When a passenger aircraft is converted to a freighter, usually, a part of the fuselage is cut out to make way for the large cargo door.
No here's my question: Is that part, which is cut out, used to build the cargo door ? Or is it completely new ?
Thanks in advance.
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
The majority of cargo conversions use a new purpose door. The door has to have hinges, latch mechanisms, viewing port windows and blow out doors in addition to having to match the new door surround structure. So it is much easier to build a new door than try to modify a section of fuselage.
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
Disagree. The frieghter conversions I've worked with have used the existing cut-out for the new door.
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
| Quoting Fr8mech (Reply 2): The frieghter conversions I've worked with have used the existing cut-out for the new door. |
Well, then it must go both ways. I know of several schools that get the cut out fuse skin sections given to them for their students to work on. The old skins aren't needed as the new door assembly is an all-new, pre-built piece.
But, it doesn't surprise me that some conversions would make use of the existing structure. In fact, before I learned of the donations, I thought that's how it was done.
"Simplicate and add lightness." - Ed Heinemann
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- greasespot
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
AEI used the skin to make the door for our B727-200 Combi..
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
I've seen in photographs of ex-BA B-757's going to Boeing Wichita to be converted to freighters. During the conversion, an entire fuselage section aft of the cockpit, forward of the wing is cut out, and replaced with an entirely new piece of fuselage with a cargo door installed.
I believe it was in an Airliners Magazine article once.
I believe it was in an Airliners Magazine article once.
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
Oh yes....I would pay good money to be the one wielding the saw that cuts out the cargo door panel 
! Savagely and brutally cutting into the fuselage of an aircraft with a big power tool goes completely against all that I have learned with respect to being an aircraft mechanic.
! Savagely and brutally cutting into the fuselage of an aircraft with a big power tool goes completely against all that I have learned with respect to being an aircraft mechanic.JetMech split the back of his pants. He can feel the wind in his hair 
.
.RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
Here we go.
http://www.boeingiplicensing.com/lib...1007.0&CFID=759442&CFTOKEN=4018677
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/...release/photo_release_000731a.html
[edit: found better photographs]
[Edited 2006-10-15 16:26:23]
| Quote: Boeing: The first 757-200 passenger-to-freighter conversion is performed at the Boeing Airplane Services’ Wichita Modification Center. A section of the 757-200 fuselage is removed and will be replaced with a 20-foot-by-22- foot cargo door surround structure. |
http://www.boeingiplicensing.com/lib...1007.0&CFID=759442&CFTOKEN=4018677
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/...release/photo_release_000731a.html
[edit: found better photographs]
[Edited 2006-10-15 16:26:23]
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
This appears to be a new production door as I don't see any window plugs!
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Photo © Steve Albrecht
Photo © Steve Albrecht
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- SkydrolBoy
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
On the AEI 727 cargo door installation, the door entirely built from inside the a/c. The fuselage is strengthened as required and structure added. And finally once all the work is complete the sheet metals guys cut around the strengthened area and voila you now have a cargo door in your a/c. Technically you should be able to swap the doors between a/c if required as they are built to specification but in reality cause they are each hand built for each airframe they never seem to fit if you try and swap them. I've only tried once and after two days of tinkering the bosses ended up finally deciding to fix the damaged door we were trying to replace.
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
The Flight Structures 747 and A300 conversions both use new cargo door structure.
Slightly OT - Engineers that can design cargo door latching mechanisms are a dying breed.
Tod
Slightly OT - Engineers that can design cargo door latching mechanisms are a dying breed.
Tod
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- airbusA346
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RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
Tom Walker '086' First Officer of a A318/A319 for Air Lambert - Hours Flown: 17 hour 05 minutes (last updated 24/12/05).
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
Funny enough, we've done 727 conversions and used the cut-out to make the new door. Must be something to do with the strength of the original material?
RE: Production Of Large Cargo Doors
| Quoting Saintsman (Reply 12): Must be something to do with the strength of the original material? |
On the ones I've seen, two factors are involved.
The old fuselage structure such as frames and stringers are located such that it doesn't facilitate the installation of the latching mechanism, hinges, lifting actuators, etc.
The other is the impact on the mod schedule that would happen when you don't start to built the door until after the salvaged portion of the fuselage is removed from the aircraft.
Tod
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