I had just transferred from cargo to the ramp and was undergoing my ramp training. One day, as I was observing a 747 jumbo being worked on by Lee Oliver and his crew, Lee approached me and asked if I used to work in cargo. I confirmed and he mentioned that he was sure I had experience with pushbacks on freighters.
Lee then asked if I had any issues with performing the pushback for the 747 jumbo, to which I replied no, not knowing that the 800 paymover wouldn’t fit in front of the nosewheel at gate 80. As I saw Lee’s crew positioning the paymover underneath the fuselage, I started to have second thoughts.
I spoke with my training instructor Klaus Hoff and Lee about my concerns, but was told it was too late and I had committed to doing it. Lee instructed me to push the plane back straight and turn the nose towards the west. Despite my nerves and shaking leg, I successfully completed the pushback and drove back to the gate.
In the 80s, communication was done by the lead walking with the aircraft, not like today where the driver of the paymover handles communication. Although I had done many pushbacks prior to this one with the DC8 freighters and considered myself a pro, pushing back a 747 jumbo was a different experience. All sorts of crazy thoughts ran through my mind, such as what if the nose wheel collapses and the plane crushes me.
But I pushed the plane back slowly, and once Lee instructed me to turn the aircraft nose to the west, I became even more nervous. Despite my shaking leg, I turned the aircraft, disconnected and drove back to the gate. After that first experience, I never felt nervous about pushing back under the fuselage again.
