[tim60]

Gorilla tape is the best.


I don't even buy regular duct tape any more.


At that airplane place I work at there is way more than a hundred kinds of tape. They got tape for everything. Riveting. Marking the plane. Marking the tool(s). Marking the floor. Clear tape. Colored tape. Paper tape. Plastic tape. Tape with words or phrases repeating endlessly. Two sided onionskin tape. Two sided duct (more like gorilla tape) tape. Duct (again, more like gorilla tape) tape made to match the final color of the plane (remember, every plane is custom built to the customer's spec, including color). Scotch tape. Packaging tape, Impact tape. Teflon tape (I used to get rolls of this at Boeing surplus before they closed it, great stuff. Used it on certain parts of my race car to lube custom suspension pivots I made, among other things.) A tool that prints words, symbols and numbers on a strip of tape to mark tools, lockers, doors, locations for everything, even the fridge, microwave, table and chairs in the break rooms. Metal (aluminum, way thicker than the foil in your kitchen) tape. Rolls of round aluminum foil discs in many different diameters. Rolls of tape with a pattern and the repeating logo of each program, 747, 767, 787, 777, etc. The quality assurance inspectors have special tape in special colors to mark defects and discrepancies. Masking tape, in blue (the most common), green, orange, yellow, black (Really? I never!) Several types of cellophane tape, in colors, transparent like the colored plastic gels used in photography, only just a few mils thick.


And when the keys to the shiny new plane are handed over to the customer, there is not one bit of tape anywhere on it.


But gorilla tape is the best.


Like the helicopter tape my dad used to bring home in his lunchbox when he was in the US Navy.


Only his stuff was OD green.

In 2004 I was in CDG looking out the window at the AF 320 I was on. Duct tape on the flaps at the back of the wing. And the AF guy was reading the instruction manual for how to load the baggage while loading the baggage on the flights. At least the 320 was flying to Blagnac so the factory could do factory approved fixes on the duct taped bits.

---------- Post added 05-20-16 at 05:14 AM ----------

Fabric skin over a wood frame.


With dope.


Why do ya think they call it dope, anyway?







First, there are only two commercial airliners in production today that are (mostly) composite. The Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787. Soon the Boeing 777-9X will have composite wings.


Soon.


All of the other planes are mostly aluminum and titanium.


Highly specialized metal alloys, to be sure.




As for lightning strikes, well, adverse weather has always presented a threat to aircraft. But it wasn't until just before the Jet Age that the engineers developed methods to deal with lightning strikes in flight. There were a number of planes lost or severely damaged by lightning before measures to deal with strikes were developed.


Today's aircraft are built with systems to bond and ground the exterior and channel the enormous energy of lightning.

Have you seen the video of that. 747 out of Narita? Probably the occupants were unaware of the strike.

Planes are required to be rated for lightening strikes of 2000 Amps, 20 times the current of a small arc welder. Apparently there are some which suffered when stuck at 200,000 Amps. One of my students who retired from lightening protection for Boeing told me.

---------- Post added 05-20-16 at 05:27 AM ----------

Page 1776. Do you Americans recognise that number?

[Racer X 69]

In 2004 I was in CDG looking out the window at the AF 320 I was on. Duct tape on the flaps at the back of the wing. And the AF guy was reading the instruction manual for how to load the baggage while loading the baggage on the flights. At least the 320 was flying to Blagnac so the factory could do factory approved fixes on the duct taped bits.

Airbus.


On a wing and a prayer.

[Racer X 69]

Have you seen the video of that. 747 out of Narita?

I may have, I view lots of video. They may have shown us that at work during training or certification.

Probably the occupants were unaware of the strike.

I read a statistic about this once. Forget the number, but yes, most passengers rarely are aware of the goings on outside of their reach.

[Racer X 69]

Page 1776. Do you Americans recognise that number?

Independence Day.


Still a month and a half away.

[Racer X 69]

Hey...I'm loading up the gallery in that K1 Group.....how about prodding the others to help me out. It looks like the Rupert K1 Gallery.

I'll get right on that.


After work.

[Parallax]

I don't think some are even aware they are in a vehicle, much less driving it.

4 old ladies were on their way home from their weekly shopping trip when Gertrude (the driver) ran right through a red light. Nobody said anything, A few blocks later she went through another one. When she went through a third one one of the women shouted "Gertrude! That's the third red light you've run" Gertrude, quite startled, said "Oh my. Am I driving today?"

[Rupert]

[savoche]

Oich, I missed this one - means the summer is here when they start opening the mountain roads

You Tube

You Tube

[rod_grant]

52 posts to go! (well 51 now)

[savoche]

52 posts to go! (well 51 now)

54 now, I believe... We need to up our rate of BSing some more

[Parallax]

54 now, I believe... We need to up our rate of BSing some more

I don't think that's possible. We may be able to up the post rate, but I don't think we could come up with any more BS to fill them with.

[Rupert]

Oich, I missed this one - means the summer is here when they start opening the mountain roads

I pray....when I'm gone please, not a place like that. I do better in lots of heat. Otis is pretty certain I don't have to worry.....

I don't think that's possible. We may be able to up the post rate, but I don't think we could come up with any more BS to fill them with.

Oh yeah we can...we are Pros at it here! If anyone can toss a Hail Mary, we can!

Got a little note this morning from Otis......"How are our baby peppers doing?"

He suspects someone is reaping a bountiful harvest and keeping it all to themselves?

Regards!

[FantasticMrFox]

54 now, I believe... We need to up our rate of BSing some more

Not exactly BS, but I received an e-mail today that informed me that I have been accepted into an MSc in Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I might join you and Zoe in the north soon

[Parallax]

"How are our baby peppers doing?"

The first set seems to be doing well, but very slowly. I started a second plan a few days ago, but germination can take up to 30 days; especially here where it isn't really warm enough yet. The prefer a climate with a minimum temp of 75.

[savoche]

Not exactly BS, but I received an e-mail today that informed me that I have been accepted into an MSc in Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I might join you and Zoe in the north soon

Congrats I'm not quite that far north, though. And Zoe not that far south Well, when she's not at NUTS, that is.

(Yes, yes, I know they like to mix up the letters and call it NUST, but that's plain wrong!)