I'm fairly new to this site - very interesting stuff.
I was listening to JFK Clearance/Ground the other night, a busy night with planes waiting to take off - like 40 lined up - and the controller was telling the pilots to go to a particular location on the airport and turn their engines off and wait for a 'heads up' from the tower as to when to start their engines.
The question - when a plane is at the gate and waiting to push back - I have been told that the plane is connected to a battery truck to provide the power needed to start the engines. How do they start their engines when there is no battery truck out on the field?
I hope I make myself clear.
Thanks.