The Art of Turning Around an
Airplane
About 1,000 flights a day take off or land at Kennedy International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports. For every plane that lands, dozens of workers hustle to return it to the sky. Here is a look at how Delta Air Lines did it with one recent flight.
About 1,000 flights a day take off or land at Kennedy International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports. For every plane that lands, dozens of workers hustle to return it to the sky. Here is a look at how Delta Air Lines did it with one recent flight.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASON
LEE
Photo
NOV. 17, 2015, 4:23 A.M.
Wheels Down on Runway 4R
Air traffic controllers inside the lollipop-shaped Federal Aviation Administration tower watched Delta Air Lines Flight 408 from Tel Aviv begin its descent at 3:52 a.m. Thirty-one minutes later, the 777 barreled onto Runway 4R.
Nine floors below the tower, inside another glass-paneled room overlooking the runways, Delta's coordinators, called gatekeepers, began organizing the ground crews. Several gatekeepers monitored video screens and coordinated with "above wing" crews (flight attendants and gate agents) and their "below wing" counterparts (maintenance workers and lavatory service workers) to make sure they were on schedule. If a plane falls behind, senior managers receive emails and text messages. Each day, performance metrics are scrutinized.
4:33 A.M.
At Terminal 4, Gate B22
Three workers with illuminated wands, known as marshallers, one positioned in front of the plane and two "wingwalkers" underneath the wings, guided the 777 into its berth using the painted yellow lines. The lines map where the cabin doors should be in relation to the jetway, which connects the plane to the terminal. As soon as the plane was parked, the marshallers put down their wands and rushed to put the belt loader in place to remove baggage.
Everything and everyone was off the plane 53 minutes later.
5:53 A.M.
A Tow and a Tuneup
A truck called a supertug, which has been described as "the unholy matrimony of a Hummer and a Batmobile," pulled the plane to a parking spot between Terminals 4 and 2. Two mechanics from Delta's TechOps team descended with tool kits and manuals. They had three hours to do their work.
On the exterior, they checked the pitot tubes - twiglike devices near the nose of the aircraft that measure airspeed - the wheels, the brakes and the landing gear. They inspected the engines and checked the oil level and the pressure. They also inspected the fan blades for signs of damage.
Inside, they followed up issues that the flight crew had logged. The screens and software for the in-flight entertainment systems were all in working order. They tightened one seat in business class and four in the main cabin. They also replaced items in one of the first-aid kits on board.
Just after 6 a.m., a cleaning crew replaced pillows and blankets. They vacuumed and wiped down seats, tray tables, overhead bins, bulkheads and other surfaces in the cabin with disinfectant.
The maintenance crew finished its work by 8 a.m.
NOV. 17, 9 A.M.
Mission Control
As the supertug pulled the 777 into position at its new gate, B28, the wingwalkers took up their wands.
The lavatory service truck hooked up a hose to remove waste and refill the tank with a fresh blue-colored chemical mixture.
At Delta's hub in Atlanta, a dispatcher began assembling a flight plan, a document that tells aviation authorities what they need to know about the aircraft's identification, who and what is on board, and its intended route.
He checked on weather that might delay the plane. He also made sure the plane would not exceed its maximum takeoff weight of 656,000 pounds. The payload had already been calculated based on the amount of cargo, the number of passengers, the estimated number of bags and the amount of fuel needed to reach Tokyo.
Forty-three minutes later, the flight plan was finalized and ready for verification by the F.A.A. and the air traffic managers who monitor the airspace over Canada and Japan.
9:37 A.M.
Stocking Up on Provisions
The first of two catering trucks pulled up to the aircraft. After removing leftover food and drinks from the previous flight, workers loaded 381 small bottles of water, 126 cans of Coke, 122 cans of orange juice, 106 cans of tomato juice, 72 minibottles of Finlandia vodka, 39 cans of Suntory beer, 35 bottles of white wine, 26 bottles of sake, 20 cans of Miller Lite, 20 cans of Fresca, 500 packets of sugar, 300 packets of peanuts, 35 filter bags of Starbucks coffee and 500 plastic wings for children.
The second catering truck arrived at 10:11 a.m. with 214 meals for the main cabin, 35 business-class meals and eight special meals. In all, 37 galley carts were loaded to serve Alaskan halibut in first class and beef misoyaki with steamed rice in the main cabin.
10:06 A.M.
Loading Cargo, Fuel and Spare Parts
Workers loaded the plane with 6,313 pounds of freight and 200 pounds of airmail for the United States Postal Service. Every day, Delta ferries several tons of letters and packages around the world, with more at this time of year.
They also loaded airplane parts. Just as cars have a spare tire in the trunk, most Delta flights carry tires, brakes and other equipment to store at other airports, so workers can make a quick fix without having to pay another airline for an urgently needed part.
A total of 291 bags weighing 9,090 pounds were loaded onto the plane. No animals were on board. (Soon, dogs and cats will not be allowed to fly as checked baggage.)
It took an hour and 15 minutes to pump 236,000 pounds of jet fuel into the tank.
10:23 A.M.
Time for Check-In
English- and Japanese-speaking agents arrived at Gate B28. Among their duties is to account for every passenger and every bag that will be on board the flight.
They helped passengers with their seat assignments and prepared a series of documents, including the flight plan, four wheelchair requests and customs forms for passengers and crew.
Fifteen crew members boarded the aircraft, followed by 246 passengers.
11:53 A.M.
All Aboard
Once the passenger cabin door closed, the captain took over. He called the supertug driver, who pushed the plane back from the gate three minutes ahead of schedule.
The driver removed a metal peg to disconnect the aircraft and saluted the captain to let him know the plane was ready to go.
Once the control tower cleared the flight for takeoff, the plane sailed down Runway 13R at about 125 miles per hour.
At 12:26 p.m., the wheels folded into the airplane's belly as it began its 6,958-mile journey.
Photo
NOV. 17, 2015, 4:23 A.M.
Wheels Down on Runway 4R
Air traffic controllers inside the lollipop-shaped Federal Aviation Administration tower watched Delta Air Lines Flight 408 from Tel Aviv begin its descent at 3:52 a.m. Thirty-one minutes later, the 777 barreled onto Runway 4R.
Nine floors below the tower, inside another glass-paneled room overlooking the runways, Delta's coordinators, called gatekeepers, began organizing the ground crews. Several gatekeepers monitored video screens and coordinated with "above wing" crews (flight attendants and gate agents) and their "below wing" counterparts (maintenance workers and lavatory service workers) to make sure they were on schedule. If a plane falls behind, senior managers receive emails and text messages. Each day, performance metrics are scrutinized.
4:33 A.M.
At Terminal 4, Gate B22
Three workers with illuminated wands, known as marshallers, one positioned in front of the plane and two "wingwalkers" underneath the wings, guided the 777 into its berth using the painted yellow lines. The lines map where the cabin doors should be in relation to the jetway, which connects the plane to the terminal. As soon as the plane was parked, the marshallers put down their wands and rushed to put the belt loader in place to remove baggage.
Everything and everyone was off the plane 53 minutes later.
5:53 A.M.
A Tow and a Tuneup
A truck called a supertug, which has been described as "the unholy matrimony of a Hummer and a Batmobile," pulled the plane to a parking spot between Terminals 4 and 2. Two mechanics from Delta's TechOps team descended with tool kits and manuals. They had three hours to do their work.
On the exterior, they checked the pitot tubes - twiglike devices near the nose of the aircraft that measure airspeed - the wheels, the brakes and the landing gear. They inspected the engines and checked the oil level and the pressure. They also inspected the fan blades for signs of damage.
Inside, they followed up issues that the flight crew had logged. The screens and software for the in-flight entertainment systems were all in working order. They tightened one seat in business class and four in the main cabin. They also replaced items in one of the first-aid kits on board.
Just after 6 a.m., a cleaning crew replaced pillows and blankets. They vacuumed and wiped down seats, tray tables, overhead bins, bulkheads and other surfaces in the cabin with disinfectant.
The maintenance crew finished its work by 8 a.m.
NOV. 17, 9 A.M.
Mission Control
As the supertug pulled the 777 into position at its new gate, B28, the wingwalkers took up their wands.
The lavatory service truck hooked up a hose to remove waste and refill the tank with a fresh blue-colored chemical mixture.
At Delta's hub in Atlanta, a dispatcher began assembling a flight plan, a document that tells aviation authorities what they need to know about the aircraft's identification, who and what is on board, and its intended route.
He checked on weather that might delay the plane. He also made sure the plane would not exceed its maximum takeoff weight of 656,000 pounds. The payload had already been calculated based on the amount of cargo, the number of passengers, the estimated number of bags and the amount of fuel needed to reach Tokyo.
Forty-three minutes later, the flight plan was finalized and ready for verification by the F.A.A. and the air traffic managers who monitor the airspace over Canada and Japan.
9:37 A.M.
Stocking Up on Provisions
The first of two catering trucks pulled up to the aircraft. After removing leftover food and drinks from the previous flight, workers loaded 381 small bottles of water, 126 cans of Coke, 122 cans of orange juice, 106 cans of tomato juice, 72 minibottles of Finlandia vodka, 39 cans of Suntory beer, 35 bottles of white wine, 26 bottles of sake, 20 cans of Miller Lite, 20 cans of Fresca, 500 packets of sugar, 300 packets of peanuts, 35 filter bags of Starbucks coffee and 500 plastic wings for children.
The second catering truck arrived at 10:11 a.m. with 214 meals for the main cabin, 35 business-class meals and eight special meals. In all, 37 galley carts were loaded to serve Alaskan halibut in first class and beef misoyaki with steamed rice in the main cabin.
10:06 A.M.
Loading Cargo, Fuel and Spare Parts
Workers loaded the plane with 6,313 pounds of freight and 200 pounds of airmail for the United States Postal Service. Every day, Delta ferries several tons of letters and packages around the world, with more at this time of year.
They also loaded airplane parts. Just as cars have a spare tire in the trunk, most Delta flights carry tires, brakes and other equipment to store at other airports, so workers can make a quick fix without having to pay another airline for an urgently needed part.
A total of 291 bags weighing 9,090 pounds were loaded onto the plane. No animals were on board. (Soon, dogs and cats will not be allowed to fly as checked baggage.)
It took an hour and 15 minutes to pump 236,000 pounds of jet fuel into the tank.
10:23 A.M.
Time for Check-In
English- and Japanese-speaking agents arrived at Gate B28. Among their duties is to account for every passenger and every bag that will be on board the flight.
They helped passengers with their seat assignments and prepared a series of documents, including the flight plan, four wheelchair requests and customs forms for passengers and crew.
Fifteen crew members boarded the aircraft, followed by 246 passengers.
11:53 A.M.
All Aboard
Once the passenger cabin door closed, the captain took over. He called the supertug driver, who pushed the plane back from the gate three minutes ahead of schedule.
The driver removed a metal peg to disconnect the aircraft and saluted the captain to let him know the plane was ready to go.
Once the control tower cleared the flight for takeoff, the plane sailed down Runway 13R at about 125 miles per hour.
At 12:26 p.m., the wheels folded into the airplane's belly as it began its 6,958-mile journey.
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