Connection- Communication, Situation Awareness, Working cycle, Cross Checking
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“Hey, bro, may you share something about your duty? You said that you want to be a bus driver, didn’t you?” I was asked by my sister, who has just come back from foreign country yesterday. And her query encourage me to share a shameful story with my friends. Rightly, I want to record it so that I can keep myself alert in the future once I saw this blog.
As a ramp coordinator, I share the same mission and vision with others – be one of the teammate in aircraft turnaround process. You may treat us as a liaison officer because we need to monitor everything, from ramp site to gateway situation. We are as if building a “communication bridge” between various parties – passenger service department, catering service, refueling service, cleaning and lavatory service, aircraft maintenance service, airport security service and even the apron, airport authority.
Good communication is the essence of every successful operation! One day, I was handling a come-and-go flight as usual. However, I made a delay record starting from a poor communication. I do remember that day the on-chop time well-before the scheduled time of arrival. Therefore, my team should had plenty of time to finish the duty perfectly. “XX Gateway, please inform the final PAX figure to me after counter closure…Also, the est. boarding time might be XXXX” I said through radio. “Wico, but the cabin crew has just come up and begging for boarding, so the boarding commenced” the counter replied. I can’t remember why I accept this reply. Is it because of past well cooperation experience with the counter leader? Is it because of my desire in pursuing on-time push-back? Oh…come on….recall the memory from my deep-mind, I must report to my supervisor or question about his/her non-notified boarding action. I need to emphasized that On-Time Push-back(“OTP”) is not On-Time Performance (OTP). Good RCO and Bad RCO may not only glazing on the push-back time. Yet, I made a wrong concept as well as fault. For my portion of fault, I didn’t set the tone of operation and this may partly reason to mislead my teammate.
Situation Awareness is necessary for RCO, and of coz for “driver” as well! “RCO, the counter is closed, I printed the figure paper for you.” The gateway leader informed me. While I was making the loading and balance sheet for the captain, the counter leader called me via radio – “RCO, counter closed already…the PAX figure……” Oh…come on… do you know what is the quality of a “driver” – care about detail. At that operation, I did a bad option to skip the real (latest, updated) information. I had not received any final figures as well as updated information from the counter leader since the first day when I follow my trainer working for that airlines. Of coz, the cases is not ended and my mistake was not found at that moment. Before I tell you how I discovered my “skipping “ error – RCO DO OR NOT TO DO something that may make deviation from intended planning.
The loading was smoothly, I followed the SOP to query from gateway if there is any baggage needed to be located. “Negative…all PAX will be onboard soon” The gateway leader replied.
When everything was seeming smoothly, the first threat appeared – the threat is something that from environment and RCO don’t know before they discover – the un-reported hand-carried bags, less than ten but more than five. The cabin crew report us to put all of that to the bulk compartment.
Working cycle – “ALAP”? I do remember this if I am really a “driver” but no one cultivate the working cycle to encounter that day threat. Rightly, I followed the SOP that I was using. Bravo!!! Human innate response came to be used – my first action was asking me what I still need to finished for closing the PAX door? That’s the loadsheet! Some load control may barely add the number but remain the weight unchanged. I made an other approach – while I was “weighting” those bags by my hand, I asked if the gateway noticed or not (of coz they didn’t). I also requested the ramp loading officer for agents to collect those bag. Shamefully, what I did absolutely not the TEM, I won’t made the acft delay if I do know as well apply the concept. Yet, I had learnt is that my working cycle needed to be reviewed. How much time should I spend on ramp and when I should go back to cabin for final check but not affecting the facilitating in baggage seeking and locating? The more important is that how to cultivate the concept of TEM? Need to ponder more from now on~
After all these threat, error came eventually! “Captain has just asked why the PAX figure on loadsheet is not matched with my PM?” The manager questioned. I asked the gateway leader to make a checking together. Oh… the printed figure on my hand was not updated but the gateway leader one was updated in opposite. No matter you believe or not, the time frame of mine and his/her one only in minutes or between. The most ironically is that I was only used one source of “information”. I skipped the fucking vital UPDATED-information from the counter leader. Also, I had not use figure X-check approach after the gateway leader reported – “Negative…all PAX will be onboard soon”.
The above truth case can be the evidence why I am still a ground staff rather than the flight crew. Come on…DON’T make the same mistake or learn from the lesson!
