Aircraft storage question.

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lambo17841
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Location: Seaford,East Sussex

Aircraft storage question.

Post by lambo17841 »

We are advised to start our car engines once a week and possibly move the vehicle to prevent it seizing up.
A airliner may be different but with nearly 600 parked up in the uk alone and could be for at least 6 months or more,do they have to be started up now and again and possibly moved although the way they are parked at somewhere like Southend or Gatwick from aerial shots would not be easy,?

Do pilots have to have so many hours flying to keep their licence up to date,to even just using a simulator would be difficult with the numbers involved or is that wavered at the moment?

John in Seaford

farnboroughrob
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by farnboroughrob »

I think crew currencey will be the biggest issue, but that just requires the waiving of rules. I could see some training sorties in the coming weeks to keep the senior pilots current so they can check others when the time comes? I guess aircraft could be left for a several weeks, I am sure the airlines have maintenance plans.

cg_341
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by cg_341 »

Most crew currently flights can be done in simulators.

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ted633
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by ted633 »

Aircraft can be parked up for up to a week with no issues. Some of the aircraft you see parked up will be rotated with ones that are still flying so they are not stored for too long at one time.
Short-term storage will involve starting the engines, running the air con packs and other systems, jacking the axles up and rotating the wheels etc. Usually once a week.
Long term storage will involve blanking off the intakes/exhausts and other openings, pitot probes will be blanked. The engines may also have there oil replaced with inhibiting oil to help preserve, although this is only for very long term storage.

lambo17841
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Location: Seaford,East Sussex

Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by lambo17841 »

Thanks for info

John

Occam
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Occam »

On a related topic: On FR24 there have been quite a few BA aircraft flown from LHR-Bournemouth via a turnpoint in the vicinity of Glasgow; also saw a Virgin aircraft doing something similar, though I didn't see where it ended up. Anyone know why?

Big Eric
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Big Eric »

Occam wrote:On a related topic: On FR24 there have been quite a few BA aircraft flown from LHR-Bournemouth via a turnpoint in the vicinity of Glasgow


What makes you say that? :dizzy:

ozplane
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by ozplane »

In the case of light aircraft with Lycoming engines, their recommendation is a minimum of a 30 minute flight every 30 days to prevent corrosion developing. No chance at the moment with the lockdown going on.

bizfreeq
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by bizfreeq »

Occam wrote:On a related topic: On FR24 there have been quite a few BA aircraft flown from LHR-Bournemouth via a turnpoint in the vicinity of Glasgow; also saw a Virgin aircraft doing something similar, though I didn't see where it ended up. Anyone know why?


All of the BA aircraft from LHR to Bournemouth came straight here. None went via Glasgow.

Three Virgin A340-600s were in storage at Prestwick and these were moved down to Bournemouth for disposal.

Occam
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Occam »

bizfreeq wrote:All of the BA aircraft from LHR to Bournemouth came straight here. None went via Glasgow.

I don't mean they landed at Glasgow. Can't find any examples now, but check out this Virgin flight on Tuesday:
https://www.flightradar24.com/2020-03-3 ... T/244cea86
LHR-LHR via a turnpoint near Glasgow.

cg_341
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by cg_341 »

Training/currency flight and nothing to do with storage at Bournemouth or otherwise.

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maltwoser
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by maltwoser »

Aircraft can be parked up for up to a week with no issues. Some of the aircraft you see parked up will be rotated with ones that are still flying so they are not stored for too long at one time.
Short-term storage will involve starting the engines, running the air con packs and other systems, jacking the axles up and rotating the wheels etc. Usually once a week.
Long term storage will involve blanking off the intakes/exhausts and other openings, pitot probes will be blanked. The engines may also have there oil replaced with inhibiting oil to help preserve, although this is only for very long term storage.


Fuel systems are usually inhibited, oil systems drained. I'm not familiar with civil aircraft processes but a week doesn't seem to be a long time before anti-deterioration maintenance is required?

Brenden S
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Brenden S »

Piston -
Oil systems inhibited along with the pistons.
Fuel kept full due to drying out of hoses and o-rings and drained regularly due avgas loving water.

Turbines -
Oil - kept in tanks
Fuel - System inhibited with inhibiting fluid
descant material placed in the engine and taped up

Fuselage
Everything taped up and secured.
All points lubricated where possible

I could go into depth, however all manufacturer's give you storage for week, weeks, month, months, year etc and each one gives you different requirements. Last time I placed an aircraft into storage was a EMB120. Every 2 weeks we used to take all the covers and bungs out and gave it a ground run with engines at flight idle and functioning the feathering mechanism.

Stagger2
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Stagger2 »

An informative piece of info' 'Brenden S'. For clarity your reference to "descant" (a musical Term? :whistle: ) should read "desiccant" (a hygroscopic substance used as a drying agent.)
Error is probably courtesy of spellchecker, but easily edited? :wink:

Reds Rolling
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Reds Rolling »

Desiccant in the engines. What could go wrong? :lmao:

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maltwoser
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by maltwoser »

Thanks Brenden.

Brenden S
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Brenden S »

It has been a long week, thanks for correcting me.

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spellow3010
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by spellow3010 »

Occam wrote:
bizfreeq wrote:All of the BA aircraft from LHR to Bournemouth came straight here. None went via Glasgow.

I don't mean they landed at Glasgow. Can't find any examples now, but check out this Virgin flight on Tuesday:
https://www.flightradar24.com/2020-03-3 ... T/244cea86
LHR-LHR via a turnpoint near Glasgow.


Occam - I'll back you up on this, I saw a British Airways A320 on FR24 last week showing Heathrow to Bournemouth, and it passed over my head in Rugby heading north. So you are not lying :up: :smile:
Now officially qualifies as a 'regular' at Famous Dave's - El Centro

Big Eric
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Big Eric »

spellow3010 wrote:
Occam wrote:
bizfreeq wrote:All of the BA aircraft from LHR to Bournemouth came straight here. None went via Glasgow.

I don't mean they landed at Glasgow. Can't find any examples now, but check out this Virgin flight on Tuesday:
https://www.flightradar24.com/2020-03-3 ... T/244cea86
LHR-LHR via a turnpoint near Glasgow.


Occam - I'll back you up on this, I saw a British Airways A320 on FR24 last week showing Heathrow to Bournemouth, and it passed over my head in Rugby heading north. So you are not lying :up: :smile:


That's because FR24 etc. work by using the arrival airfield last used by that flight number.

cg_341
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by cg_341 »

Correct - hence the A380 heading to "Lima" that's actually going to Chateroux

bizfreeq
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by bizfreeq »

spellow3010 wrote:
Occam wrote:
bizfreeq wrote:All of the BA aircraft from LHR to Bournemouth came straight here. None went via Glasgow.

I don't mean they landed at Glasgow. Can't find any examples now, but check out this Virgin flight on Tuesday:
https://www.flightradar24.com/2020-03-3 ... T/244cea86
LHR-LHR via a turnpoint near Glasgow.


Occam - I'll back you up on this, I saw a British Airways A320 on FR24 last week showing Heathrow to Bournemouth, and it passed over my head in Rugby heading north. So you are not lying :up: :smile:

Just because FR24 showed LHR-BOH doesn't mean that is where they went. No Airbus went up into the north and then to BOH, those that showed incorrectly on FR24 went to Glasgow and stayed there.

Big Eric
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Big Eric »

Correct!

FR24 just presumed that the aircraft was going to the same destination that that particular flight number had gone to when that flight number was last used. BAW use blocks of 4-digit flight numbers that start with '9' for ferry flights and also for many repatriation flights so the destination showing on FR24 should usually be taken with a pinch of salt.

The Virgin flight in the link above was a training flight, hence the 'T' after the flight number.

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spellow3010
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by spellow3010 »

Fab.

So what I've learned is, FR24 tells lies and isn't worth the time and effort. Happy days.

<holds breath, shakes head, and walks away...>
Now officially qualifies as a 'regular' at Famous Dave's - El Centro

Big Eric
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Re: Aircraft storage question.

Post by Big Eric »

No, it doesn't 'tell lies'! :lol:

It just can't predict where airliners are going when they use non-standard flight numbers, it just uses the destination from it's database of where that flight number went to last time it was used.

I generally find FR24 to be at least 99% accurate.

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