# trucks taxiing with planes.  ?????

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 30, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216 "2020-01-30T13:28:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216/1 "2020-01-30T13:28:23Z")

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[Video here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6qCUC44Kbc)

Summary: video shows seven Blue Angels aircraft (they always bring a spare) taxiing out for takeoff from Logan International, with a C-130 bringing up the rear. The odd thing is that there are a couple of pickup trucks between the Blues and the C-130. Why are those trucks there?

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**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216/2 "2020-01-30T13:50:22Z")

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maybe looking for debris on the runway

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**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216/3 "2020-01-30T14:44:14Z")

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Nah. FOD check would be worthless behind the aircraft. My guess is that the blue truck is just a photographer, and the other vehicles are ground escort and security vehicles making sure the blue truck doesn’t go the wrong way or travel off the approved taxiway. In yhe middle of the video, someone asks if it is okay to remain in position to take pictures. I’m pretty sure its them making the request.

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216/4 "2020-01-30T14:52:41Z")

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I just had to post this - The Red Arrows in New York last year:

[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mTxiJwFLljk/hqdefault.jpg "Red Arrows - Rare Rolling Show Takeoff to Landing! - Filmed during the USA Tour") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTxiJwFLljk)

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**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trucks-taxiing-with-planes/847216/5 "2020-01-30T20:30:50Z")

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> [@Bear\_Nenno](#):
>
> Nah. FOD check would be worthless behind the aircraft.

True, but there’s times where FOD is reported in other locations, and the available truck needs to navigate through ground traffic to get there. So ground control could give them an instruction like “follow the Lufthansa 777 on taxiway Bravo to intersection Kilo-Echo and look for FOD next to runway 31L.” Not saying that’s the case here, but they certainly do mix work trucks and other service vehicles with airliners that need to get around the airfield.