What am I looking at?
Posted by BizarroMax@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 54 comments
Hey pilots and aviation professionals. Just landed in St. Louis and for the first time noticed these digital signs facing the crew area. The timer is the middle is counting down. What’s it for? STL is a provisioning stop for this flight if that matters. What’s all this mean?
Leading_Candy_9506@reddit
Those are gate information displays. Southwest Airlines uses them and they’re larger cities. Baltimore, Chicago Midway, etc… They show their various stages that the aircraft turn is in. They’re designed to keep the Ramp Agents informed. If the gates not in use it often reads, “this gate is resting.”
A_Slavic_Inktoling@reddit
It’s a Ramp Information Display Screen or RIDS for short. These ones are specifically designed for Southwest Airlines (WN) and you can find this design at almost any one of our hubs. Still a work in progress though.
KCPilot17@reddit
Current flight on the top. Going to KLIT at 13:45, which is in 26 mins 17 seconds. Current time 13:18. Gate E4. Flight number 2261 and airplane N8662F.
The in inbound aircraft came from KJAX at 12:35.
cyanide_sunrise2002@reddit
I love little rock's airport code. I hear some pilots have trouble finding it.
Icy-Bar-9712@reddit
We have a municipal airport near us, 4 Oscar 4. I make jokes every time I go by it with students that we just cannot find that airport. About 10% of them get the joke.
realmcdonaldsbw@reddit
as a programmer and aviation nerd that is hilarious lol
Icy-Bar-9712@reddit
I had one student who was planning a cross country there and I deadpan looked at him and told him "good luck, you'll never find it" as a joke.
....he then went and made a new flight plan to another airport....
I didn't have the heart to explain the joke.
realmcdonaldsbw@reddit
lol, idk if just not telling him is horrible or amazing
Icy-Bar-9712@reddit
Why not both?
The kid went and put in a solid 30 minutes of work making a new vfr flight plan.
ItsLesurex2@reddit
He has the dedication
realmcdonaldsbw@reddit
fair enough
ItsLesurex2@reddit
Im the 10% then
noir_lord@reddit
Only the male ones.
hereforthegifs@reddit
It's LIT fam.
Ill see myself out.
Bad_Karma19@reddit
You should try to find Charlotte then.
psillyhobby@reddit
PNS to CLT
Gizmo993@reddit
The PSA special. Sometimes you go from CAK to CLT as well
mike-manley@reddit
Like a BOS
MoeSzyslakMonobrow@reddit
It doesn't exist.
Historical_Gur_3054@reddit
That's what she said!
HAZEEM184@reddit
👌😅
TwoDudesAtPPC@reddit
And there it is. Deciphered and understandable. Thank you!
airport-codes@reddit
I am a bot.
^(If you are the OP and this comment is inaccurate or unwanted, reply below with "bad bot" and it will be deleted.)
ItsLesurex2@reddit
good boy
IllustriousAd1591@reddit
That’s the RIDS, Ramp Information Display System. It’s mainly for the ground crew’s situational awareness, the flight about to depart is in the top left. The timer is just a countdown to departure time, with the actual time below it and current time top right. Looks like a SWA sign, but other airlines could use the same design.
Only-County-3868@reddit
Is the countdown to departure time or to pushbash?
Precisely_OnTime@reddit
The timer is counting down to the scheduled departure time. In a perfect world, the gate would be pulled back and the a/c would be at least calling for push at that time. When it goes past departure time it turns red and starts counting up. When the current flight has pushed it will display either "resting" or a timer for the next inbound flight.
IllustriousAd1591@reddit
Pushback
BizarroMax@reddit (OP)
Yep, Southwest terminal at STL. Thanks!
chrono_713@reddit
We got those at DEN as well. As ramp agent, they are super helpful. Whether I'm driving transfers to see what flight is going out for my bag drop or working the gate and keep an eye on how long till scheduled departure; they're incredibly handy
riinkratt@reddit
BIDS CIDS FIDS GIDS AND RIDS!
junebug172@reddit
SWA has them in PHX too. Probably the most informative RIDS I've ever seen.
AlmightyCrumbs@reddit
To add to the previous comments, it's common in Europe to also display your COBT (calculated off-blocks time) and CTOT (calculated take-off time). Eurocontrol issues these so you have a specific time slot to depart. If you miss that slot by 1 second you need to wait for a new one, which can take up to a couple of hours
Sasquatch-d@reddit
It wasn’t a provisioning stop, STL is a scheduled destination for that flight number.
BizarroMax@reddit (OP)
Well the crew said it was.
nrdb29@reddit
Flight 2261 to Little Rock is departing in 26 minutes 17 seconds at 13:45 from gate E4. It is currently 13:18 and the gate agents are boarding pax, 21/141 are on. The aircraft arrived flight 2217 from Jacksonville at 12:35.
OutrageousAd5252@reddit
It's called a RIDS, ramp information display system. There are a bunch of these in airports.
To name a few: FIDS flight information display system GIDS gate information display system BIDS baggage information display system
MileHigh_FlyGuy@reddit
It's likely a Visual Docking Guidance Systems (VDGS) when the aircraft is moving.
winkssaway_luv@reddit
Helpful: RIDS provides ramp information. FIDS, GIDS, BIDS exist too.
Knot_a_porn_acct@reddit
Yes, that’s generally what the words “ramp information” mean when used in that manner
ywgflyer@reddit
This is maybe the best one I've ever seen too.
PengPenguin888@reddit
This apparent RIDS is a Southwest Airlines thing.
Southwest
cboath@reddit
The Lit are leading the E4 2261 to 13:18. 26 minutes left in the game and 13 in the current period. Jax got his 4th boarding penalty and is serving 12:35 till he gets back in the game.
movemetal17@reddit
Saw these on Southwest at Dallas-Love recently. They look really nice & gotta be very helpful for all airline employees.
gavriellloken@reddit
That's gate E4 and its at -26 minutes u til departure going to Little Rock on flight 2261 aircraft n8662F
Inbound after is is flight2217 from jacksonville arriving at 1235
This is a little fancier than what my company uses but generally you read it right to left
Preposturous@reddit
Inbound 2217 JAX was the inbound flight this aircraft brought in (12:35 was the ETA, and "in-gate" is the current status)
These RIDS boards don't display the next inbound, only the next outbound flight number unfortunately.
gavriellloken@reddit
Oh thats different from ours than. They'll show the next up to 2 hours out
falcon5nz@reddit
I'm guessing the circles in the middle are for statuses i.e arriving, deplaning, cleaning, boarding, loading, departing? And bottom right is pax boarded vs total pax?
Preposturous@reddit
Correct. You have in-range, on ground, unloading, boarding, last PAX, and push
falcon5nz@reddit
Thanks for the explanation!
seanbmf@reddit
A Daktronics LED Galaxy board, manufactured in South Dakota.
Nate1102@reddit
I’m having trouble locating that KLIT waypoint.
Flyby-1000@reddit
That's a neat pilot flight information board. Lots of good info there...
HapsTilTaps@reddit
Can never find the KLIT