I've worked L1011 aircraft for three different major carriers, including one in the Middle East where we routinely had runway temps in the high 40 C's, for fifteen years, and only saw hot brakes once. Heartbeat? Hardly. Regards,
Jump to postFlyboy2001: Wait, wait, . . .I got it! I got it! The kid (wait, even better, a little boy and his cute kid sister) depressurizes a DC9, gets the aft pressure bulkhead door open, goes back on the catwalk (lot of suspensful music here, and sounds of air rushing by), hops into the tail cone, pulls the ...
Jump to postFlyInBack: Let me give you a little hint. Look at what's going on in aviation (decreasing wages, vanishing medical benefits, frozen retirements), then look at what's going on in the petroleum industry (starting wages that are higher than you'll ever make in aviation no matter how long you work, an i...
Jump to postFlight152: I was an Air Force F-4 crew chief for three years; I can tell you a bit about cartridge starts on those aircraft. Under the belly is an access panel just below the starter, which you open to access the breech. The pneumatic starter on each engine has a "breech," a cylinder about 6" in dia...
Jump to postMemphis: On the L1011, the rudder cables route from the crank arms under the cockpit floor rearward to the afterbody. From there they route up through the afterbody, around the S-duct to the quadrant located at approximately vertical fin station 145. As the cables move they turn the quadrant, which ...
Jump to postProbably the 1820's on a Lockheed Lodestar. The Lodestar was a fairly common executive transport back in the 60's. Then there was the J-33 in the Lockheed T-33, about the same vintage. Regards, <br><table align=center border=0 width=500><tr><td><center><font color="#EEEEEE" size="1" face="ARIAL, Hel...
Jump to posttg747-300: The vertical tape gauges were replaced with the EIDS system flat-panel LCD's quite a while back. Regards,
Jump to postTom: Prices vary widely depending on optional equipment, the quantity ordered, currency conversion rate, and the individual deal a company makes with the suppliers of the ground equipment. You might expect an <acronym title="Astoria - Regional (Port of Astoria) (AST), USA - Oregon">AST</acronym>-3 o...
Jump to postMike: Without seeing a picture, it sounds like you're describing a fuselage mockup that some airlines use for training their ground personnel to operate the baggage loading equipment and boarding bridges. When learning to drive and align a belt loader, can loader, or jet bridge, it's not always conv...
Jump to postAirbusA346: The vehicle you're seeing is indeed the new Goldhofer <acronym title="Astoria - Regional (Port of Astoria) (AST), USA - Oregon">AST</acronym>-1X 800. This is the prototype for their new line of tow tractors. Some details: It is 11 m long, 4.8 m wide, 1.6-2.2 m tall, weighs about 36,000 k...
Jump to postHAWK21M: The degree of difficulty in working in snow and cold is approximately the same as changing a fuel pump and fuel flow regulator on an <acronym title="Syrian Arab Airlines">RB</acronym>-211 at night in a howling monsoon while my two helpers (one Sikh, one Hindu), took the occasional fight bre...
Jump to postHotje: For the 747 classics: Body gear steering supplements nose gear steering for directional control during towing and taxiing of the aircraft. Body gear steering also reduces tire scrubbing when maneuvering on the ground. A switch, actuated by a cam that is mechanically driven from the nose gear ...
Jump to postLAXinYYZ: The designation "SR" is for the A320 aircraft that carry the slide/raft combination, 3201-3270. The other 8 have slides only. Regards,
Jump to postSafetyDude: Lorm's got it. Most of the 747's have some sort of fabric barrier device at the top of the stairs to keep smoke out of the upper deck. Nothing in any reference I have for any "metal panel" (except for the stair door on the freighters) on a 747 that could block the stairs. Early 747's had...
Jump to postBoeing767mech has it. Two pieces of stretchy fabric sewn to make sort of a sock to cover your shoes. We use them all the time. Regards,
Jump to postAirplay: I'm reading from the Crown Metro tech data sheet that came with the paint. It's from 1991, which I don't consider old according to aircraft standards. This livery lasted until a few years ago when we went to the new scheme. In fact, some of our aircraft still carry this paint job. The 24-F2...
Jump to postKYAir, Airplay, 7E72004: Ord's link is your best answer to the paint question. The Northwest 747 in this photo <br><center><font color="#EEEEEE" size="1" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva"><a href="/open.file/625285/L/" target="_blank">View Large</a> <a href="/open.file/625285/M/" target="_blank">View ...
Jump to postGoboeing: Some of the very first 747's did indeed have Skydrol in their struts. This was because the struts were connected to the ship's No. 1 and 4 hydraulic systems through a load leveling system. The load leveling system was designed to pump the struts up and down in order to keep the aircraft le...
Jump to postTakeOff: Then there was the 747 cabin crew that reported a constant vibration in the cabin ceiling near the R1 door. Troubleshooting by the flight engineer narrowed the noise down to the upper deck lavatory. Fearing something was amiss since the door was locked from the inside, the crew released the...
Jump to postDeskpilot: The body gear steering systems on the 747 classic and the -400 models are very much alike. The -400 has some additional automatic features, some additional sensing by the BSCU, and some EICAS messages. The mechanical function is very similar. After being enabled and armed, as the nose whe...
Jump to postA380900: Modern epoxy paints have a pretty good lifespan, but I'd say most airline aircraft will get painted somewhere between 5 and 10 years. And they get washed on the order of every 6 months. It's more of a "corporate image" issue than performance. Of course, as individual aircraft change owners,...
Jump to postCOAB767: The bridge on G19 is an older apron drive model, but certainly has the capacity to reach either the L1 or L2 door. It's fairly common to load 757's from the L2 door. Which door they use on a particular day for a particular flight can vary. Regards,
Jump to postIn February, 2002, China airlines had a 747 freighter that had a nose strut problem at Taipei, which resulted in strut collapse and also some problems with damage from an inproperly positioned tail jack. Does anyone have any more photos, or links, of this incident, beyond the three that appear here ...
Jump to postAguilo: If you look closely at this photo, <br><center><font color="#EEEEEE" size="1" face="ARIAL, Helvetica, Geneva"><a href="/open.file/198018/L/" target="_blank">View Large</a> <a href="/open.file/198018/M/" target="_blank">View Medium<br><IMG SRC="/photos/small/8/1/0/198018.jpg" ALT="Click here ...
Jump to postTiger119 and Ultrapig: You're asking a rather large question. But at least one operator as some of the following information. Aircraft can simply be parked with covers on for about 20 days. After that, they will be considered in "short term storage," which can last up to 180 days. They would probabl...
Jump to postCapterdi: As 747Skipper points out, the speed brake/spoiler system is fairly complex. I'll give you a quick rundown on what the 747-200 AMM says: The speed brake control system is used to increase drag and reduce lift in flight and on the ground. It consists of 12 spoiler panels numbered 1 through 1...
Jump to postJc5280: The 747 generally has the capacity of 330 gallons of potable water. This is held in three 110 gallon filament-wound fiberglass tanks attached to the forward side of the center section front spar (rear bulkhead of the forward baggage compartment). The water is moved from the tanks by pressuri...
Jump to postMhsieh: Most of the earlier 747-100, 200, and some 300 models had the familiar "probe" type <acronym title="Hapag-Lloyd (Germany)">HF</acronym> antenna and coupler mounted in each wingtip. Some 747-300's and all 400's that I can research have the <acronym title="Hapag-Lloyd (Germany)">HF</acronym> a...
Jump to postNorthseatiger: When I worked in the Middle East, we washed our 737 engines on an almost nightly basis, due to the amount of dust in the air. This was a compressor wash, performed by spraying deionized water down the inlet while motoring the engine. And about once a week each engine received a turbin...
Jump to postGo3Team: At one airport I worked in the Middle East, we had no underground hydrants. All fuel was delivered by truck. The local vendor used huge trucks of 85,000 liter capacity, usually 2 per 747. These trucks are roughly 3 times the size of the normal 8000 gallon 18-wheeler you see on the road in t...
Jump to postThrust: Some of those ol' boys that I worked with when we restored 37C having been taxiing Connies with the crew door open for about 50 years, <acronym title="Anderson - Regional (County) (AND / KAND), USA - South Carolina">AND</acronym> NONE <acronym title="Transports et Travaux Aériens de Madagasc...
Jump to post7574EVER: The device that you see dangling from the rear of aircraft under test is called the trailing cone pressure transducer. It is a device for obtaining "nearly free-stream static pressure." If you would like to read a lengthy treatise on the subject, find NASA Technical Memorandum 104316, "Air...
Jump to postBA777: A few years ago I was involved in painting 747's. If I remember correctly, from bare metal out, we figured about 60 gallons of primer (including catalyst), and 60 gallons of various colors (including catalyst), for a total of 120 gallons. The Crown Metro High Solids paint we used weighed abou...
Jump to postVC-10: If you will check the 747-100 -200 AMM, Chapter 06-10-00, page 217 gives this information: Zone 220, Figure 214. Control Cabin (also known as the control cab and cockpit). Fuselage interior upper deck cabin, Sta. 220-425, including the crew emergency exit hatch. This is followed by a second n...
Jump to postVC-10: You're saying the Crew Entry Service Door is forward of the <acronym title="Trans Air (USA)">P6</acronym> panel, and forward of station 405? That would put it somewhere outboard of the flight engineer's panel. You're right, I've never seen that configuration. Do you have a reference or pictur...
Jump to postAa757first: You better go with B747Skipper on this one. Some of these other answers have some bad info. First, the 100, 200 and <acronym title="SATA Air Azores (Portugal)">SP</acronym> have the small door on the right (and sometimes left) side of the upper deck. This is called the Crew Entry Service...
Jump to postAvioniker: "By the way, <acronym title="Northwest Airlines (USA)">NW</acronym> flies -40's, sorry." The Fleet Summary as of Jan. 01, 2004 lists 22 DC-10-30 aircraft in operation with the NWA fleet. There are no DC-10-40 aircraft listed in the operational fleet. There are two -40 aircraft, 1143 and 1...
Jump to postSafteyDude: Those are pressure relief panels. "Any attempt to pressurize the cabin when the door is not fully latched will overcome the spring load, cause the panels to open, and prevent pressurization." 747-400 AMM, 52-23-00, Pg. 1, Para. 3. Regards,
Jump to postUAL Bagsmasher: Try MIL-C-10382C or MIL-C-11796B. These are for petrolatum, another name for Petroleum Jelly. Search for petrolatum, lubricant, or corrosion inhibitor. Regards,
Jump to postMr. Spaceman: The rectangle inboard of the landing lights is actually a conditioned air outlet. The copper colored area is the temperature sensor. By closing the pneumatic isolation valve for the number 3 engine, and opening the pneumatic crossbleeds, cold conditioned air will flow through the pneum...
Jump to postWmupilot: The WOM (Winter Operations Manual) and the ASM (Aircraft Service Manual) give several conditions that apply to operations during cold weather. Aircraft need to be kept warm to prevent water systems from freezing. To answer your question, first, are enough heat carts available? If they are ...
Jump to postM404 and Everyone: As said, the <acronym title="Winona Municipal - Max Conrad Field (ONA), USA - Minnesota">ONA</acronym> DC-9's carried 4 bottles, 2 to a side, under the fairing aft of the wheelwells. Only the bulges where the nozzles were located were visible from the outside, and the bulges were ...
Jump to postPhatfarmlines: Been on Quantas a couple times when they sprayed the cabin prior to deplaning at Sydney. Regards,
Jump to postH. Simpson: The brakes are operated by depressing the tops of the rudder pedals, as said before. In this aircraft, the nosewheel steering is controlled by the "steering wheel," that you see in the picture. It is not called a tiller on this aircraft, see AMM 32-50-00, page 1 and Figure 1. The parking...
Jump to postCaptjetblast: The Pratt & Whitney customer training manual (page 2-11 and 2-78) says the JT-9D-7/A/F/J/R4 engine fan (called the first stage rotor by Pratt) produces 78% of total engine take-off thrust at sea level, standard day. Regards,
Jump to postTwistedwhisper: Stockroom computer says the wing mounted lamp for a 757 is a Q4559X, and is 600 watts. Regards,
Jump to postKYIPpilot and Wilcharl: I worked the A300 at Eastern in Miami in late 70's, early 80's. Don't remember any major structural problems with the aircraft that led to accidents. During D checks, we were finding areas of the skin laps that were disbonding, as they were glued together rather than being ri...
Jump to postBruce, On the 747 aircraft, for example, the windows are made of acrylic plastic. The entire window unit is made up of 3 layers. The outer pane is stretched acrylic, .35 thick. The middle pane is modified acrylic, .22 thick. These two panes make up the transparent portion of the window structure, an...
Jump to postCdfMxTech: Effectivity ALL, Revision October 28, 2003. Regards,
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