Do you have to be physically strong to be a line service technician or ramp rat?

N918KT

N918KT

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So I am still doing some job searching on aviation and airline websites. I noticed for most airlines or FBOs, the requirement is that you must have the ability to lift like 70 lbs or more to work on the ramp at an airport or be a line service technician. Strangely enough, some airlines even require you to be physically strong to work as a customer service representative or some in-door position in an airport terminal.

My question is if there are any way around the physical requirements? Are there accommodations where I could still work as a ramp rat or customer service representative without lifting heavy objects?
 
N918KT said:
So I am still doing some job searching on aviation and airline websites. I noticed for most airlines or FBOs, the requirement is that you must have the ability to lift like 70 lbs or more to work on the ramp at an airport or be a line service technician. Strangely enough, some airlines even require you to be physically strong to work as a customer service representative or some in-door position in an airport terminal.

My question is if there are any way around the physical requirements? Are there accommodations where I could still work as a ramp rat or customer service representative without lifting heavy objects?
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So far the heaviest lifting I've done on my line tech/airport ops job here is dragging the hose around to fuel and running up and down the ladder. Not exactly strenuous or demanding but still a little workout. That, or lifting people's baggage but that's rare at a small airport like this one. Pushing aircraft around in hangars is another semi-challenging task but again, not nearly backbreaking.
 
Dude, really...70lbs?!

You can't lift 70lbs, I'd say you have more to be concerned with than work.

Like I said in the other thread, eat some steak and do some push-ups.
 
N918KT said:
So I am still doing some job searching on aviation and airline websites. I noticed for most airlines or FBOs, the requirement is that you must have the ability to lift like 70 lbs or more to work on the ramp at an airport or be a line service technician. Strangely enough, some airlines even require you to be physically strong to work as a customer service representative or some in-door position in an airport terminal.

My question is if there are any way around the physical requirements? Are there accommodations where I could still work as a ramp rat or customer service representative without lifting heavy objects?
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Not really, 70lbs isn't particularly heavy. You have to be able to handle luggage and cargo. Counter agents have to be able to get bags onto the belt, gate agents may have to help handicapped people out of their wheelchair and into their seat.... If you can't handle 70lbs, you need a gym membership and start working out three times a week. Then there is fueling, those big hoses aren't light.
 
Mistake Not... said:
You're a jerk. Why?

More importantly, why are you stinking up this board?
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Because I think an adult should be able to lift 70lbs?!

My tiny girlfriend can lift 70lbs.

If you can't lift 70lbs honestly eating some meat and building some body mass should be first and foremost for your health.

Any adult that can't lift 70lbs is NOT healthy and a workers comp claim waiting to happen.
 
James331 said:
Because I think an adult should be able to lift 70lbs?!

My tiny girlfriend can lift 70lbs.

If you can't lift 70lbs honestly eating some meat and building some body mass should be first and foremost for your health.

Any adult that can't lift 70lbs is NOT healthy and a workers comp claim waiting to happen.
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There is a healthy dose of truth to that for a ramp rat.
 
The heaviest thing that we routinely have to handle is the single point jet fuel hose. It is about a 3" not very flexible rubber hose with a twist to latch nozzle to connect to the fuel port on the plane. Sort of like wrestling a Boa, especially in cold weather. You also have to be able to go up and down ladders, walk over open grating, and work on top of the fuel trucks and tanks.
 
I believe the 70 pound limit is written in some sort of workers law. Above 70 pounds, companies are required to provide lifting aids.

I think.


Almost all jobs will have a generic 70 pound requirement.
 
JoseCuervo said:
I believe the 70 pound limit is written in some sort of workers law. Above 70 pounds, companies are required to provide lifting aids.

I think.


Almost all jobs will have a generic 70 pound requirement.
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I've seen a lot of jobs that require some physical effort set the bar at 50#.
 
alfadog said:
I've seen a lot of jobs that require some physical effort set the bar at 50#.
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There are also jobs that set it at 120#, most oilfield and towing companies I've worked for give you various strength and agility tests including walking across a room and back carrying a barbell several times, racking weight up with each successive trip, typically three times to get to full weight.
 
I spent 30 years on the line: general aviation, corporate, airline jet and turboprop. Fuel, baggage and de-icing.

It is a physically demanding job in all kinds of weather. Most guys that I knew were physically beat-up by their mid 50's. I got out at age 48.

Bob
 
Lifting 70lb. of weight is not that simple. Can you take 70lbs. packed in a large oversized suitcase off the ground and press it up over your head into a jets baggage door? Much different than taking a weight bar with 70lbs. total weight and picking it up off the ground into the standing position. How about holding 70lb. over your head and rotating it? How about holding 70lb. straight out at arms length? Also, how often do you have to do this? In what conditions, 110 degree ramps, ice covered surface, etc?

I know of many independent FBO's are taking a no baggage handling policy because of this issue and the associated workman's comp.
 
Most airlines, the bag limit is 70 pounds. And for that you usually pay an overage fee. I've been to europe and back and my bags coming back came close to the limit as did my travel companion. In fact, I rearraged them on the floor in front of the agent just to get them underweight. I carried them from the car into the house myself. Not hard, just balanced. Each had tags for two person lifts.
Now really. One 70 pound bag won't hurt you. It's doing it all day long that will.
 
No experience doing line but I'm sure it is a physically demanding a job. Have you thought about doing Customer Service at the FBO instead?
 
James331 said:
Dude, really...70lbs?!



You can't lift 70lbs, I'd say you have more to be concerned with than work.



Like I said in the other thread, eat some steak and do some push-ups.
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I'm thinking the OP is either older, has a bad back, or is perhaps handicapped...
 
The best ramp crew I ever had was at ORD, three young petite ladies barely 21. But they had to be able to lift the 70 pounds, repeatedly, hundreds of times a day.
 
Reminds me of working in a hardware store when I was in college, where we had to unload pallets of 80 pound bags of Quikrete.

What was really humbling was watching the 70-something year old father of the owner sling those things under his arms and help carry them inside.
 
That was one of the requirements for my job that I took, but 70 pounds isn't the limit. I unloaded a 130 pound cooler once which I think was the heaviest thing I've gotten into or out of an airplane, and have assisted (and sometimes lifted) disabled passengers into the plane. It's a daily occurrence to have 3 or 4 plane loads of 15 66 pound triple mailers. When I started, I could barely lift one. Now I can pretty much chuck them with one hand. I recommend a very serious masturbatory regime to compliment your lifting routine for forearm strength.

I am not a big guy, all it takes is a little bit of exercise and anyone can do it.
 
silver-eagle said:
One 70 pound bag won't hurt you. It's doing it all day long that will.
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Well, not quite, one 70 pound bag won't hurt you, planting your feet while holding it and rotating or bending over may very well blow out a disk and drop you to your knees with hot swords penetrating the bottom of your feet into your balls. At that point call surgeon.
 
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silver-eagle said:
Most airlines, the bag limit is 70 pounds. And for that you usually pay an overage fee. I've been to europe and back and my bags coming back came close to the limit as did my travel companion. In fact, I rearraged them on the floor in front of the agent just to get them underweight. I carried them from the car into the house myself. Not hard, just balanced. Each had tags for two person lifts.
Now really. One 70 pound bag won't hurt you. It's doing it all day long that will.
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I think the limit is 50 pounds (just flew commercial and had to juggle stuff between 2 suitcases) , but your point is the same. :D
 
Hey guys. Thanks for the responses so far. I am young, but my arm muscles are not very strong, that's all. Last night, I did a test to myself if I could lift my 80 lb sister up and i was able to do that for a couple of seconds. That was strange since it is harder to lift up a 50 lb luggage full of clothes. :confused:

But I guess the question is what objects or items weigh about 70 lbs? What would be a 70 lb object? Maybe I could lift that object up without realizing it weighs 70 lbs.
 
DavidWhite said:
That was one of the requirements for my job that I took, but 70 pounds isn't the limit. I unloaded a 130 pound cooler once which I think was the heaviest thing I've gotten into or out of an airplane, and have assisted (and sometimes lifted) disabled passengers into the plane. It's a daily occurrence to have 3 or 4 plane loads of 15 66 pound triple mailers. When I started, I could barely lift one. Now I can pretty much chuck them with one hand. I recommend a very serious masturbatory regime to compliment your lifting routine for forearm strength.

I am not a big guy, all it takes is a little bit of exercise and anyone can do it.
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I don't miss that part of Alaska. The oversized forklift delivers 11,000 pounds of Pepsi to be delivered to a village store. All in cans. 3 cases banded together weighs 66 pounds and is called a triple mailer. Lift, turn, set down on A/C floor, repeat. Don't drop it on the floor of the A/C because repeated dropping will eventually buckle the floor. At the destination the procedure is be on knees inside the plane, lift triple mailer usually with back, twist, hand it to someone outside the plane, repeat. Don't rupture a can or there will be Pepsi all over the inside of the plane. Nothing like the middle of winter and lift a triple mailer then the band breaks and you punch yourself in the nose.

The heaviest item I took in a plane was a 600+ pound dead moose. Really dead weight. It was sent US mail and had stamps on it. (OK, on a card wired to the ear) We loaded it with a small forklift, sliding it off the pallet into the plane. At the village it took 4 people to slide it off the plane.

Then there is the drums of gas. About 355 pounds, roll onto the airplane, roll off the plane. Hope there isn't a crash between the loading and unloading. I could get 3 in a C-207. The problem is the bottom of the door opening on the 207 is about 1/4 inch smaller than the drum is tall. So I usually had to lift one end of the drum about 3 or 4 inches to clear the opening. Yes, I mashed a few fingers that way. Not bad in winter when you can't feel your fingers.

Flying wild Alaska can sure be glorious at times.
 
I'd encourage you to try line service. You'll get stronger just working, but exercise will help too. Wrestling fuel hoses and ladders isn't overly demanding, but as mentioned above the single-point Jet A fuel hoses can be difficult. Overall it is a fun job and a great way to spend time around planes.
 
Exercise and working an active job are important in building strength, also look at diet. Out of high school I worked in physically demanding jobs but never bulked up (had good arm and leg strength but body core was weak which leads to back problems). Out of college I spent several months working physically demanding jobs and ate mancamp meals (well designed for carbs & protein if not flavor or variety) and bulked up. I got a lot stronger in a short period of time...

YMWV so eat at least a semi-healthy diet - no fast food and plenty of good protein - and be active.
 
KSMooniac said:
I'd encourage you to try line service. You'll get stronger just working, but exercise will help too. Wrestling fuel hoses and ladders isn't overly demanding, but as mentioned above the single-point Jet A fuel hoses can be difficult. Overall it is a fun job and a great way to spend time around planes.
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The single point is heavier, but my real beef with it is that it's such a pain to lock on. I fueled 4 blackhawks the other day and that was a fight! Two people made it a breeze after the first two though. I'd suggest going into line service - you get paid to be around planes all day and it's not incredibly demanding physically. Sure you'll have to drag stuff and be around fumes and oil and everything but you get to meet some cool people, some of which may want to help you down your career path. Found two so far in a couple months!

The airport I'm at has more GA than jets though, but they do come through. Jeff Dunham, anyone? :lol:
 
By the worst part of my brief line rat career was fueling T-37s... our airport had a military fueling contract and those damn things came in 10-12 at a time. They were very, very slow overwing fueling, and each one took 270-275 gallons. We could be lounging in the air conditioned shack and hear the whine as they arrived and shot approaches, and just knew it was going to be a couple of hours of misery. :) Fortunately those are all retired now.

Otherwise, it was great to be around everything from 150s up to airliners and military hardware. You never know who will get out of a plane, either.
 
overdrive148 said:
you get to meet some cool people, some of which may want to help you down your career path. Found two so far in a couple months!
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did they still respect you the next day? :rofl::D:rofl:
 
Humans can get as strong as they need to be in a hurry. Don't worry about it, bust your ass, eat right, and you'll be throwing 70 lb bags and busting up guitars in no time.
 
Fly with us. We smash more guitars then Pete Townsend.
 
JOhnH said:
I didn't see that? Do you have inside information or did I miss something?
Perhaps he isn't a "he".
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Long term knowledge of him since he started posting as a HS student with ADD, not particularly 'inside knowledge' as it's spread across three pilot forums for a few years now.:D
 
Geico266 said:
I think the limit is 50 pounds (just flew commercial and had to juggle stuff between 2 suitcases) , but your point is the same. :D
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No, he's right, the limit is 70, after that you have to take it to the cargo terminal. 50-70= mo $$$ in overweight charges. ;)
 
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