by Hawkeye07 » Sun Jul 02, 2017 2:21 am
C wrote:Hawkeye07 wrote:As an A&P mechanic who has worked for a major airline I can tell you that the "missing" wing tip is NOT a "Cleared For Flight" type item or as referred to by the FAA, an MEL item
(MEL = Minimum Equipment List). And it would not be on any "outstanding repair" sort of list either.
Ok...
Care to explain then why the aircraft's been flying passengers around for over a month without the left wingtip? For info, the video below was shot in late May.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egrNVmfAIZANot that I know anything about aviation, or big aeroplanes, or anything technical.
First, let me correct myself... It's not the MEL the wing tip would be listed on but rather the "CDL" which is the
Configuration Deviation List.
When I worked at Northwest we had the first A330s based in Detroit and the CDL was very tight. The operator can use stricter parameters than the manufacturer but never more lenient. So missing wingtips were a no fly item at NWA.
Now I did some more research on Thomas Cook Airlines and they do indeed have a much "looser" CDL according to some stories I read (accuracy unknown). But I did run into some confusion regarding the length of time the wing tip was missing. Look at the two pictures below... supposedly the same aircraft was involved in the turn back and the hangar rash episodes. The registration number which was reportedly involved in the turn back is clearly shown on the blue A330. So the yellow aircraft came from where? The pictures don't have any dates on them but it does seem to me to call into question exactly which aircraft, if either, has been without a wing tip for 6 weeks? so how accurate is the info on how long it's been with out the wing tip? Beats me and I couldn't find a way to verify it. Any ideas?
An Aircraft Mechanic only needs two tools, Duct Tape and WD40.
If it moves and it's not supposed to - use the Duct Tape.
If it doesn't move and it's supposed to - use the WD40.
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