What Panel Is This? — Tech Ops Forum

Sponsor Message:


My Starred Topics \| Profile \| New Topic \| Forum Index \| Help \| Search

What Panel Is This?

UltimateDelta From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 1993 posts, RR: 6
Posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 2567 times:

Hi, everyone. Just a few days ago, I was in Atlanta and in a picture I took of a 767 taking off, I noticed a small panel that stuck out from the fuselage above the windows near the wing. Here is a cropped photo. Does anyone know what this is here for? Thanks for any info you have.

Big version: Width: 416 Height: 314 File size: 28kb

Fuselage panel, N180DN

Midwest Airlines- 1984-2010

14 replies: All unread, jump to last

Futurecaptain From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 1, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 2556 times:

Chemtrail generator. And now that you found it the men in black suits are going to come haul you away.

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 2, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 2542 times:

Looks like a sheet metal repair doubler

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

474218 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 6340 posts, RR: 10
Reply 3, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 2526 times:

Quoting EMBQA (Reply 2):
Looks like a sheet metal repair doubler

I agree, you can see the first layer (thinner layer) next to the skin and the second (thicker layer) on top.

ZANL188 From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 3248 posts, RR: 0
Reply 4, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 2516 times:

Support Airliners.net - become a First Class Member!

Quoting 474218 (Reply 3):
Quoting EMBQA (Reply 2):
Looks like a sheet metal repair doubler

I agree, you can see the first layer (thinner layer) next to the skin and the second (thicker layer) on top.

Whatever it is appears on the left side of this aircraft too... and from what I see in the photo database it looks to have been there for a while...

edit: Further checking of the photo database reveals a number of Deltas 767-300s have this feature. I'll guess it's some sort of sat antenna. Perhaps offset to the side of the fuselage to improve the view of the sat during turns.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Gerry Hill - WorldAirImages

[Edited 2008-05-13 17:25:05]

[Edited 2008-05-13 17:26:19]

Legal considerations provided by: Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe

474218 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 6340 posts, RR: 10
Reply 5, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 2470 times:

ZANL188:

I checked the photo's too and did see it on several 767-300. I can the doubler and something on top but now I have no idea.

Sfomb67 From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 417 posts, RR: 0
Reply 6, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 2402 times:

It's a radio antenna. Satcom I believe. We had trouble with them a few years ago , the mounting screws that went into pocket nutplates were too long and pushed the nutplates loose in the fuselage.

[Edited 2008-05-13 22:46:04]

Not as easy as originally perceived

DALMD88 From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 2365 posts, RR: 15
Reply 7, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 2379 times:

Quoting Sfomb67 (Reply 6):
It's a radio antenna. Satcom I believe

Correct, it is a SatCom antenna. Each plane has on on each side. The SatCom satellites are in geosyn orbits over the equator so by putting one on each side there is always one antenna facing the sat while the airplane crosses the North Atlantic. This system is pretty much required to fly these routes now. Planes that are equipped with SatCom and GPS/IRU can fly with less separation on the NATL tracks than those that use the old HF and only IRU set up.

Francoflier From France, joined Oct 2001, 3195 posts, RR: 10
Reply 8, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 2341 times:

It looks like a band-aid... Smile

Quoting DALMD88 (Reply 7):
Correct, it is a SatCom antenna. Each plane has on on each side. The SatCom satellites are in geosyn orbits over the equator so by putting one on each side there is always one antenna facing the sat while the airplane crosses the North Atlantic

I would have thought the 767-300 came equipped with those out the factory... Was it an option back then?

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit posting...

Boeing767mech From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 992 posts, RR: 3
Reply 9, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 2175 times:

Quoting DALMD88 (Reply 7):
Correct, it is a SatCom antenna. Each plane has on on each side.

Interesting configuration for the satcom antenna's. Our fleet has the turtle shell type of satcom antenna's. I never knew there was two different types.

David

Never under-estimate the predictably of stupidty

AAH732UAL From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 10, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 2166 times:

Quoting Francoflier (Reply 8):
I would have thought the 767-300 came equipped with those out the factory... Was it an option back then?

Simple, b/c things change over time and the 767 is old but great technology. Like when most 767s and prolly this 767 came out, datalink was just a twinkle in someones eye. Now Datalink/Satcom are the norm on most any airplane going into non-radar or HF areas.

Just like the FMC's can/have be updated w/ the option of GPS MMR and etc. Things change overtime ALL the time.

Like back in the early days of the 767-200 I think the plane had to be flown in raw data in the terminal area for ILS or NPA(Non-percesion approach). Now only the PNF has to watch RAW data at the FAF on in if the procdure is LSKable or from the IAF if the approach has been built by hand on a NPA only while for ILS both pilots can be in MAP.

Examples like that are the reason this feature was not factory fresh.

I mean WAAS is the next big thing and only the 787 and A380 can get WAAS/LPV fresh out of the factory and I say that b/c in a few years there will be a lot of new "PATCHS" showing up on airplanes when this stuff starts to really become the norm in commercial aviation.

[Edited 2008-05-14 14:02:38]

Sfomb67 From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 417 posts, RR: 0
Reply 11, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2140 times:

Quoting Francoflier (Reply 8):
would have thought the 767-300 came equipped with those out the factory... Was it an option back then?

i'm sure it was BACO installed on the -300's, -200's didn't have it. Probably an option that was ordered.

Not as easy as originally perceived

474218 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 6340 posts, RR: 10
Reply 12, posted (5 years 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 2123 times:

If you check the photo data base the panel seems to only be on the international airframes.

Dl_mech From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 1761 posts, RR: 10
Reply 13, posted (5 years 1 week 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1994 times:

Quoting Boeing767mech (Reply 9):
Our fleet has the turtle shell type of satcom antenna's.

DL has the turtle shell on 777's and 764's.

The flat plate Satcom antennas are on most 767ER's (not 1701-1708) and were on some former A-310's (035-043) MD-11's and one L-1011

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!