A Little Push

Once upon a time (at least in the United States), it was standard practice for some airliner types to get themselves off a gate by simply throwing... more

by Alex Esguerra

Title

A Little Push

Artist

Alex Esguerra

Medium

Photograph - Color

Description

Once upon a time (at least in the United States), it was standard practice for some airliner types to get themselves off a gate by simply throwing the engines in reverse and backing themselves out onto a taxiway. I clearly recall this in the 90's, barely able to suppress a grin as DC-9s at Atlanta deployed their "buckets" and roared backwards. Perhaps elsewhere in the world, this practice is still in place, but for me, it's but a fond memory.

Instead, unless the aircraft has an unimpeded forwarded path to work with, a pushback is required. Men and women on the ramp hookup powerful tugs to the plane and push it off to a spot where the airliner can then safely taxi ahead. For brief moments, the earliest stage of the journey is in their capable hands.

In the picture, the pushback of this 757 is complete. A marshaller holds his wands in a "hold position" signal has the others in the push crew finish disconnecting the tug from the plane. It's a wonderful example of their contribution to commercial aviation, where a little push goes a long way.

Uploaded

November 3rd, 2014