october2024 - 34

Ground Support Spotlight
Spotlight on:
Jerry Crump
BY JOSH SMITH
Ground Support Worldwide:
What attracted you to a career in the
ground support industry?
Jerry Crump: Funny enough I chose
6000 Series MOS at the Marine Corps
recruiting station. That MOS series
encompasses all of the aviation jobs
within the Marine Corps. It was not
until I graduated boot camp that I
truly understood what GSE was. After
being hired by Swissport from ERAU
Daytona Beach I saw a pushback in
SFO that Wollard manufactures for
the US Military go rolling by. After
pointing out I knew what those were,
my brief stint of about three months
outside of GSE came to an end.
GSW: What has kept you engaged
in the industry?
JC: To be totally honest in the last 25
years I have watched and participated
in a lot of the change that has happened
in the industry around green
technology, and even space tourism.
These changes, combined with the
opportunities I've had helping customers
(internal or external) find
solutions that fit with their operational
needs and incorporating these
changes keeps me engaged. More than
that, this industry has some amazing
people I have developed relationships
with over the years and that I would
sorely miss if I ever stepped away.
GSW: What role has eGSE
played in advancing the ground
support industry?
JC: Some of our fleets are very old,
but that is because the old technology
worked without much more training
than we got on the farm, or in our
driveways. However, these older fleets
are not always more reliable simply
because they may be simpler technology
to work on.
eGSE has gone through its own
growing pains, and the learning
curves have been steep at times.
When I first looked at eGSE in 2008,
some of those ahead of me had been
dealing with DC drive systems, and
the maintenance issues involving
them. This translated to some reluctance
toward eGSE at the time, even
though drive systems were migrating
to AC motors.
Now we are watching as more fleets
are making the move to lithium from
the lead acid technology that we have
spent over two decades coming to
understand. This transition drives
changes to both engineering and
design due to performance advantages.
Where some systems had rapid
energy capture and discharge, or
extra battery capacity designed into
them for lead acid they may be able
to reduce capacity and complexity by
swapping the battery type to lithium.
New technology such as lithium
batteries do bring advantages, but it
also comes with a need for possible
change in infrastructure, training
and operational processes. In the end
eGSE seems to be driving some additional
upfront cost due to the need
to support it such as infrastructure
but in the end, it is cheaper to operate,
more reliable, and healthier for
the operators.
34 || Ground Support Worldwide || October 2024
Job Title: Director of Sales /
Marketing
Company: Wollard International
Years in Ground Support
Industry: 25
Years with Current Company: 1.5
Previous Employers:
United State Marine Corps,
Swissport USA, Somerset Capital,
Virgin Galactic, Webasto Charging
Solutions, Green Cubes Technology
GSW: How have you seen the
ground support industry change
the most during your career?
JC: The change from internal combustion
motors to electric has been the
largest change across the industry.
During my time at JFK, almost all
our engines had little to no emission
controls, and now we are just a short
time away from having zero emission
ramps. This can only be made possible
by GSE manufacturers making
equipment that can take the place of
the internal combustion equivalents,
airport infrastructure investments
and the adaptation of new technology
by the GSE community.
This article was edited for
length. Read the entire
interview at:
AviationPros.com/55134410
http://www.AviationPros.com/55134410
october2024

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