Parking your airplane at the gate isn’t like leaving your car in the garage—an aircraft relies on various systems and generators to give it power while it’s on the ground. Aircraft PCA hoses for ground support includes all types of energy and maintenance systems—these are just a few.
Aviation Hose and Air Supplies
Because of their relatively small interiors and heavy insulation, airplanes need constant air conditioning inside the cabin. When the plane is parked at the gate, it is connected to an electrical air conditioning and oxygen delivery system via an aircraft ground support hose. This type of hose pumps fresh, cooled oxygen into the cabin, stabilizing its temperature and providing the boarding passengers and crew with safe, breathable air.
All Aboard
There are two conventional ways in which passengers board airplanes, both of which are categorized as forms of ground support. One of these is a mobile set of stairs, which is placed next to the plane so that passengers may ascend to a door. More common with larger aircraft, however, is the jet bridge. A jet bridge is a collapsible tunnel that connects the terminal gate and the aircraft directly, allowing passengers to walk through and board. The other distinct advantage to the jet bridge is that it houses other forms of ground support. For example, the aviation hoses that supply the plane with oxygen and the cables that provide electricity may all be connected to the jet bridge, keeping as much of the ground support consolidated in one place as possible.
Fueling Up
You can’t pull over at a gas station when you’re in the middle of a transatlantic flight, so fuel delivery sources are an integral part of a plane’s ground support. Sometimes fuel is pumped into the aircraft from a port in the ground, while other times it comes via a fuel delivery truck. Stocked with all of the necessary pumps, filters and hoses, aircraft fuel delivery trucks are fully equipped to pull up to the plane, give it fuel and move on to the next one.