidents, says Martin.
They particularly look after the needs of smaller companies that do not travel with their own full complement of support staff. However, he adds, it is in the role of ground handling staff that team members will be most visible to exhibitors and guests this week. The exhibitors want their aircraft on static display at their stands for as much time as possible, but at the same time they want them to fly in the display in order to demonstrate their capabilities. Our task is to move the aircraft from the static exhibition areas in readiness for the air display, then return them to the static areas as quickly as possible. Over the course of the show, his team will be responsible for more than 1,000 ground movements. He is well-used to the airfield¹s layout. From 1980-94 he worked for the UK Ministry of Defence as one of the engineers in charge of a hangar on the site, tackling many of the same tasks he now handles for Wynnwith.Wynnwith, which claims to be the largest supplier of engineering staff to the UK¹s aviation and defence industry, classes its Farnborough contract as being small in financial terms, but important in other ways. Prestige In terms of prestige, the Farnborough air show is massive for our company, says managing director Andy Pendlebury. To be trusted by the Society of British Aerospace Companies to provide support to the world¹s major manufacturers and operators of aircraft is an awesome responsibility, and we don¹t take it lightly. We therefore see Farnborough as being a critical measure of the success of our company. It also adds another dimension to what we do and stands us apart from the traditional labour agency which simply provides contract labour for somebody else¹s management to control.
Source: Flight Daily News
