Aren't engine covers free?

[AnthonyGA]

I notice photos in the media of grounded airplanes in Europe with improvised coverings on the engines, made of plastic and tape, apparently.

Don't you get a free engine cover when you buy a jet engine? I've always assumed that all those bright red REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT covers that fit so nicely over the engines and other open bits were supplied as free accessories by the manufacturers of whatever the covers are covering. Isn't this the case? Do you actually have to buy them separately?

On a related note, are the covers kept in the aircraft or on the ground?

[What the Fug]

Logic would say you have only so many covers per base, and when you get all your planes back at base there are not enough to go around

[jedigtr]

Can't answer if they are free or not (wouldn't have thought so) but bmi keep all the covers and blanks on each aircraft and I'd have thought that most other airlines that used them would also keep them with the aircraft :)

[Herod]

Kevlarcarl; it is the "Spotter's Forum", and it seems a perfectly legitimate question to me.

[TURIN]

Not so daft question.

Many airlines have removed them from the aircraft as a weight saving measure to save on fuel.

Result: Aircraft stranded away from their main base were covered with polythene and gaffer tape. Some even used rubber gloves to cover the pitot probes. :ok:

[Cymmon]

Kevlarcarl, if you hate spotters so much stick to the pro area!
Stop being a pompous a##e.
Spotters can be used as extra security devices around airports etc....

[kevlarcarl]

I think theres quite enough security jobsworths around at present thanks, however im reliably informed spotters do make excellent wheel chocks so they can actually be usefull on occasions:}

[Cymmon]

Spotters also catch aircraft, therefore becoming passengers, which ultimately pays for the crews wages....
So if all spotters stopped catching aircraft, then these aircraft wouldn´t be needed, hence no crew....?

[Fargoo]

As Turin says, many airlines have removed their kits from the aircraft to save weight.

I've no idea if the engine covers are free though, we have a fleet of over a hundred jets yet i've only ever seen a handful of covers.

Each aircraft we have does have a set of covers for the probes though but generally they're in the kits that have been removed to save weight!

It might look messy but some plastic sheeting with a log entry is adequate for a short period of a few days. Pitot/Static covers are a little more dodgy as they are easily missed if you use the wrong temporary covers hence brightly coloured hazard tape or the aforementioned yellow rubber gloves.

Goes without saying a log entry is made for all of these so they don't get forgotten.

[Fareastdriver]

Not supplied with every aircraft. No point, they would never be used until they are in long term storage and then a set would be knocked up. There are a few sets around when a fleet are bought but that would be all. All an aircraft would carry would be plugs and sleeves to stop bugs crawling into and blocking various orifices.

[Old Fella]

There is always one I guess. One, that is, with an over rated opinion of their own importance and a willingness to "put down" others. No prizes for guessing that kevlarcarl, DISPATCHER EXTRAORDINAIRE, is the one on this thread. Go back to shuffling your paper around and understand that your superior opinion of yourself impresses only you kevlarcarl.

[No comment]

Good question, thanks for posting.

I had the same question on Monday when I saw one of our own aircraft hiding from the dust in the hangar with a similar improvised cover next to a sister ship with the red CFM56 covers.

As for you kevlarcarl, you must surely have more than a passing interest in aircraft to be even in this forum so to berate spotters is a little small minded.

Sorry to drift a bit but its a shame that there are more and more people that apparently don't give two monkeys about aircraft filling spaces in the aviation industry.

[Scarbagjack]

carl baby, you made my night!!:D

I was feeling a bit blue, but after reading your verbal spillage of crap, oh you made me laugh that you think that much of yourself and/or your opinion on this subject.:bored:

Anthony, good question mate, good replies too folks.
Oh,and carl...keep 'em comin young fella...you are a scream!!! No knowledge...but a real scream!!

[Lukeafb1]

I was going to add my views on kevlarcarl, but I see some of you have pre-empted me!

And just for the record, military (RAF and USAF) transport aircraft carry all of their (or at least the ones they can find:)) covers and blanks, just in case they land away from base.

[gavthespotter]

seems to me funny the covers ars not used all the time surely even if the a/c is parked up overnight everything should be covered up to stop debris going in, is this just another case of people being lazy

[Fargoo]

is this just another case of people being lazy

Not really, it's more a case of not being required for a short overnight stay in this country.

If you're at a station where dust is an issue then it may be required. :ok:

[avionic type]

In my days at LHR Tech 1 in the central area we had over 40 a/c a night to service and as the maximum time most a/c stayed on the deck was 12 hours it wasn't worth putting engine covers on them as we didn't have time to fit them and oil levels and other work was required and they were never held on the a/c or in the central area stores , pitot head and static vent plugs were carried in a container on the flight deck as were u/c ground locks and were fitted after the last flight of the day most blanks were for engines in transit to the overhaul facilities or special ones for "5th pod" flights to outstations.
hope this helps:D:D

[forget]

Didn't anyone notice that prize prat kevlarcarl can't spell?

however im reliably informed spotters do make excellent wheel chocks so they can actually be usefull on occasions

considering there very rarely used

PS. Good question Anthony.

[tubby linton]

Airbus deliver a set of engine covers as standard fit.They come in their own suitcase.

[gavthespotter]

best bet with that idiot kevlar is dont rise to his bait, he is like a lot on here who seem to think baiting spotters is ok, dont rise guys

[Mr Angry from Purley]

Kevlar Carl just ignore him look at his other posts to confirm his real name is wayne kerr.
Anyway engine blanks have to purchased. As Kevlar will not doubt tell us on B757 for example there is a safety case for fitting them on the ground to stop the fans turning, particularly when into the wind.
And he obviously doesn't know it all as I know 1 airline that fits them daily across Europe. :\

[G-DAVE]

We had an engine blank go 'missing' a while ago.

The company had to buy, not just the missing rear blank, but a whole set, as they aren't sold individually :ugh:.

It was a couple of hundred pounds IIRC, for a Citation jet.

On another note, just ignore certain, idiotic people on this forum (a Bl**ddy SPOTTERS FORUM), as they are probably sad individuals who like to raise their own, sad, insignificant importance.

As a pilot, I always wave at the spotters and look out for said piccys on the various websites. A much better hobby than stamp collecting!

*Apoligys for any speling misteaks like those made by karl erlyer :ok:

[Tempsford]

Very little in aviation is free. Some aircraft have them as part of a kit when they are delivered and these remain on the aircraft in a box stored in various locations dependant on the aircraft type. Many are never used. The recent panic over ash fallout had the operators looking for engine and various other assorted blanks. Some could not be located hence the improvised use of whatever could be considered as suitable.
In discussion with a colleague last week when it became apaarent that there was a shortage of blanke we both wished we could be in the position to manufacture as we could have made loads of money. Now the panic is over for the moment, blanks will again be seen in various locations gathering dust or getting lost until the next need arises.
The use of the 'membrane' intake cover has increased over the years. The older typr tended to be a solid plastic blank which when not in use was difficult to store and often damaged when left lying around.
On the Court Line Tristars the engine intake blanks were simillar to kiddies paddling pools. Needless to say they soon went missing.
Let's give everyone a bit of space here shall we and not be so quick to jump on someone when they ask what they consider as a reasonable question.
Temps:ok:

[Cheesehead56]

I have known companies trying to pinch pennies by selling off their blanks, rig pins and fly away kits to save money. They always regret it at some point later down the line.

[AnthonyGA]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I just figured that covers for engines would always be sitting around somewhere, or would be on the aircraft itself, given that there always seems to be a set of chocks available to block the wheels.

Maybe I've been influenced by seeing military aircraft, which always seem to have all sorts of covers in place while they are parked.

Where I was born, dust storms are common, and I should think it would be a good idea to put covers on engines just to prevent dust from whistling through the engine, even if it's not volcanic ash.

I also recall reading that it's not a good idea to let jet engines windmill on the ground, since apparently that puts wear on the engine if there's no oil pressure to lubricate it. If this is true, it makes me wonder about what happens if you have to shut down an engine in flight, since it will be windmilling at a good speed for quite a while.

[Starter Crew]

it makes me wonder about what happens if you have to shut down an engine in flight, since it will be windmilling at a good speed for quite a while.

True, they don't like it for any extended period. We once had to send a jet back from Ascenscion Island on only 3 engines, and to stop the 4th windmilling all the way home, a big wooden pole was rammed down the engine and bolted into place.

[glhcarl]

Maybe I've been influenced by seeing military aircraft, which always seem to have all sorts of covers in place while they are parked.

There are several reasons for the above: Commercial aircraft have much higher ulitization than military, they don't sit around as much as military aircraft. The military has the manpower to install and remove those covers. Remember, the military doesn't have to make a profit.

[INLAK]

Nothing in aviation is free nor cheap!

[dubh12000]

I used to deal with a UK company called Gerard Poly Moldings, they used to make shotpeening masks for me. They used to make engine blanks iirc. Can't find a website for them though.

[kitwe]

In the words of a former Chief of Defence Procurement, "British A******** is in business to make money, not aeroplanes". I cannot imagine that any of the other aircraft manufacturers are in any way different. As a previous poster said, nothing is free.

[redsnail]

We carry covers and blanks. We have to use them whenever we park for an overnight. About the only time I didn't fit the covers was after landing in Reykjavic and the wind was so strong it was dangerous to try and fit them.

Fortunately, I was parked 90 deg to the wind so the snow and ice wasn't being blasted through the engines.

(Hawker 800)

[G SXTY]

The mighty Q400 also has engine blanks fitted each night (all our aircraft carry them). Helps keep out volcanic ash, snow, undesirables, nesting pigeons etc. :ok:

[HAWK21M]

Engine blanks/covers are not free & are purchased like any spare for $.

[Nashers]

from what i have seen, private jets generaly get put to bed after a days work. however commercial jets tend not to as unless they are parked in the middle of the airfield, they and protected by the terminal buildings etc. they dont realy spend that much time on the ground for someone to get the ladders out and get all the covers on. im cant remember where i heard it, but in the early part of my training one of my instructors told me that during the average aircraft spends about 70-80% of its lifespan in the air.

some airlines have a 25 minute turn around time, and others 4 hours. even if an aircraft is on the ground for the night, generaly it will be back in the air within say 6-10 hours. this is also the time that work is carried out by the tech guys as it causes less disruption the the flights the aircraft has to do the following day.