Thomson 757 @ ACE

[El Grifo]

Didn't quite know where exactly to post this so I tried here !!

There has been a 757 in Thomson livery parked at the northern end of the apron at Arrecife for several days now.

We rarely have anything parked overnight, never mind for days on end. One can only assume it has gone tech bigstyle.

Anyone able to throw any light on the subject ??

[Halcyon Days]

Serious skin damage by a ground vehicle a while back.

[El Grifo]

Right halcyon, that explains it.

It does seem to have been sitting there for a while, which indicated a fairly serious prob.

How do they go about repairing that in such a remote location.

[Halcyon Days]

Depends on whats been damaged internally-such as any loss of structural integrity-ie ribs/stringers/wiring/hydraulics etc.
If it was a straight forward hole in the pressure hull it could have been temporarily patched over and flown back unpressurised (ie lower level).
It obvisously more involved than that though-so they have probably had to refer it to Boeing for an approved fix. This might mean having to wait for Boeing to produce drawings and fabricate replacement parts etc.

[GrahamK]

Damaged on ground whilst operating from/to Newcastle I believe

[El Grifo]

I must go along and give it the once over. See if anything is visible.

edited to add :-

Just had word that a catering truck piled into the undercarriage.
Boeing has had a look, and reckons it can be patched up and flown home for repairs. :{ :{

[boeing_eng]

G-BYAD has been temp repaired to allow an unpressurised ferry flight.

However, it will remain at ACE until December (cheaper parking)when the skin change and associated permanent repair can be incorporated into a "C" check

BE