<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BizJet:
Looking out my window, it appears that AirTran uses reverse thrusters to “powerback.” While this saves the time of having to use a tug, I thought it was determined unsafe because it could suck things (and people) into the engines? I noticed the “wingwalkers” would stand with their back to the aircraft they are directing. Why’s that?
</font>
Reverse thrust powerback is approved for aircraft who have engines mounted on the rear fuselage or tailplane. There is sufficient clearance between the
engine and the ground to prevent FOD from being ingested.
The true purpose of wingwalkers (apart from union featherbedding) is supposed to be to ensure that there is sufficient clearance for the aircraft from other equipment. It stands to reason that the best way to check this would be to face OUTWARD towards the other equipment, rather than towards the aircraft fuselage.