Question about ramp control?

[mu2]

I am a GA pilot who has never dealt with ramp control or gates. Could you give me some insight on the procedures? I'm listening to PHL ATC and keep I hearing sierra zulu spot one contact ramp control. Where is spot one, or any spot for that matter? Also what do you say on ramp freq? Who assigns gates, ATC or company?

 

[wmuflyguy]

Spots = Numers painted on the pavement, usually at the entrance/exit of the Ramp. These are usaually depicted on teh Jeppesen Charts.

You talk to ramp like you were talking to ground control. They tell you how to taxi, to and from the gate.

Your company usually owns the gates and assigns you one, you usally call and get assigned a gate just prior to landing or once on the ground.

You tell Ramp which gate you have, and they tell you how they want you to taxi to it.

PHL, is one of the crazier ramp setups. something like 4 or 5 ramp frequencies. I don't have my charts or I would tell you where spot 1 is.

 

[mu2]

Thanks
What about when they say spot three or four? Is it your choice or do you start to taxi and call ramp for the actual spot they want you to taxi to?

 

[pianoman]

Usually if you know your gate ahead of time, you look at the Jepp chart and figure out which "alley" you're taxiing into. Usually each of these has a spot or two.

Conversely, on the way out, after you talk to ramp, push back and taxi, ramp will tell you to taxi to spot x, contact ground.

 

[wmuflyguy]

Ground will normally tell you how to taxi to the spot they want. Yea you call ramp when your appraoching where-ever it is you are entering the ramp.

Somtimes ground will tell you to switch, most the time you jsut switch frequencies when you get close.

 

[EDUC8-or]

I am a GA pilot who has never dealt with ramp control or gates. Could you give me some insight on the procedures? I'm listening to PHL ATC and keep I hearing sierra zulu spot one contact ramp control. Where is spot one, or any spot for that matter? Also what do you say on ramp freq? Who assigns gates, ATC or company?

Spot one is the cargo ramp. I see you're in the PDT pool. You'd be parking at the Foxtrot gates, which is close to spots 11-14. This diagram doesn't have the ramp frequencies, but Jepps do. Here's the link:

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0602/00320AD.PDF

 

[flatspin7]

Ramp control is usaully a Company run thing that controls the chaos of push back and arrivals from the ramp area... In EWR, IAH and CLE, CAL runs the ramp (at least on terminal C in EWR, and CLE only terminal C, D, and part of B are contolled by CO ramp), You go to DTW and you either talk to NWA or Mesaba ramp. Delta controlled ramps tend to double as ops frequency like in CVG you always hear Delta pilots asking for catering and bags of ice.

Incomplete list from the Back of my head of places ive been....

EWR, IAD, CLE, PIT, DTW, LGA, JFK, BOS?, MSP, CVG, CLT, IAH, LAX, ATL, DEN, ORD, MIA, YYZ, YUL, PHL, SLC, PHX?... Im sure I forgot a bunch but you get the Idea

 

[Flyin2low]

Ramp control is just another person to bitch to as you're taxiing to/from the gate. We could probably move planes a lot more efficiently without them. Especially after 9/11 since the positions have been handed over from people who knew what they're doing to teenie-brats who can't work more than 2 planes at a time.