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Toronto Airport Uncovered - Season 1 Episode 10 - Against The Cloc
Transcript
00:00Toronto Pearson International Airport is the size of a small city.
00:07And no day is the same.
00:11Its staff have learned to expect the unexpected.
00:15There is maintenance issue. Do not state any particle stock.
00:19From storms on the ramp.
00:22That's the bad side of bad weather.
00:24Can't predict nothing. It's nature.
00:27To human remains.
00:29We take good care of them. They are our number one priority.
00:33And a bag that triggers an alarm.
00:36I've been doing it for 26 years. It looks like something very dangerous.
00:42This is Canada's biggest gateway to the world.
00:46An elite force of 50,000 working non-stop.
00:49A lot of departments that sit here are like marionette puppeteers
00:53and make sure that everything happens.
00:55Keeping flights across six continents moving.
00:58While battling the elements.
01:00That's what we get paid for.
01:02To do the impossible.
01:04And facing the unexpected.
01:06There's a medical going on right now on an aircraft.
01:08And they're doing it around the clock.
01:11To keep Toronto International on track.
01:13Approximately 130,000 passengers pass through Toronto International Airport each day.
01:31Checking in up to 100,000 items of luggage.
01:35But before each bag makes its way along more than 18 miles of conveyor belts to an aircraft.
01:44It must be carefully checked.
01:47At Toronto Pearson.
01:49Every bag passes through state-of-the-art scanners.
01:54Comes down a huge belt.
01:56It circles down, all the way down.
01:58Then goes through our x-ray machine.
02:00The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is responsible for preventing prohibited items from getting on to planes.
02:10When a bag triggers an alarm in one of the scanners, a CAATSA agent decides if it requires further investigation.
02:18They'll check it out.
02:20They'll say okay.
02:21And this is fine.
02:22I'll send it off.
02:23Or they may say, you know what?
02:25There's something in here I'm not confident about.
02:28I'm not comfortable with this bag going on an aircraft without being searched.
02:31So they send it to us.
02:37Down in the recon or inspection room, experienced screening officer Ash Gobin thoroughly investigates every flagged bag.
02:46End of the day, the first thing you think is threat.
02:50I must find threats and I must ensure that no threats are allowed on the aircraft.
02:55It's not just a job that you think, okay, I have to just do my job.
02:58And I punch in and I punch out and I got my money.
03:01What do I care?
03:02People's lives are at stake.
03:05This bag has been flagged for containing large quantities of organic material.
03:10Prohibited organic material can include narcotics and even some types of explosives.
03:17Ash's first step is a swab of the bag.
03:21I am taking samples of particles that may be residual on the bag on the places that a would-be terrorist would most likely touch.
03:33And I'm going to check my sample in my machine.
03:36It's an explosive trace detection machine.
03:39And it will tell me if there are particles that are dangerous.
03:47Then it said it gave me no alarm afterwards.
03:49So it means it's clear.
03:51We still have to go through the bag and look for other things that might be dangerous.
03:57If it's thicker, I will take it out and open it up and pat it down so that I'm sure that there's nothing hidden inside.
04:06The organic material turns out to be food on this occasion.
04:10But without checking, Ash can't be sure.
04:13Everything's good with this bag.
04:15So I'm going to repack the bag as nicely as I can.
04:19I put a notice of bag check tag so that the person who opens the bag up knows that it was searched.
04:27I seal it up and send it off to the aircraft.
04:31Not every bag screening is as straightforward.
04:35Ash's next bag has a combination lock.
04:38This bag, I'll have to call the airline to get me the code for it because I can't open this one.
04:44We can force entry, but not bags like these.
04:47Until it's checked, this bag isn't going anywhere.
04:55Every movement through the airport is part of a tightly choreographed system.
05:00And in the Cargo Operations Control Center, Paul Martens focuses on tracking incoming flights with unusual contents.
05:08This morning, an inbound container needs very sensitive and respectful handling.
05:18I'm currently monitoring a human remains shipment that we have coming in today.
05:22So when it comes to human remains, we basically have to make sure that we have runners and equipment available to meet the flight.
05:30Toronto Pearson is one of six main airports in Canada that handles human remains.
05:36We're heading to the ramp site.
05:42So we're going to pick up human remains.
05:44And then head back to the cargo building with human remains.
05:48And it should be okay.
05:50Flight's coming in in ten minutes.
05:54Worldwide, around 50,000 bodies are transported by commercial jets every year.
06:02All those that pass through Toronto Pearson on brief stopovers are treated with the utmost respect.
06:08We take good care of them.
06:12They're our number one priority.
06:16So yeah, we take good care of them.
06:20Having passed away outside Canada, they're on their final journey to be reunited with family.
06:26So yeah, they're getting ready to take it off.
06:30The human remains.
06:32So we want to make sure we get a nice cart.
06:37It's good.
06:39This cart's good.
06:45Turn it that way.
06:47Caskets containing human remains are sealed, leak proof, and packed in protective outer containers.
06:55It's helped to secure it more.
06:57In case something full, it won't blow away.
07:00So it's more to secure it than anything else.
07:03For some, the idea of transporting the deceased is unsettling.
07:11You have some guys who are scared of human remains, but I don't really scared them.
07:16So I'm okay with it.
07:18Maybe because they're thinking of ghosts.
07:20I don't know.
07:21I'm not scared.
07:23So, but we're good.
07:27So it's good, secure.
07:29We'll head back.
07:31And, uh, everybody will be happy.
07:37Body secured, Carl accompanies them on the next stage of their journey.
07:43So now he's going to send a lead out, and the lead's going to come and get the human remain.
07:52Because we're not supposed to leave them unattended.
07:55Safely delivered to the storage facility, these human remains will be returned tomorrow to their family.
08:13Back at the recon room, screening officer Ash is still waiting to gain access to the locked bag.
08:19I'm going to document this bag, place it aside, and wait for the airline to get back to me, to give me a code, or open the bag for me.
08:35It's not long before a new bag arrives in the recon room, and this one triggers alarm bells for Ash.
08:42There are some things that, when I see them, I get scared.
08:48It looks like something very dangerous.
08:51From our training, that could very well be a sheet explosive.
08:58So, I'm looking at a potential sheet explosive.
09:01Now, it may not be that.
09:03It may just be something that seems that way.
09:06Sheet explosive is flexible plastic material packed with powerful rubberized explosives that are easily concealed.
09:13So, I won't go into the bag until I am very certain that this is not an actual explosive device.
09:19After a detailed scan, Ash makes the call.
09:23I believe this is the lining of the bag.
09:25So, I will go in there, carefully of course, and check to make sure that it is what I think it is.
09:32In this job, even a slim risk needs to be dealt with seriously.
09:38The bags padlocked.
09:40With the airline's permission, Ash grabs the bolt cutters.
09:44The guards.
09:45If someone was able to get them to be dealt with, they would be dealt with a fork.
09:46If someone is able to get them to be dealt with, they would be dealt with the size of an energy-alarm,
09:47But, at the same time, they would be dealt with an energy-alarm.
09:48The bags would be dealt with it so they would be dealt with it.
09:49After a little bit, they would have taken the action.
09:50It was these shelves that caused the alarm because I can tell where it's placed in the
10:13bag, so it wasn't the lining.
10:14I'm still going to go ahead and check the lining because I would like to be 100% sure.
10:20It's not very easy to clearly see exactly everything.
10:26No threat this time, just a home improvement enthusiast.
10:33It's an unexpected find, but not the strangest item to come through the recon room.
10:37I had a toilet once.
10:40I wasn't expecting it.
10:41Just a full toilet.
10:43Someone was carrying a toilet to wherever they're going.
10:46A brand new toilet, of course, but that was really unusual.
10:49Almost 15,000 lights illuminate the runways and taxiways at Toronto Pearson Airport.
11:01They are a vital visual navigational aid, enabling aircraft to safely maneuver around the airfield
11:08take off and land, especially in poor weather and at night.
11:17If the lights go out, the airport will grind to a halt.
11:24It's the job of Airside Electrical to ensure they are always working, especially after a hard winter.
11:30We were told there was a fault yesterday on our taxiway kilo, so we're going to go up there, take a look, see what's causing the fault.
11:38This circuit supplies power to 90 lights on taxiway kilo, leading from airline hangars to the runways.
11:50If the repair isn't completed before nightfall, a crucial part of Toronto Pearson's airfield could go dark.
11:59Before they check the grid, they'll have to kill the power.
12:03The circuits carry enough voltage to be fatal.
12:08This is the main disconnect for the regulator.
12:11So, to work on the circuit safely, we're going to lock this out so there's no power going out to the airfield.
12:16The tower or somebody else could walk in here and turn it on, and you could be working on it and get it electrocuted.
12:23Now, there's no way anybody, the tower can't turn it on, and anybody else that comes in here can't turn it on.
12:29So, a 20-kilowatt regulator, if it was to come on at full power, there's potential for 3,000 volts to be out there on that circuit.
12:40The potential for danger on a job like this is pretty high.
12:45Padlock secured, their detective work begins.
12:54All the lighting circuits in the airport are run underground.
12:58There's probably hundreds of kilometers of cable, and probably hundreds and hundreds of circuits.
13:06It can be easily found, or it could be, you know, something that takes a really long time to source where the problem is.
13:21As they search for the fault, the crew take on any routine maintenance they turn up.
13:26This is just like a rubber connector.
13:29Technically, it probably could hold on pretty well, but we like to put on some tape, so there's no chance of it coming apart.
13:39Airport ground lighting is very important, so every single one of these lights gives a different piece of information.
13:47Imagine the streets and your neighborhood with no street lights, traffic lights, intersections without lights.
13:56So a blue one, such as this one, is telling you that you are on a taxiway.
14:03Other lights will tell you you're on a runway.
14:07Red lights show you where you need to stop.
14:11If we get a low reading, it could be a burnt cable, it could be simply from wear and tear.
14:22It's not a burnt cable.
14:34It's not wear and tear.
14:37So we had some mice that decided to make this pulpit a home and chewed up some of the cable here.
14:47There's a hole right here, right?
14:49Yeah, there's a gap here. They sneak in and find somewhere warm for the winter.
14:54Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually a fault like that will create a total fault in the system where the entire circuit goes down.
15:04With the cause identified, John and the team need to repair all the damage before it gets dark.
15:11So the sooner we can get to it and fix it, the better.
15:14As the airside electrical team investigate the taxiway lights, they discover the mouse damage is more extensive than feared.
15:25Confirmed what we said earlier that that was eroded, that used the cable as part of his meal.
15:31But then on further inspection, we did find there was another cable right here.
15:40And that's going a little bit further down the field over here.
15:44So it looks like we're going to have to change this cable and change this cable here.
15:48John and the team must replace nearly 400 feet of underground cabling to restore full power to the taxiway lighting before it gets dark.
16:00Ready?
16:01Yeah.
16:01One, two, three.
16:02So we're setting up some new cable.
16:11We've got a damaged cable that goes southbound over there.
16:16Damaged one that goes east to that other pit here.
16:21We do have a crimper, right?
16:23I do.
16:23Okay, great.
16:24That's it.
16:31That's our connector there.
16:33So we have our male, we have our female.
16:35This is the one that we're going to be replacing.
16:38New cabling will need to be given a male or female connection to rejoin the circuit and replace the damaged cable.
16:53It's good.
16:54They head back to check if they have repaired all of the rodent damage.
17:07Selecting 2.5 kV on this 5 kilovolt insulation tester.
17:14And we'll see what happens.
17:17Holding a voltage of 2,500 volts.
17:20Okay, we got 827, 916 megs.
17:25So yeah, these are really good numbers.
17:27Circuits in great shape now.
17:29Padlock removed and power restored.
17:35It's airside electrical 1.
17:38Mice 0.
17:43Across the airport in the Air Canada hangar, a Boeing 777 has come in for the maintenance team to investigate a fuel leak.
17:51Can I try a socket?
17:52Can I try a socket?
17:53What side?
17:54Let's try 3-8s.
17:56There are 25 777s in Air Canada's fleet.
18:00Flying their longest and busiest international routes.
18:04This one is scheduled to fly tonight.
18:09All right.
18:10The defect was fuel was leaking from the jettison pumps.
18:16That's the pump we are going to remove.
18:19The jettison pump, tucked away inside the wing, is used to dump fuel if the plane needs to land when it is above its maximum landing weight.
18:32There's a fuel jettison button inside of the cockpit for the pilot to push.
18:37In an emergency situation, when that pilot hits up, it sends an electrical signal to our unit here, then sends fuel directly from the fuel tank out of the aircraft.
18:48This pump is leaking.
18:52It comes out.
18:53There we go.
18:54There we go.
18:56And there it is.
18:58Okay, good job.
19:02So we are going to remove the three orange seals.
19:06The O-rings are rubber seals that compress to keep fuel from escaping.
19:11Over time, they become worn.
19:13So the plan is to replace them.
19:16Let's put the most inboard one, dash 243.
19:20Boeing provides us with a series of instructions to follow, which we have to follow very closely and precisely, down to torquing the screws in place.
19:30Air Canada operates 13 different kinds of aircraft, each with their own unique demands.
19:36The maintenance crew need to check the service manual to ensure they carry out the job with meticulous diligence.
19:43It has to go in a little bit more to line up.
19:48Yeah, it has to line up.
19:50Each aircraft, we are given a certain amount of time to complete the task.
19:55We're in a bit of a time race, but you do have to take a step back, make sure everything is being completed safely,
20:01and everything is being met to the standard that that's given to us.
20:06Precision can't be rushed.
20:08On the ramp, lead station attendant Shakar Leal and his team load a full flight to Denver.
20:20These are all connections.
20:25International, I guess, Manila too.
20:27Going to Manila, Philippines.
20:30Clouds are brewing.
20:31Strong winds have picked up around the airport.
20:37That's the bad side of bad weather.
20:41It's part of the job, I guess, but can't predict nothing.
20:45It's nature.
20:48Loading a flight during high winds makes routine ramp operations dangerous.
20:53These empty containers, it must be strapped.
20:56They can't be loading any empty ULDs onto the aircraft.
21:01They can fly off the loaders and stuff like that.
21:05Planes sometimes transport empty ULDs or unit load devices.
21:10Even though they weigh up to 140 pounds, strong winds can throw these cargo cans around.
21:17Getting really windy.
21:19The increasing wind speed creates another challenge for the ramp team.
21:23To offload passengers, planes usually park nose-first at the terminal.
21:29But the strong tailwind is now blowing directly into the rear exhaust of the jet engines.
21:36Jet engines work by sucking air in through the front and forcing it out the back.
21:41But the tailwind is reversing this airflow, preventing them from starting up safely.
21:46The aircraft has to face the building and the engine has to go the opposite direction because of the wind.
21:53Unless the plane can be turned out of the wind, it won't be going anywhere.
22:04The Paymover is one of the workhorses of Toronto Pearson.
22:08They tow aircraft across the airfield without the need for pilots.
22:22And planes can't easily reverse.
22:26So Paymovers and other tugs push the jets back from the departure gates.
22:31The latest addition is the Oshkosh B950, an electrically powered monster for some of the biggest jets.
22:44At the ground support workshop, a brand new one has just arrived.
22:48It's important to do the check sheet just to make sure that everything is perfectly safe before we let it go to the ramp.
22:55Technician Andrew Wadwani is giving it a thorough examination.
22:59There's a lot of little things that need to be addressed before, and we want to make sure we catch it before anybody else does.
23:05It is pushing planes back, so the last thing you want to do is have basically something break.
23:10One of the most vital parts of the Paymover is its massive four-foot-diameter wheels.
23:17We're right on the money at 140 psi.
23:21I'll double-check, run my hands on the tires, just make sure we have no cuts or bruises or anything weird on the tire.
23:28It gets up to a maximum of 22 kilometers an hour.
23:33Kilometers, not miles.
23:35It may only reach 13 miles per hour, but it makes up for that with brute power.
23:42Beautified.
23:44This Paymover is able to push and pull planes over seven times its weight, including the immense Boeing 777.
23:53Okay, perfect. We'll go all the way in.
23:59So, basically, we got all four HETRAs in.
24:02We're actually going to connect them all now and get this unit up in the air.
24:05High-voltage cables.
24:09A HETRA is a type of vehicle lifting system, and in order to finish his inspection, Andrew needs to take a look underneath.
24:17At first, it's scary and it's daunting on you, especially when you're dealing with the amount of weight that you're lifting,
24:22because it's hard to comprehend, it's 25-plus tons above you.
24:28So, it's wild at first, but then you get really comfortable like anything else in the trade, right?
24:33But Andrew isn't leaving anything to chance.
24:37All right, as we move around these big safety stands, it's super simple.
24:40We're going to look for things that are welded to the unit.
24:43That way, if it ever comes down, we're safe.
24:45With the electric motor putting a lot more stress on the components, we want to make sure that everything is bolted right in place.
24:55So, we're going to look for the manufacturer's torque marks to make sure everything is exactly where it needs to be.
25:00One final step is needed before this new pay mover can take on some of Toronto Pearson's more heavyweight aircraft.
25:08You have to have enough weight to be able to push the plane.
25:11So, if it's slightly light, it won't have enough on the ground to be able to push forward.
25:16So, you want to have as much weight as you possibly can so it doesn't hop or bounce and skip on the suspension.
25:21Each one of these blocks are 2,500 pounds or 1,100 kilos, and we got eight of them.
25:26That's good. Straight. Yep, straight.
25:32Okay, drop it down. All right.
25:34That makes the last of the ballast. 8,800 kilograms loaded.
25:38We're going to get this unit ready to go and hit the ramp.
25:42Now weighing in at over 55 tons, the latest member of the fleet is ready to go to work.
25:48Out on the windy ramp, Shakar is going to use a smaller one of these all-new electric pay movers
26:01to tow the Denver jet out of the tailwind so it can safely start its engines.
26:09Hello, captain. Subject.
26:12I'm calling the pilot's cockpit.
26:14He calls the tower, the tower gives them the clearance, and that's when we push.
26:23But this isn't going to be an ordinary pushback.
26:26To get the plane started, Shakar will have to undertake what's called a push-and-pull maneuver.
26:31Okay, A-delta, push-and-pull to A-delta.
26:37It's go time.
26:39An Airbus A320, fully loaded with cargo and 168 passengers on board, weighs in at around 86 tons.
26:49And this is a smaller aircraft. It's a 777? Forget it. No way.
26:56As Shakar pushes the plane back from the gate,
26:59it's not the weight that's a challenge, but the wind.
27:04It's now turning the turbine blades,
27:09which is not a problem for the engine,
27:13but does require the push and then the pull.
27:20Push complete. It's on to stage two, the pull.
27:26Push and pull, the reason why we're reversing,
27:28because you want to face the runway.
27:32So I have to pull them this way.
27:34Shakar must now aim the plane so the wind isn't blowing straight into the rear of the engines.
27:40So far, so good.
27:44Once we come to a complete stop, that's when we start the engine.
27:47Otherwise, what happens if the engine is not running,
27:50it will take over the pay mover and start pushing the pay mover.
27:56The pay mover is powerful,
27:58but no match for the jet engines.
28:03If the plane isn't stationary with its brakes applied,
28:07the 46,000 pounds of thrust would overwhelm the pay mover.
28:10Okay, push start complete and brake set.
28:16And we're clear to start.
28:17And now, the moment of truth.
28:24With the plane up and running,
28:26the mighty pay mover can detach.
28:28Wind's conquered.
28:35It's cleared for takeoff.
28:37While planes can fly as long as their fuel allows,
28:47for everyone's safety,
28:49pilots have limits to the hours they can work.
28:52Overworked pilots could jeopardize the safety of passengers.
28:56Keeping planes flying while staying within pilots' permitted hours
29:00is a tricky logistical challenge for every airline.
29:10As day turns into night,
29:12in the terminal,
29:13Air Canada Lead Customer Experience Specialist,
29:16Nikki Tsimiklas,
29:17is just at the beginning of her shift.
29:21But on her next departure,
29:23the pilots are nearing the end of theirs.
29:26We're heading to D33.
29:28There's a flight to Winnipeg that's coming in at 8 o'clock.
29:34We have to deplane it and turn it around really, really fast.
29:37The pilots that are going to be timing out,
29:39they have to kick the brakes by 8.55.
29:42So that doesn't give us a lot of time.
29:45No Air Canada pilot can work more than 13 hours in a given day.
29:51They cannot exceed those hours.
29:52It's a safety thing.
29:53It's regulated by Transport Canada.
29:57To ensure the pilots don't exceed their working hours,
30:00the flight must depart by 8.55 p.m.
30:04Nikki has 50 minutes to get the plane turned around
30:06and the passengers on board.
30:09But there's a problem.
30:11The plane is running late.
30:13It's 8.05 already,
30:14and the plane is not at the gate yet.
30:17We have to have it deplaned, cleaned, catered,
30:20everything by 8.40.
30:21So there's a lot of players.
30:22It's not just us here.
30:23It's the crew.
30:24It's REM.
30:25It's our grooming team.
30:27It's our catering team.
30:28They all have to be ready to run and do everything
30:31so we can do it as quickly as possible.
30:33Nikki is doing all she can to tip the odds in her favor.
30:38We do need to check in quite a few bags before we begin boarding.
30:41We're looking for people right now to volunteer to check in their carry-on bags.
30:45If everybody boards with a carry-on bag, it takes time to board
30:49because they have to go in, look for their seats, store their bags.
30:53Just want people at this point to just board and close the doors
30:56because we really don't want to risk losing the pilots on this one.
31:01Just going to put it on here,
31:02and then you're going to leave it at the door of the aircraft when you board.
31:08The pressure is on.
31:13If this flight cancels,
31:15there won't be any flight available until 12.15 or 7.15 p.m. tomorrow.
31:21That could delay more than 150 passengers for 15 to 22 hours.
31:29So it's important.
31:30We have to.
31:32And we will.
31:41In the hangar,
31:42the maintenance team is ready to run the pump
31:44and check the 777 for leaks.
31:47By reinstalling our O-rings,
31:49we're hoping that solves our leaking problem.
31:51Okay, sir, make sure DPL is open
31:56and then leave the panel open.
31:58Copy that.
32:00We're going to arm the jet engine system
32:02and make sure the pump is running.
32:13Copy that.
32:14Pump is running.
32:17And then let me know if there is a leak on us.
32:21With less than four hours
32:25until the plane must leave the hangar,
32:27they need to ensure the repair was successful.
32:36Threat pump is running and no leaks.
32:38Okay, thank you.
32:42It looks good.
32:44It looks like the seals did the trick
32:46and it's all dry up there.
32:48So we're all ready to then close it up
32:50and get this airplane out.
32:52All they need to do now
32:53All they need to do now
32:54is reattach the access panel.
33:02What's up?
33:05It's a missing anchor.
33:07But it looks like celebrations will have to wait.
33:10The panel is missing one of the anchor nuts
33:12that hold it in place.
33:14We need to replace our anchor nut
33:17that we are missing from our panel.
33:19To ensure the safety of the plane,
33:22it's all or nothing.
33:25The finish line has just moved further away.
33:28So a little bit of an unforeseen delay,
33:30but this is what aviation is.
33:32Some unforeseen things that come up,
33:34but you got to keep working
33:36and see what you can finish pretty much.
33:38I will put the receipt here for you.
33:48So hold on to it.
33:49You're going to leave it at the door
33:50of the aircraft when you board.
33:51Okay.
33:52At gate D33,
33:54on the tight turnaround flight to Winnipeg,
33:56the plane has just arrived.
33:58Oh, good.
33:58They're coming off.
33:59So it's here.
34:01807, first pass off.
34:04So it's very important
34:05to write down all the timings.
34:06I'm noticing that people are coming off
34:08already.
34:09The first passenger that has come off
34:11is at 807.
34:13Nikki works with all the teams
34:15on the ground.
34:17We're going to tie all these bags.
34:18We have to make sure our ramp team
34:19is ready to take those bags down
34:22and to close the door before we leave.
34:25So there's a lot of pieces.
34:27The last passengers have disembarked.
34:30On the apron,
34:31teams prepare the plane for departure.
34:33Rumors clean the cabin
34:38in readiness for new passengers.
34:42Caterers replenish the galleys
34:43with food and drink.
34:44And baggage is loaded in
34:48to the cargo hold.
34:50As soon as the crew goes down,
34:52we'll start staging them.
34:54We'll board people
34:55and we'll hold them halfway.
34:57By staging
34:58or assembling passengers
34:59as close as possible
35:00to the plane,
35:01Nikki hopes to speed up boarding
35:03when the aircraft is ready.
35:04It's currently 8.25.
35:08They need to...
35:09Breaks off by 8.55.
35:11So we have 30 minutes
35:12and there's about 160 customers.
35:15So, yeah.
35:16Every minute counts it as well.
35:19I've told her to make an announcement.
35:21So when she's making families
35:22with small children,
35:23anyone with a tag on their back,
35:24come up right now.
35:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:28The last pack's off.
35:30Perfect.
35:30Let's do this.
35:31With just 30 minutes left
35:34until pushback
35:35and 20 minutes maximum
35:36to finish boarding,
35:38Nikki has to keep things moving.
35:40Guys, I need the crew to come down
35:42or else we're not going anywhere,
35:44especially now
35:45because we've got to do this super fast.
35:47Guys, let the crew go down, please.
35:50Nikki is on high alert
35:52for anything that may slow down
35:54the departure of the plane.
35:55Did you write down
35:56what time the pilots went down?
35:58It was like...
35:59Write it down.
36:00Write it down.
36:01Hello, sorry.
36:02You want to wait with them
36:03until there?
36:04Yeah.
36:04You want to wait?
36:05Yeah.
36:05Okay, are you all the way down?
36:06Yes, I'm here.
36:07Perfect.
36:07Thank you so much.
36:09The passengers,
36:10we started boarding them
36:11and our colleague
36:12is just going to wait.
36:13Thank you so much.
36:15She's just going to wait
36:16at the bottom
36:17with all of them
36:18until the crew
36:19gives them the thumbs up
36:21that they're ready
36:21to start boarding.
36:23That way,
36:23they just get on the airplane.
36:25So this saves a few minutes.
36:27The amazing race 269
36:29is starting.
36:30But this is such a tight race
36:34that any unforeseen problem
36:36could completely derail her plan
36:38to keep the plane on time.
36:40She said that there is
36:42maintenance issue.
36:43Do not state anybody.
36:44Stop.
36:44Across the airfield
36:55in the maintenance hangar,
36:57engineers can't finish
36:58the repair on the 777
36:59because of a missing
37:01tiny quarter-inch nut.
37:04And it's nowhere to be seen.
37:06Now, it's threatening
37:10to hold up
37:10the maintenance schedule.
37:12We're going to kick this one out.
37:14It will clog everything up.
37:17The team need to act fast.
37:20We take a look in the shop
37:21and then we see.
37:22We have it in the shop?
37:23Yeah.
37:23We'll be back
37:25with the anchor nut.
37:30To keep its fleet
37:30of over 400 aircraft
37:32in operation,
37:33Air Canada has a vast storage hangar
37:35containing thousands
37:36of spare parts.
37:39At over 127,000 square feet,
37:42it's the largest
37:43freestanding hangar
37:44in Canada.
37:45It houses tens of millions
37:48of dollars of equipment
37:49to facilitate quick repairs
37:51and keep Air Canada's fleet
37:53on the move.
37:55It has everything
37:57from entire engines,
37:58each worth millions
37:59of dollars,
38:01to disposable life preservers.
38:04These life vests
38:05normally last about 10 years,
38:07which means that they are
38:08going out to be recertified
38:10and refixed
38:11and be reused again.
38:13This is how it works
38:13when you pull these
38:14and they would go like this.
38:18You can see here
38:19is a slide.
38:27Our captain's chair
38:28is most likely ranging
38:29from at least 250k
38:33to almost 500k,
38:34depending on which
38:35aircraft it is.
38:41The good news is
38:42they also have
38:43a ready supply
38:44of 1⁄4-inch anchor nuts.
38:47All good?
38:48All good.
38:49All good.
38:49Thank you very much.
38:50Appreciate it, guys.
38:52Replacement anchor nut acquired,
38:54the team can fix
38:55the access panel
38:56in place.
39:01And last screw.
39:03All done.
39:08Last bid.
39:09get this plane out.
39:10Get this plane out.
39:10Get this plane out.
39:14Aviation never goes
39:15as smooth as you think it will.
39:17There's always something
39:18that comes up,
39:19but you've got to keep
39:20moving forward
39:21and finish the job.
39:23With more than 90 minutes
39:25to spare,
39:26the 777 can fly again.
39:30The time is just about up
39:31for Nikki
39:32and her flight
39:33to Winnipeg.
39:35Maintenance is on board,
39:36you heard?
39:36Yep.
39:39Yeah.
39:40So we're just going to hold.
39:41We have everybody ready.
39:43The moment they say go,
39:44we will get everyone.
39:45If it doesn't push back
39:46in 10 minutes,
39:48the pilots
39:49will be out of hours.
39:50I don't know
40:02what exactly
40:02is wrong right now.
40:04I heard the word maintenance.
40:07On the flight deck,
40:08a maintenance team
40:09is troubleshooting a fault.
40:12We're going to pause boarding
40:13until we find out
40:14what's going on
40:15and then we'll resume it again.
40:16There's still a lot
40:21of people to board.
40:24They didn't give
40:25any indication?
40:26Did they say
40:27what's going on at all?
40:29No.
40:29Nothing?
40:29That's what sort of said.
40:31The gate team
40:31might not know
40:32the nature of the fault,
40:33but if it isn't resolved quickly,
40:36their efforts
40:36to get this flight away
40:37will have been in vain.
40:40Director just gave us
40:41a thumbs up here.
40:41Thumbs up.
40:42We're good.
40:43Thumbs up?
40:43Okay, we're good to go.
40:45I got it.
40:45Go, here.
40:46Stop boarding.
40:48Let's keep going.
40:48Have your IDs ready,
40:49please, in your hands.
40:54You guys are boarded,
40:58so you can just go straight in.
41:04This is the final boarding call.
41:06If you hear your name,
41:06please board immediately
41:07at D33.
41:09Doors will be closing
41:10in one minute.
41:11Oh, they're boarded?
41:12They're all boarded.
41:13Oh, yes.
41:14We, guys, minus four.
41:16Good job.
41:16Do you want to
41:17print the paperwork?
41:21Let's run it down.
41:23We did our job.
41:24It's over to the crew,
41:26the passengers,
41:27to sit down,
41:28the crew,
41:28the pilots,
41:29and ram.
41:31I don't want to jinx it,
41:32but look and get you.
41:34Look and get you.
41:34You know why I was down there, right?
41:36But two minutes later,
41:37the plane hasn't left the gate,
41:39and Nikki needs to check its status.
41:43I just want an update on 269.
41:46269, so the last update I have
41:49from maintenance is that
41:50they were doing the reset
41:51on the aircraft.
41:53Hopefully, we should get an answer
41:55in about maybe two to five minutes.
41:58We have, like, one minute.
41:59We're not sure what's happening.
42:04So right now,
42:05we're just waiting.
42:11Then, as Nikki has
42:12just about given up hope...
42:15Yay!
42:16Look, the door closed!
42:18Yay!
42:19Come, come, come.
42:22Look, the door closed.
42:24See that?
42:24Come on, come on, come on.
42:30Yes!
42:33That was fantastic.
42:35I don't know.
42:36I don't know, honestly.
42:37Like, well done.
42:38Good job, team.
42:39Just in the nick of time.
42:41That's amazing.
42:42So many departments
42:43got together for that one.
42:46They're pushing back now.
42:49It's gone.
42:50We're happy.
42:51The customers are happy.
42:52We're getting them on their way.
42:54Business as usual
42:56at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
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