Until last week I wasn’t allowed to use all the equipment at the KLM because I wasn’t trained to use it. Because of this, the trainees always had to be accompanied by more experienced employees. Last week I’ve had 2 training courses, one for using the FMC Rampsnake, and one for connecting the GPU and placing the wheel chocks.

A Rampsnake is an advanced conveyor to deliver the cargo and baggage anywhere in the belly during bulk loading. It operates fully electronic and reduces handling operations to 2 people. During the training course they explained how the machine works, how we can control it, and they told us about the emergency procedures. Without a Rampsnake the loaders have to push or lift all the baggage to the end of the hold. Now, the Rampsnake does all this work for us.

The second course, concerned the arrival of the aircraft at the gate. A GPU is a Ground Power Unit, which is a vehicle capable of supplying power to aircraft parked on the ground. The aircraft can also use its build in APU (Auxilary Power Unit) but this method uses more fuel and is expensive. We learned how to start the GPU and connect it to the aircraft, while the wheel chocks are placed at the same time. The wheel chocks are used to prevent the aircraft from moving while parked at the gate.

They also taught us the procedures for smaller aircraft, like the Fokker 70, 100 and Embraer 190 which are mostly used by KLM Cityhopper. These aircraft don’t park at the gate, but at the buffer. The passengers are transferred to the terminal by buses. Because there is no VDGS (Visual Docking and Guidance System) the pilots and handling crew communicate by hand signals.

But we didn’t only work. Last week, on Friday, we got interviewed by a journalist of the internal KLM newspaper. A photographer went to the ramp with us, and took some photos of all the trainees during work. After that, the journalist asked us some questions.