Winter is here, so Gatwick is training ‘polar bears’ and ‘yetis’

The number of words that the Eskimo language has for “snow” is hotly disputed. But at London Gatwick airport, says aerodrome trainer Fred Bigsby, the unwelcome wintry visitor is classified into exactly “seven snow states”.

The climatic calibration ranges from “Met Office forecast snow in the next seven days but not expected to accumulate; no disruption to the operation of the airfield predicted” to “Snow is falling and accumulating in sufficient amounts to cause disruption”.

Or, in Fred’s words, from “No, we’re fine,” to “Yes, we’re going to have to close the runway at this point”.

We are already well into winter. Each year, the coldest season officially begins on Planet Aviation on the final Sunday of October, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Deep midwinter is still six weeks away. But you may recall some of the chilling failures to cope with adverse meteorology by airports in the UK.

Severe weather shut both Heathrow and Gatwick shortly before Christmas 2010. Since then, both airports have created detailed “snow plans” to deal with the worst the winter can throw at the UK’s busiest hubs.

“At Snowfall T-4 hours, a conference call will be held by the Airside Tactical Team,” says the Heathrow plan.

If the snow gets heavy: “Each runway will be suspended in succession to facilitate clearance and treatment.”

At Heathrow, landings and take-offs can continue on the other runway – a luxury that Gatwick does not have.

According to chief operating officer of the Sussex airport, Mark Johnston, Gatwick has “the most efficient runway in the world”.

But extracting an implausible amount of capacity from the single Tarmac strip while the elements are against you requires deep preparation.

Fred is working with a group of volunteers on a southern taxiway at the Sussex airport. It has been closed while they practice manoeuvres in bright yellow Multihog vehicles. They are used to clear snow and ice from aircraft stands so ground handlers can safely work and aircraft can get in and out.

By design, they are distant third cousins of the common tractor – with the genetic modification of being articulated in the middle.

At the front: a snow plough and a brush (the latter helps get rid of slush).

On the back: a tank of de-icing fluid.

The volunteers are…