Seattle wood on every Boeing airplane?

[TR4A]

I heard somewhere that the 727's tail skid was wood? Or was I told wrong?....​

No all metal.

The 727 fuel jettison panel has three wood blocks on the back of the door so you can not close it when the switches are in the open position.

 

[A Squared]

I wouldn't recommend mixing a cocktail out of the contents of your compass. "whiskey" compasses are actually filled with a petroleum distillate very similar to kerosene. In fact, if you used kerosesne, it would probably work fairly well, but the white markings of your compass would turn yellow. I don't know that alcohol has ever been used for an aviation compass. Alcohol has a fairly high vapor pressure which would make less desirable for fluid in a conpass which would be operating in low atmospheric pressures.

Link to Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for compass fluid: http://www.setonresourcecenter.com/msds/docs/wcd00004/wcd00445.htm

As far as the "WC ball" being a bean, you've lost me. If WC means "whiskey compass", the compass doesn't have a ball, or any part which resembles a bean. I've repaired them a couple of times and there's nothing like that in there. If you're referring to the ball in the slip/skid indicator, that according to the FAA's Instrument Flying Handbook, is a "black agate or a common steel ball bearing"

 

[Swass]

Now you've gone and taken the fun out of this.Oh well, better to have the truth than fairy tales.

 

[Lead Sled]

Where is there fabric on the CRJ? No, not the seats, silly!

I would guess that there is some fabric used in the water separator sock in the air cycle machine.

Lead Sled

 

[mar]

Like I said....

Now you've gone and taken the fun out of this.Oh well, better to have the truth than fairy tales.

...this would be a lot more fun if we were playing for beers.

So I guess Asquared is buying the beers....you know, since he's insisting on being 'literal' and everything.

 

[Groundpounder]

I would guess that there is some fabric used in the water separator sock in the air cycle machine.

Lead Sled

Not sure about that, but the fabric I am thinking about is on a control surface. Thought this was an urban myth, but I checked it out for myself once.

 

[A Squared]

Fabric on a CRJ control surface? No kidding. I would never have guessed that. You mean fabric, as in cloth? Like a cub? (Or a DC-6 rudder) Not composites, which are generally (not always) some form of woven fiber cloth like glass, Kevlar, carbon, etc inpregnated with a plastic resin.



"....since he's insisting on being 'literal' and everything." That's what you get for not letting me play your DC-6 trivia game.

Speaking of which, what part of the DC-6 is constructed out of titanium?

 

[Groundpounder]

Fabric on a CRJ control surface? No kidding. I would never have guessed that. You mean fabric, as in cloth? Like a cub? (Or a DC-6 rudder) Not composites, which are generally (not always) some form of woven fiber cloth like glass, Kevlar, carbon, etc inpregnated with a plastic resin.



"....since he's insisting on being 'literal' and everything." That's what you get for not letting me play your DC-6 trivia game.

Speaking of which, what part of the DC-6 is constructed out of titanium?

Well, it was called fabric, and looked like fabric, i.e. what a cub is covered in. I will post the answer sometime tonight if no one comes up with it.

 

[Lead Sled]

Fabric on a CRJ control surface? No kidding. I would never have guessed that. You mean fabric, as in cloth? Like a cub? Or a DC-6 rudder?

A few years ago I did a double take when I walked past a Dornier 228 twin turboprop and noticed that it had a fabric (a la Piper Super Cub) covering on its rudder. (I think it was the rudder, could have been the elevators though.)

 

[Groundpounder]

OK, here is the answer. On the bottom of the rudder on a CRJ, there is an inspection hole that is covered in fabric. In the event that the inside of the rudder needs to be inspected, the fabric is cut away.

I heard that from an ACA pilot who was asked that by the check airman during his oral exam. I also looked an a CRJ rudder that was removed from the aircraft, and confimed what I heard.

 

[mar]

Another WAG...

...what part of the DC-6 is constructed out of titanium?

The cup holders? Just kidding.

Obviously if you use titanium you're looking for maximum strength and minimum weight. I'm gonna guess the 9G bulkhead...?

How'd I do?

A fabric covered inspection cover on the CRJ--very clever! And another big weight savings, I'm sure.

 

[A Squared]

The cup holders?

Cup holders? You had cup holders? Bloody luxury !!!

Obviously if you use titanium you're looking for maximum strength and minimum weight. I'm gonna guess the 9G bulkhead...?

Nope, I've been told (but haven't confirmend) that the flame chutes on the outboard sides of the engine cowlings are titanium. I've also herard, but haven't confirmed, that it was the first use of titanium on a commercially produced aircraft.

 

[mar]

I'll be darned.

There's titanium under all that carbon? I never would've thunk it.

 

[Ted Striker]

wow!

This is quite awesome, I am going to have to check out the CRJ thing when I get back to work. Anyone hear anything official from Boeing?

 

[TrafficInSight]

Boeing's response was a halfhearted "I cannot find anything to confirm that."

 

[mar]

Dammit

Thanks for checking anyway.

I suppose we could continue an informal investigation.

We already know where the wood is on the 747 and 737.

All of you 707, 717, 727, 757, 767 and 777 pilots now have a mission: Find The Wood.

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