Dropped off a friend at the airport in TPA recently and did some sightseeing from the top floor of the parking garage before leaving
It was almost dark but I could make out some equipment next to the right main landing gear of a Frontier A320, looked to me like they were changing a tyre but then I noticed a very bright light flickering intermittently in the wheel well area for about 15 minutes when it ended
Looked a lot like the kind of light you see associated with welding but I’ve never seen this kind of thing done on the ramp at a gate
Am I mistaken or is it possible some kind of welding repair was going on ?
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Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Normally, if something needs to be welded, it is removed from the aircraft.
I have no experience on the A320, but I can't imagine that there is anything in the wheel well that would have to be welded in-situ.
Without looking at the book, I'm pretty sure that Boeing considers wheel wells as enclosed spaces for classifying fuel leaks, so welding in there would be a no-no.
Really, there isn't a whole lot of welding involved in aircraft repair...certainly not at the line level.
I have no experience on the A320, but I can't imagine that there is anything in the wheel well that would have to be welded in-situ.
Without looking at the book, I'm pretty sure that Boeing considers wheel wells as enclosed spaces for classifying fuel leaks, so welding in there would be a no-no.
Really, there isn't a whole lot of welding involved in aircraft repair...certainly not at the line level.
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
fr8mech wrote:
Without looking at the book, I'm pretty sure that Boeing considers wheel wells as enclosed spaces for classifying fuel leaks, so welding in there would be a no-no.
Meant to add "I suspect Airbus also classifies the wheel well the same way".
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- LimaFoxTango
- Posts: 1207
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Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Max Q wrote:Dropped off a friend at the airport in TPA recently and did some sightseeing from the top floor of the parking garage before leaving
It was almost dark but I could make out some equipment next to the right main landing gear of a Frontier A320, looked to me like they were changing a tyre but then I noticed a very bright light flickering intermittently in the wheel well area for about 15 minutes when it ended
Looked a lot like the kind of light you see associated with welding but I’ve never seen this kind of thing done on the ramp at a gate
Am I mistaken or is it possible some kind of welding repair was going on ?
Given you said it was almost dark, I can almost bet it was more than likely a flashlight you saw. They have rather elaborate flashlights these days, not just the handheld ones. I'm not aware of any welding that takes place on an active aircraft.
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Max Q wrote:Dropped off a friend at the airport in TPA recently and did some sightseeing from the top floor of the parking garage before leaving
It was almost dark but I could make out some equipment next to the right main landing gear of a Frontier A320, looked to me like they were changing a tyre but then I noticed a very bright light flickering intermittently in the wheel well area for about 15 minutes when it ended
Looked a lot like the kind of light you see associated with welding but I’ve never seen this kind of thing done on the ramp at a gate
Am I mistaken or is it possible some kind of welding repair was going on ?
Maybe they had fans on to cool it down before changing with a LED work lamp.
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
The only welding I ever saw on the airplane was to fix a crack on a pack heat exchanger. That would be in a safe area to weld.
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- Redbellyguppy
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Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Almost certainly a LED headlamp.
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- flybaurlax
- Posts: 709
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Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
I can only speak for 737s, but welding is prohibited anywhere on the aircraft. The part has to be removed first, as fr8mech mentioned. Maybe you saw people just moving between you and the light?
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Hi Max Q,
I am almost certain that if any welding was required on the aircraft, it would have not been done at the gate. F9 does heavier maintenance at Airborne MRO on the other side of the runway. It is HIGHLY unlikely that any welding equipment would be available gate-side and the aircraft would be moved to the other side of the runway.
I am almost certain that if any welding was required on the aircraft, it would have not been done at the gate. F9 does heavier maintenance at Airborne MRO on the other side of the runway. It is HIGHLY unlikely that any welding equipment would be available gate-side and the aircraft would be moved to the other side of the runway.
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Any chance that it could have been a strobe to check for something vibrating/out of balance?
Fred
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Fred
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Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Yes, I’m really not sure what I saw, didn’t think welding would ever be done inside a gear well or indeed what would require such work
What was odd was the nature of the light I could see and it’s flickering, it looked like the kind of light that’s created with welding
Anyway, thanks for the informative replies
What was odd was the nature of the light I could see and it’s flickering, it looked like the kind of light that’s created with welding
Anyway, thanks for the informative replies
Re: Welding in the main gear well ?
Probably an LED Flashlight being moved around.
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