When/why is the fallow-me car used?

Flying Trucker wrote on Nov 23^rd, 2009 at 4:21pm:




My experience of follow me vehicles:

- Busier international airports for irregular users of the airport.

- Military airfields with large ramps, and/or obsured/limited taxyway markings.

- At the crew's request.

- Quite often the follow me vehicle will chirp up on frequency if he isn't busy and ask if you'd like their service.

Thanks "Flying Trucker" for the history behind the follow-me-vehicles, and "C" for more reasons why they are used.

Hi Folks...

Several types of vehicles operate on a regular basis on an airfield outside of emergency vehicles.

Flight Line or Crew Bus:
-used to move crews back and forth to aircraft if not on a gate
-will move passengers to aircraft from terminal or from terminal to aircraft if aircraft is not on a gate
-will most likely transport Customs Agents to aircraft if aircraft is not on a gate...Custom Agents normally do not have a vehicle on Military Airfields nor are they armed on Military Airfields
-a Flight Line Bus/Crew Bus will move Aircrew only to or off Military Airfields to or from civilian accommodations
-perform tasks assigned by Duty Watch Officer

Food Truck:
-moves food only, nothing else, no passengers or freight from kitchen to aircraft

Follow-Me-Vehicle:
-as mentioned above by "C" and myself

Outside of the Food Truck the Flight Line Bus/Crew Bus will assist each other during peak periods of Launch and Recovery...normally at that time their should be two Flight Line Bus/Crew Bus vehicles on duty

The Flight Line Bus/Crew Bus and Food Truck has frequencies to talk with the Duty Watch Officer and the Ground Controllers but depending on the Military Airfield/Station not to aircraft, they usually have to go throught the Ground Controller however there are exceptions and that would be up to the Base/Station Commander.
The Follow-Me-Vehicle usually has a full compliment of radios plus ICAO (correct me if that is the wrong term as it has been awhile) lighted electric signals visible to the following aircraft on the top rear of the vehicle.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

Flying Trucker wrote on Nov 23^rd, 2009 at 5:16pm:


Not to mention all of the grass cutters, airport operations vehicles, airfield maintenance, snow plows, fire trucks etc.  Basically all the vehicles I drive at work.   

Well Doug, things had changed by the time arrived on the ATC scene.  The gates and ramp area belonged to the airport and they had a 'ramp captain' to run that show but the 'movement area' - taxiways and runways belonged to us.  At PANC, or anywhere else I worked, you'd never have had to hold behind anything other than the plane ahead of you.  Grasscutters were extremely low on the airport food chain  .

OVERLORD_CHRIS wrote on Nov 28^th, 2009 at 4:55pm:

I'm not convinced that's true. Doug's little joke perhaps.

Incidentally, I believe that the UK & Ireland are the only countries in Europe where vehicles are driven on the left.*

*PS. Forgot Cyprus.

Hagar wrote on Nov 28^th, 2009 at 5:01pm:


On a serious note, taxying on the centerline is more uncomfortable for the passengers. A couple of feet either side!

Quote:


Gives us a fighting chance of surviving the locals' driving!

Flying Trucker wrote on Nov 30^th, 2009 at 7:22pm:
Once in a while the deja-vu thing kicks in.  If I remember correctly, the ground controller says "Piper six nine four eight kilo, taxi to runway six left via x.  Hold short of xxx at xx.  This way the controller makes certain that xxx has no conflicts and he clears the aircraft to continue across xxx to six left. Or something like that  .

Good morning all...

Basically correct "olderndirt" and the Ground Controller will tell you if they want a "Read Back" on the "Hold Shorts" or the entire routing.
I can almost guarantee a "Read Back" on any "Hold Short".

Hi Doug, thanks as I actually took that as gospel because I have had several pilots tell me that overseas in several countries where the War on Terrorism is being fought they see the following.
So many army armoured vehicles and light skin vehicles damaged and waiting to be shipped back to whatever country they belong to for repairs. 
These damaged vehicles have filled the airfield compounds and are now lined up along the taxiways and yes some runways waiting to be cleared to return for repairs.

The airports wants them moved as soon as possible, however transporting these types of combat vehicles takes special aircraft and they are at a premium as far as availabiltiy goes.

That is why I thought that during the air attacks on airfields in England throughout the Second World War there was so much damage and ongoing damage that the side of taxiways would be used for the storage of maintenance or bomb hauling trailers etc.
Therefore aircraft would need to taxi closer to one side of the runway.

That is what made sense to me however I have no idea if that was true or not.   

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug
P.S.  The next time I run into one of these old war time aviators who flew off your island I shall ask him.