FEATURE | GSE TRAINING
ack Evans, the CEO of Total Airport Services (TAS), tells an anecdote to illustrate the dangers of weak GSE training programmes. Although his company has an enviable safety record, no business is foolproof. “We had a problem in Chicago when an individual jumped onto a big pushback tractor, which he had never driven before and had no authorisation for. He tried to drive it figuring that he had a driving licence and this vehicle had four wheels so what could go wrong?” said Evans.
Training pays J
What the young man did not realise was that, unlike a normal car, the US$500,000 pushback tractor had four steerable wheels. Tuition was required to handle its idiosyncrasies. “He drove it straight into a van and totalled the van,” said Evans. “Luckily, he didn’t get near a plane. Obvi- ously, we forbid untrained people to drive vehicles airside, but he later said he was trying to show ‘initiative’. Without proper training methods, this kind of thing would happen a lot more often,” said Evans. Bob Newman, the SVP of Network Safety and Risk Management at
Menzies Aviation, agrees with Evans that training is the lynchpin of a ground handler’s business. “Training is the foundation we build on from the moment they walk in the door. Someone once asked me if there was a formula to assess the consequences of reducing training programmes. I said: ‘Yes, just sit on your hands and watch your safety record deterio- rate. Undoubtedly, it will’,” he said. Evans’ approach to training at TAS has been influenced profoundly by a 26-year career in the US Air Force. Evans flew more than 3,500 hours of jet time and retired as a colonel and wing commander at Robins Air Force Base, in Georgia, back in 1998. After various jobs in the industry, he co-founded TAS as an airport services business in 2004. The business has grown rapidly from revenues
24 AIRSIDE INTERNATIONAL | MARCH 2012
What price training? In challenging economic times, training may seem to be an added expense but ultimately it’s all about efficiency and quality ground handling.
of US$2.6 million in 2005 to US$30 million last year, and now operates at eight US airports. Evans puts the rapid rise down in no small part to rigorous GSE training methods.
“When I started out in civilian airlines, I thought many of them did not place as much emphasis on training as the Air Force. Anyone observ- ing how Total Airport Services operates will see parallels with the way the Air Force works,” Evans said. Much of what TAS does to train operatives seems like common sense. First, they learn about the various GSE tasks from manuals. They are examined on their understanding and if they achieve an 80 per cent pass rate they can use some of the GSE equipment under close supervi- sion. They then need to be signed off on two separate occasions by their trainer, or supervisor before they can work alone. “Once they are signed off as proficient, we increase their wages by a dollar an hour, which is a good incentive to improve quickly,” said Evans. Up to this point, the TAS approach to training is relatively standard. But Evans claims that what makes his company’s approach unique, or at least unusual, is their focus on systematic leadership training for pro- ficient employees. “The belief in leadership training is also influenced
Jack Evans, CEO Total Airport Services
“Once they are signed off as proficient, we increase their wages by a dollar an hour, which is a good incentive to improve quickly”
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