View Full Version : Sentry to the Skies
shawshank
2nd Sep 2009, 16:23
Today, ZH106 an E-3D Sentry AEW Mk1 of the RAF flew for the first time since the airframe suffered significant damage in Jan 07 when a towing rig jumped its chocks during a storm and collided with the aircraft. The repairs, costing around £3 million, have involved many different organisations worldwide.
A big 'well done' to all those involved in the repair process. Top job :ok::D
Target Lock: E-3 Sentry : Service: Royal Air Force (http://www.targetlock.org.uk/sentry/service_raf.html)
see half way down the page for details of damage.
Mackay
2nd Sep 2009, 17:37
RAF - Sentry (http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/sentry.cfm)
Airborne Early Warning and Control
Wensleydale
2nd Sep 2009, 17:54
I think he means a Sentry AEW Mk1. We don't have release to service for an AEW&C Mk1!
Pure Pursuit
2nd Sep 2009, 19:31
They sound like a crack bunch of engineers.
My driver's window on my car is playing up and struggles to wind down fully. If I drop it off over at 8 Sqn, is there any chance..?
Melchett01
2nd Sep 2009, 20:19
Yes - as long as you don't mind waiting a couple of years and coughing up a few million :E
brit bus driver
2nd Sep 2009, 23:33
Was it fixed by the same top bunch of engineers that came up with the bright idea of building a 'towing dummy' out of girders and then failing to secure it during a particularly breezy day, thereby causing damage to 2 Sentrys?
Just wondered?
Pure Pursuit
3rd Sep 2009, 10:07
on second thoughts, I'll take the car to Kwik Fit.
Radley
3rd Sep 2009, 11:31
All it needs now is a job to do 2 3 4 5
Well soneone had to say it :)
Northrop Grumman?? In my day (a year or two ago admittedly) 71 M.U. would have done it :ok:...where are they now?
philrigger
3rd Sep 2009, 15:28
71 MU BICESTER :)
Now Those Were The Days !
barnstormer1968
3rd Sep 2009, 16:19
Just noticed that Cornish Stormrider has not posted here, but it seems our regular troll has:=
So, ignoring idiots with nothing useful to add, I was surprised at the speed of the repair.
BEagle
3rd Sep 2009, 19:42
The somewhat pathetic utterances of the troll have now been binned!
It is good to learn that a much-needed RAF asset is now flying again. But what a shame such an avoidable event happened in the first place.....:hmm:
stilton
3rd Sep 2009, 19:49
Perhaps towing should be simulated in the simulator..
Well, I was quite shocked at the time taken for the repairs.
I have seen double Cabin Door Formers replaced quicker - a specialised job that required new drawings and specially made Formers.
I can only assume that someone had slowed down this repair process for economic purposes?
At a commercial MRO this type of repair (baggage trucks through skins) could have been conducted within a few months - subject to Hangar floor load availability.
So what was the delay?
An ex-431MU Rigga
B'stormer, Speed of repair...are you taking the urine?
I have been involved with repairs of similar magnitude, and the entire process (decide on course of action, consult manufacturer for one-off repair scheme, get scheme, do it) all done and aerodyne back in the air in less time than this crowd took to decide who would do it. This took the best part of 3 years! Something has gone horribly wrong.
rigga,
- The system has apparently been "improved" that's what!
When they bust the rear spar of ZE705 it only took 9 months to fix!
Wensleydale
4th Sep 2009, 10:25
I understand that the towing rig didn't just bend the skin (and puncture the pressurised hull)... It also hit some fuel lines that leaked into a major power distribution box loaded with capton (sp?) wire. Therefore repair had to be made to several aircraft systems including the replacement of over 25 miles of wiring looms that had to be hand made.
T'was a big and v expensive job with money that we don't have.
Sideshow Bob
4th Sep 2009, 11:27
AS Wensleydale has alluded to, this was no easy fix. I had the pleasure of sitting through the presentation about the repair, the St Athan airframe guys did some sterling work, 4 frames had to be repaired, lots of problems getting the aircraft to sit still on it's jacks whilst the repairs were carried out (the mini earthquake didn't help), lots of fuel damage to wiring and avionics and believe it or not the most difficult part was sourcing a replacement ground refuelling panel (found in a scrap yard in America)
So, I now get the impression that it wasn't the "Aircraft" systems that caused the delays - Fuel & Hyd Lines, Elect distribution, Radio & Radar systems are normal issues for many repairs.
I now feel the "Role Equipment" systems that were in that area may have caused the problem by causing a greater deal of Loom replacements - and at the very same time that Airbus was paying a lot more for Electrical Connies too?
Still it should be alright now! eh?
Rigga
Jobza Guddun
5th Sep 2009, 20:09
There's a GR4 that's been cream-crackered nearly as long as that Sentry after a birdstrike doing a roller. Funnily enough there doesn't seem to be scope to fix it in the tightly-planned soopah-doopah pulse line....and the Heavy Rects team went in the reorganisation too. Ho hum.:ugh:
Nice to see 106 the 'Party Bus' is back. Good days!:cool: