Cover your engines

[mutt]

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/413176-bbj-emergengy-landing-riyadh.html

Its good to see that the aircraft N444HE is back in Jeddah with beautiful condoms covering the engines, not your normal engine covers, but beautifully crafted covers..... I guess that they learned a very valuable lesson.

Sad part is that very few other corporate operators appeared to have learned from this incident, most aircraft are parked without any engine covers. This is sand storm season.... COVER YOUR ENGINES !

Mutt

[mattman]

Just to stick to the topic, it astounds me to see aircraft without engine covers. :mad:
I have been to airports where there is snow and freezing conditions to see the engines unprotected.
I have been to the sand pit to see the same thing in blowing sand.

It is a testament to engine designs and reliability we do not have more failures.
It is disgusting to know crews have no respect for, half a million plus, aircraft components that are there to give us the utmost of reliability.

I cost you 20 min of drinking time to cover your engines and to give you peace of mind.
Airmanship is a lost value.......................

[HS125]

I once had a call from a crew flying a citation I was operating, They told me that the covers were unserviceable (the metal hoop had eroded through the fabric) and that they'd damage the nacelles if they used them.

Guy who leases the aircraft was/is a s*** stirrer, saw it, and the next thing I know I have the owner on the phone tearing my head off for not having the engines covered, Thing is when I explained the situation, following a brief period of calm he started again requiring me to cancel the order for new covers as they were $550! :ugh::mad:

[Miles Magister]

Guys,

I have always covered engines and used the other blanks and bungs even on a short turn around if there is any waiting.

The reason being is that I have had wasps enter the pitot tube causing me to abort a take off when there was a major speed discrepancy during the acceleration. This was an expensive extra few days down route.

Also past discussions with members of the AAIB have led me to believe that they regularly see bearing wear, on engines they have stripped, which is due to windmilling with no oil lubrication. Whilst I have never heard of this wear being a contributory cause to a failure it will affect engine efficiency and overhaul costs.

Regards
MM

[smallfry]

Have any of you tried to fit covers ( have you seen any) for a Gulfstream G550? You would need some serious ladders to get there.
I am not denying they would be good to fit, but sometimes its not practical. A hangar is more realistic.

[FlyMD]

Have to agree with smallfry here, trying to fit engine covers to a G550 on a windy, snowy winter day on tarmac in Aspen, precariously perched on a 12ft ladder rig (tallest on the airfield) is not an experience I particularly care to repeat.
If Gulfstream/RollsRoyce want us to cover the engines on short stops, they're gonna have to provide us with a much smarter and safer cover/attachments system... I didn't go to the effort of flying safely for 20 years just to break my neck falling down a ladder :=

[g4phil]

It's possible on the G550.

We brought a 14 foot telescopic ladder, it collapses down to virtually nothing.

Then we have two types of engine covers, Jetbrella for over night, these can be installed and removed with the ladder.

The standard material type for longer periods are normally fitted by the handlers using the baggage loader.

On the old G3 and G4 we had a 'Condom' made to cover the complete forward section of the aircraft for the long term parking in the sand box. Didn't do the windows much good though!

[FerrypilotDK]

I discovered that other crews had The Best reasons for NOT using covers.....let's see-

It was late and we were planning ón leaving early.

It was dark.

It was raining

It was snowing

It was windy

I am afraid of falling.

We should have covers that are easier to install.

So I just said--right, the covers ALWAYS go on for night stops... Snow and wind-the covers go on.

I wasn't on duty, no covers, rain, snow, melt, freeze.....3 bent blades. I left the aircraft....see her parked with no covers. They just cannot be bothered and they don't give a rat's aXx........ Pitot cover with a frozen pin.....not a word about that. Come in the morning and the paint is all chipped in a fine circle round the flapping cable, where the pin has been banging into the aircraft. "yeah, well, it is not MY fault, the pin was frozen, so it wouldn't go in right!"

Open the hell hole and the ladder is across the entrance...the straps forgotten. :(

It isn't the flying that is the problem, it is the totality of our duties and there are far too many that " can't be bothered.":uhoh::uhoh:

Of course the solution is to promote this type to the head office, so they can't do more damage.....(link to forum discussion of why the good guys leave):oh:

Airmanship indeed missing!

[flydive1]

g4phil, I believe that jetbrella were not approved by RR, actually they were against they use as they damaged the finish on the cone, did they change their mind?