Aircraft crack repair

This is also well below the 90, landings the pickle forks are meant to be good for. The three grounded Qantas aircraft had completed an average of 23, landings. Following the discovery of the hairline cracks, the three aircraft were ferried to the Qantas heavy engineering base in Brisbane, Queensland, where they have remained since. According to a report by Robyn Ironside in The Australian late last week, each pickle fork replacement is set to take work hours.

Twelve Qantas engineers had to fly to the United States to learn how to make the repairs. A Qantas spokesperson told The Australian;.

And whilst Qantas does expect to see one of the grounded aircraft back in the air by Christmas, the other two aircraft will be cooling their wheels in Brisbane. Subsequently, there have been no issues with seat availability and schedules have not been adversely impacted. This is good news for travellers. But given the costs and complexity involved in replacing the cracked pickle forks, whether Qantas is so sanguine about the pickle fork matter behind closed doors at their Sydney HQ is another matter altogether.

Lead Journalist - Australasia - A Masters level education and appetite for travel combines to make Andrew an incredible aviation brain with decades of insight behind him. Once the edge distance lines are drawn, it's time to mark the location of each rivet.

The rule for rivet spacing is a minimum of 4 times the diameter of the rivet and a maximum of 12 times the diameter of the rivet. You'll also want to keep the spacing between each rivet the same. Just make sure you're within those limits. Next, drill pilot holes where the rivet makings are located with a small drill bit so it is possible to drill the holes to full size, without deformation of the aluminum sheet.

Secure the patch on the aircraft skin and drill pilot holes in the patch. Use the holes previously drilled in the skin as a guide. With the patch still secured to the aircraft skin, expand the holes to the proper diameter. Use clecos to make sure the patch does not move while drilling. Remove the patch from the aircraft skin and deburr all the holes both on the patch and on the aircraft skin.

Using the proper rivets, secure the patch to the aircraft skin. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Always wear eye and ear protection when using pneumatic drills, rivet guns and other potentially loud or dangerous tools. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. You Might Also Like How to.

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