Approximately every second somewhere on earth, a passenger aircraft takes-off.
For the preparation of a passenger plane, dozens of employees are required.
This documentary shows the flight of a Condor Boeing 757 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Heraklion, Greece –
starting two hours before departure.
4:15 am.
On ramp position V 155 is a Boeing 757 ...
... that is due to take-off in 2 hours, carrying 250 passengers to Greece.
Airline technical staff are the first to arrive.
Here is the aircraft – the scheduled take-off time is 6:15 am.
At around 7 o´clock, we can finish, and then I can pack up.
We now go up, open the door, and turn on the power.
We prepare the aircraft for the crew.
We look through everything again, for example, we check that the papers are right.
How do you open and close the aircraft?
That is really not closed.
There is no lock and key.
Airports have different categories.
This is a „safe“ airport – here we have nothing to seal.
But when we are abroad, where we cannot be so sure,
seals are fixed to the doorframes here - either paper seals or plastic seals.
Before entry they are checked to make sure they are all in order.
Are you are here alone?
No. I have another colleague. He walks around the aircraft.
He checks the tyres and the air pressure,
because the tyres have cooled overnight.
The airlines prefer not to park an aircraft overnight.
Parking brings no revenue, and the maintenance costs are higher.
For bringing parked aircraft back to operation, there are detailed plans.
The air pressure is not checked immediately after landing because the tyres are still very hot.
They need to cool down first, and then we can check the air pressure.
We have just now removed the gear pins. They are stuck on the ground,
so that the gear cannot buckle, when the aircraft is towed.
Meanwhile, in a parking garage at Frankfurt airport.
Captain Philipp Heinbockel is on his way to the traffic control center.
He has been up since 3:30 am - which is part of the job.
It can be difficult to get used to.
One is never so clearly right, but you learn to deal with it.
How often do you have to get up so early?
About 4 to 8 times in a month, and also in different time zones in the world.
But I have learned to go to bed early, and prepare myself accordingly,
and now everything is easier than it was when I first started.
Philipp Heinbockel is in command of the flight to Heraklion.
It is now 4:30 am. He already has the flight preparations in mind.
He knows that today he will fly to Crete,
then to Santorini and finally back to Frankfurt.
Only around 3:30 pm, will the working day come to an end.
In the traffic control center, Philipp meets co-pilot Dorothee Hermann.
Both now receive important information for their flight.
We get our flight data, which we review.
We take a look at the weather on the route, whether any tayiways are blocked ...
... and then make a decision how much fuel we need to take with us.
We give the data to our colleagues at the traffic control center,
and then we make our way to the cabin briefing and finally go to the aircraft.
The traffic control centre is staffed around the clock.
All the airline´s aircraft movements and also the weather forecasts are constantly being observed.
The pilots here get their flight route and weather data.
They check the documents and decide what amount of fuel needs to be refilled.
Next, the pilots will be meeting with the cabin crew.
Nils Eicke is first on board the aircraft this morning.
Last night, the Boeing 757 came back by 10:30 pm from Fuerteventura ...
... and was parked here.
In the cockpit, the technician starts up the systems.
The necessary power is received from a generator on the ramp.
The 34-year old knows almost every switch on his “757“.
I know the buttons at the front in the cockpit.
I also know most of the special systems.
We also have great reference books where you can check up everything,
because you can´t remember everything.
In 45 minutes, Nils will pass the aircraft on to the pilots.
Of course any captain would be happy, if he gets a plane without any complaints.
Nearly always, that will be the case.
Otherwise a flight may be cancelled, postponed or the aircraft changed.
The teamwork with the crews is actually very good.
Colleague Alexandros has good news.
The gear is in order, the air is controlled, and the gear pins are out.
I have completed the check, too. Now we are just waiting for the crew.
The tank vehicle is already here, which is now starting to refuel.
4:50 am. Max arrives in terminal 1 of Frankfurt airport.
Between 5:00 to 8:00 am, there are almost 100 flights on the display panel.
Max is one of approximately 250 passengers on the flight to Heraklion.
He is heading for check-in.
At this time, the preparations of the technicians on the Boeing 757 are almost completed.
"Paperwork" is still missing.
We now confirm this so-called ramp-check,
which we made tonight, in our system.
This is an inspection of the aircraft.
The check is performed every 48 hours minimum and is one of the smaller checks.
Nils Eicke has been working for the airline for 11 years ...
... and has a special training for Boeing 757s and 767s.
Today he´s been on a night shift.
Even now at the end of the shift, full concentration is expected from him.
Our responsibility is very high.
It´s just the big issue of safety in aviation.
You have to think on it, about how you do it,
and you have to do it with high concentration to ensure that it is always safe.
Night shifts are especially demanding, and are not to be underestimated.
This really varies from person to person.
Some do very well with it, others a bit less so.
It also depends how long you´ve been doing the job already. It is a big physical strain.
The technicians work together as a team of at least two people ...
... and must approve all the procedures with their signatures.
Nils however deals with the pressure and hours very well.
I have never regretted this job. I am always as happy as I was on the first day ...
... and I hope that I can do a lot more years.
4:55 am.
Captain Philipp Heinbockel and co-pilot Dorothee Hermann are on the way to crewbriefing.
The cabin crew are already preparing for the flight.
Six flight attendants are distributed,
the 35-year old captain is the only man in the crew.
He addresses the team with information for the day.
Good morning.
Sorry, we are little bit late. We needed some extra time ...
... to calculate the fuel, so that we don´t need to refuel in Heraklion.
We have tanked enough fuel for Santorini.
The flight time to Heraklion is 2 hours 35 minutes.
The route goes south over Munich, Austria, along the Adriatic coast directly to Heraklion.
Till Munich, it can be a bit shaky.
But once we reach the cruising altitude, the weather will be nice.
In Heraklion, we´ve got some winds heading from the south,
later on turning to the north, it´s 20 degree celsius and sunny,
so everything is nice.
I once again like to remind you that we are approaching Heraklion and Santorini over water.
So please be aware of your positions and your commands during the final approach.
Have a nice flight! We´ll be starting soon.
The crew is now complete. They´re brought to the aircraft by crew buses.
Meanwhile Max is on his way to check-in.
Keep the identification and travel documents ready ...
... and pay attention to the size and weight of your hand luggage.
From the electrical one to a real airline employee.
Can I have your identity card, please.
Are you taking baggage with you?
Yes, a suitcase.
OK, can you place the suitcase on the belt for me, please.
Where would you like to sit - aisle or window?
At the window please.
At the window? OK.
Then comes the advice, not to dawdle around, but to proceed towards the gate immediately.
Have a wonderful trip and a nice stay in Heraklion.
Thanks, have a nice day!
Thank you.
With the airport’s line system, the Boeing 757 is now refueled.
The fuel is pumped with a “dispenser vehicle" in the aircraft’s tanks.
The refuelling takes place for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the route.
On the today´s flight, I think we will fill up about 16 tonnes of fuel.
And this is done in half an hour?
Yes, half an hour maximum, that’s it.
The fuel comes from ten huge tanks close to the airport.
They store about 200 million liters of fuel.
The fuel is passsed through a 60 km pipeline system under the ramp ...
... directly to the parking positions.
Tankers are used very rarely.
In order to save unnecessary weight, the pilots have calculated the exact amount of fuel.
The fuel is then distributed in different tanks.
We have three tanks. One tank in each wing and one centre tank in the fuselage.
The tanker driver pre-selects the tanks accordingly, so that the fuel is evenly distributed.
The 757 can hold around 45,000 liters of fuel and has a range of over 6,000 kilometers.
Since Greece is only half that distance away, it can be refueled less.
This saves weight and in turn fuel as well. It is then refilled in Santorini.
The fuel price has multiplied over the past ten years.
This has made flying more expensive. So trying to save fuel is more important now than ever.
In the cabin, technician Alexandros Kouluris makes a last inspection.
The aircraft has been cleaned last night and is now ready to fly.
The catering has been already there. The aircraft has been refueled. So so far the cabin is fine.
We are just now waiting for the crew, so that we can pass on the aircraft to them.
It is now 5:15 am. Still 60 minutes till departure.