Queens wakes early, and in East Elmhurst the wake-up call is a jet climbing out over the Grand Central Parkway. Aero Snow Removal Corporation works the hours before that — blades down at three in the morning, salt going out in a fine arc across lots that have to be empty of snow before the first shift arrives. A storm here rarely falls politely; it comes in off the water heavy, packs down under tires, and turns to glass by daybreak. The work is plowing, snow hauling and ice control, and the measure of it is black pavement and a curb line you can actually see. By the time the borough is awake, the night's snow is somewhere else entirely.