Ground service equipment is one of the most important tools you can have in your arsenal, especially if you want to be able to manage several flights and landings per day. These tools make it possible to maintain and service planes, either by providing energy, hydraulic fluid, or even water, and without it, airport operations would be crippled. However, these tools can break down, too, with enough use, which is why you should have a plan for how you’d repair them as soon and easily as possible.
1- Routine inspections
When it comes to best practices for GSE repair, there are few things more worthwhile than routine inspections because, when scheduled and planned right, they can actually save far more time than they end up costing you. Your operation may be using a lot of different pieces of equipment at any given time, and a few of them may be close to a breaking point and in need of repair, which is where a regularly scheduled inspection would come in handy.
These inspections are able to identify and separate equipment that is faulty before its problems become too major to be repaired, and by finding out what the cause of the issue is, you’ll be able to figure out how you can repair it, too.
2- Having spare components
Another important practice to keep in mind is keeping spare parts, especially spare components, in stock at all times because this may end up saving you hours of work and a lot of money down the line in certain situations.
Ground service equipment, when it’s not properly maintained, can even break down in the middle of a busy day when there’s no time to set it aside and run a full diagnostic check, and it may be required back in the field sooner rather than later, too. If this is the case, a well-trained staff member will be able to identify what the issue is, swap out the affected component for a new one, and have the piece of equipment working well as new before there’s ever even a problem.
3- Calibrating the equipment
Calibrating the equipment you’ve just repaired is another major step in the process of repair because, once you’re done with the most important parts of the repair, like diagnosing the issue and swapping out affected components, you’ll have to restore the original calibration you’ve been using for all of your aircraft.
This can mean adjusting the height or even energy output of the piece of equipment you’re working with, and whatever adjustments you make, you should constantly refer back to the manual provided by the manufacturer.
4- Testing
Ground service equipment fulfills essential roles in the process of aviation, especially before and after a flight, including refilling crucial reserves like hydraulic fluid, water, and energy. Suppose you’ve recently repaired a ground service equipment unit but it’s still malfunctioning while on the job.
In that case, you’ll find that your entire workflow will get disrupted, and, at worse, it could pose a risk to the safety of the flight, which is why, before any repaired unit reenters circulation, it should be thoroughly tested during off-peak hours to ensure it’s working fine.
5- Finding the best professionals
If you’re interested in preventing the need for repairs as much as you are in resolving them as soon as possible, then a great practice you can look towards is finding and hiring the best professionals in the industry to work for you and operate the GSE units that provide support to your fleet. These operators will be able to use your equipment in a way that it wears down much slower, preventing the need for repairs, and, with enough attention, they’ll be able to help with the repair process, too.
Conclusion
If you play a major role in any part of aviation business and need to help run an airport, managing ground service equipment repair should be one of your top priorities. They’re incredibly helpful, and sometimes essential, for every flight, and because they’re used so often and so heavily, they sometimes break down. However, with the right planning, you’ll be able to get them back up and running in no time, servicing the next flight that’s taking off from your airport.