pretty planes

For one thing, if it's on top of the wing, the ground crew can't see it. Another thing, this could have happened on this one flight. Since it's a video there is no context to know if it's an ongoing thing or it just now happened on this particular flight.

Yeah, I know its position, I can see that.

As a commercial pilot with over 36,000 hours and an A&P for over 40 years, this is NOT something that you worry about. Yes, the screw is loose, but there are a lot more on there to make sure that the panel doesn't come off. The panel doesn't need to be there for the plane to fly, it just hides what's underneath the panel and helps to smooth out the airflow - it doesn't affect the flying characteristics of the airplane at all.

No offence, but I don't need your curriculum vitae. I may not have your extensive hour count as a pilot or an A&P mechanic, but I've machined or worked on just about every aviation assembly or system you can probably think of. I get it. The panel is not going to fall off because of one screw. It doesn't effect the airflow over the wing. If the screw does come out fully it'll get taken away in the slipstream and unless it strikes part of the aircraft isn't going to do anything and even if it does it isn't going to do any real damage other than become FOD if it comes off in the landing or take-off phase.

I'm not trying to argue with you, it's part of my OCD concerning this sort of work. I've done more than my share of machining, installing, repairing and making blood sacrifices to the gods of machinists/mechanics everywhere. Doesn't matter whether its automotive, aviation or farm equipment. I've done it all.

That one screw, whether it's there or not is NOT going to make the plane fall out of the sky, or create an emergency.

Ya think?
 
For one thing, if it's on top of the wing, the ground crew can't see it. Another thing, this could have happened on this one flight. Since it's a video there is no context to know if it's an ongoing thing or it just now happened on this particular flight.

As a commercial pilot with over 36,000 hours and an A&P for over 40 years, this is NOT something that you worry about. Yes, the screw is loose, but there are a lot more on there to make sure that the panel doesn't come off. The panel doesn't need to be there for the plane to fly, it just hides what's underneath the panel and helps to smooth out the airflow - it doesn't affect the flying characteristics of the airplane at all.

That one screw, whether it's there or not is NOT going to make the plane fall out of the sky, or create an emergency.
uhhhhh - one tiny screw.
the wrong screw in the fuse of that southwest a few years ago?
top part peeled away part of the top like it was a can opener.

but - in the screw loose, I think you're right.
 
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My friend flies C-130s in the local air guard. He does a lot of refueling (both fixed and rotary) and forest fires. His unit just got the new "J" variant, the Super Hercules. He took me on a tour of the whole thing, inside and out. It is incredible that a plane originally designed in the 1950s is still so relevant and such an amazing piece of engineering.
 
My friend flies C-130s in the local air guard. He does a lot of refueling (both fixed and rotary) and forest fires. His unit just got the new "J" variant, the Super Hercules. He took me on a tour of the whole thing, inside and out. It is incredible that a plane originally designed in the 1950s is still so relevant and such an amazing piece of engineering.
They are impressive. I’ve been in them many times. What’s more impress is that they convert these into gunships. I’ve seen them first hand and it is a sight.

View attachment 2171129

On my way out, the marines had harvest hawks that shoot hellfire and Griffin missiles.
 
Yeah, I know its position, I can see that.



No offence, but I don't need your curriculum vitae. I may not have your extensive hour count as a pilot or an A&P mechanic, but I've machined or worked on just about every aviation assembly or system you can probably think of. I get it. The panel is not going to fall off because of one screw. It doesn't effect the airflow over the wing. If the screw does come out fully it'll get taken away in the slipstream and unless it strikes part of the aircraft isn't going to do anything and even if it does it isn't going to do any real damage other than become FOD if it comes off in the landing or take-off phase.

I'm not trying to argue with you, it's part of my OCD concerning this sort of work. I've done more than my share of machining, installing, repairing and making blood sacrifices to the gods of machinists/mechanics everywhere. Doesn't matter whether its automotive, aviation or farm equipment. I've done it all.



Ya think?
It may be 'just' a loose screw (or many) but Concorde was a sad victim of a piece of junk which fell off a jet onto the runway, because of poor maintenance and standards. I for one would be alarmed to see screws unwinding from 'my' plane in flight. I would be thinking "What else is coming undone?". I wouldn't fly with them again.
 
Enough guys! There are far more egregious things that mustn't be missed like covered pitot tubes, or even wasps therein, or missing bits of undercarriage. This would be found on the next A_Check, if not sooner. Things that make aircraft fall out of the sky are the things that a check would never find and they are damned rare. Time to desist please!
 
It’s so common the navy has a form. It really is called a TFOA. ”Things that fall of aircraft”
 
My father's friend flew an A-7 back in the earlier 80s.

View attachment 2171349


He would regale me with stories of landing at night and on pitching decks. I was completely taken in. Then movies like Iron Eagle and Top Gun came out and made me want to fly jets. I went to every air show within a two-hour radius of my house. I collected books and dreamed, took some lessons in a Cessna 150.

Then as a teen I learned I had a latent genetic issue that had no outward symptoms, but that prevents me from passing a pilot's physical. I had no idea I even had the problem.

I still have warm feelings recalling those stories about life flying jets for a living. But since nobody would let me fly for a living, I turned to cars...
 
My father's friend flew an A-7 back in the earlier 80s.

View attachment 2171349


He would regale me with stories of landing at night and on pitching decks. I was completely taken in. Then movies like Iron Eagle and Top Gun came out and made me want to fly jets. I went to every air show within a two-hour radius of my house. I collected books and dreamed, took some lessons in a Cessna 150.

Then as a teen I learned I had a latent genetic issue that had no outward symptoms, but that prevents me from passing a pilot's physical. I had no idea I even had the problem.

I still have warm feelings recalling those stories about life flying jets for a living. But since nobody would let me fly for a living, I turned to cars...
my cousin flew the F8 Crusader (Navy version of the A7) in Vietnam and ended being based at NAS Dallas. Ran into him there some weekend when I was a teenager (1970 something) and visiting the base. I was at the end of a hanger watching the planes & helicopters take off and started talking to the officer that was standing next to me. After several minutes into our conversation, we realized that we were cousins!! Of all the places to meet and what a coincidence!

I couldn't fly then as you had to have 20/20 uncorrected so I became a A&P (airframe & powerplant) mechanic so that I could still be around airplanes.

Later on in the late 80's I became a pilot and started flying for whoever would hire me - just like everybody else that was trying to make a living flying back then. Crappy planes, lots of bad weather, long days/nights, short rest breaks/mainly night flying - it was a hard way to make a living.

Eventually ended up flying commercially for a large airline but it was a long hard road to get there and many, many sacrifices were made along the way.
 
Yeah, I know its position, I can see that.



No offence, but I don't need your curriculum vitae. I may not have your extensive hour count as a pilot or an A&P mechanic, but I've machined or worked on just about every aviation assembly or system you can probably think of. I get it. The panel is not going to fall off because of one screw. It doesn't effect the airflow over the wing. If the screw does come out fully it'll get taken away in the slipstream and unless it strikes part of the aircraft isn't going to do anything and even if it does it isn't going to do any real damage other than become FOD if it comes off in the landing or take-off phase.

I'm not trying to argue with you, it's part of my OCD concerning this sort of work. I've done more than my share of machining, installing, repairing and making blood sacrifices to the gods of machinists/mechanics everywhere. Doesn't matter whether its automotive, aviation or farm equipment. I've done it all.



Ya think?
First of all, it wasn't directed specifically at YOU, so quit taking things so personally. I was trying to educate everyone else that is NOT associated with airplanes and therefore they don't know high tightly they are governed by the FAA.

This was NOT a conversation that was just between you and me, so just chill out. I was explaining to EVERYONE else, and adding my experience to the conversation so that EVERYONE else would know that I had some knowledge of the situation and wasn't just talking BS.
 
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