Could you remove and re-attach the wings on an airliner?
Discussion
The Ukraine war thread in NP and E showed an A320 which landed in a remote field in Russia, so if it cant be flown out which I think would be the preferred options as it got in there so should be able to get out, assuming its intact which it looks to be and is repaired.
But, if its stranded and needs to be moved by road, obviously with wings on it wont fit on a low loader, so the wings would need removing and taking separately.
Is that possible ? and if it is, is it cost effective to do it ? I know they must replace parts of wings, but the whole wing from the root on both sides on airliner ? Am guessing that once the wing box and root are built on most airliners they wont ever be taken apart as they are so integral to the structure of the plane.
My only experience is seeing a Trident that was moved from Heathrow to Manchester for Display and lets say that it wont be flying again !
But, if its stranded and needs to be moved by road, obviously with wings on it wont fit on a low loader, so the wings would need removing and taking separately.
Is that possible ? and if it is, is it cost effective to do it ? I know they must replace parts of wings, but the whole wing from the root on both sides on airliner ? Am guessing that once the wing box and root are built on most airliners they wont ever be taken apart as they are so integral to the structure of the plane.
My only experience is seeing a Trident that was moved from Heathrow to Manchester for Display and lets say that it wont be flying again !
Wings are generally bolted on (often by far fewer bolts than you'd expect!) so once you'd supported them and the fuselage it'd be a case of getting the spanners out.
Obviously it's not straightforward but eminently doable.
There will be loads of other connections - pipework, cables, etc to undo as well
Obviously it's not straightforward but eminently doable.
There will be loads of other connections - pipework, cables, etc to undo as well
Mr Pointy said:
It's toast, it's not worth recovering. At best strip it for parts & hope they can be certified for re-use as spares.
I don't think the Russian's are really that concerned with the 'certified' bit since the sanctions started....Its a surprise that they haven't already had any major hull losses by now prior to this.
This news had totally passed me by thanks to the new terrible BBC app:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/345450
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66785897
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/345450
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66785897
J4CKO said:
My only experience is seeing a Trident that was moved from Heathrow to Manchester for Display and lets say that it wont be flying again !
To be fair, ZK already had wings that had been shortened after service, so she would have struggled to get off the ground 
We had many challenges getting her moved at the time, including the need to cut the wings inboard of the main gear to allow her to remain within the maximum width for transportation. Our preference had been to leave the main gear attached to the airframe, to make the reconstruction at Manchester much easier. I'd even spent some time trying to work out if it would fit if it was rotated slightly, but that wasn't feasible and would also have made to load too high!
It's 18 years this month since she left Heathrow on a (very long!) low loader as a complete fuselage, minus the wings, T-tail and engines that were on the other trucks. Googling G-AWZK will probably show some images of her in the cut up state before the move.
sherman said:
Are Airbus wings not made in Wales and attacged to the bodies in Belgium or something like that so they must be able to be detached if they dont get built together?
In my experience airliner wings are structurally attached, by which I mean they are not quick release or on transport joints.Anything is possible, but it would be a huge amount of work rather than a quick unbolt job.
Remove everything that isn't essential for a short flight, e.g. seats, interior, soundproofing, fill with only enough fuel to reach the nearest proper runway of sufficient length, roll the ground, wait for winter to freeze the ground or put down perforated steel planking or equivalent and fly it out.
Empty weight of an A320 is 37.2 tons, maximum take off weight is 78 tons, so an empty one should be off the ground in no time.
Empty weight of an A320 is 37.2 tons, maximum take off weight is 78 tons, so an empty one should be off the ground in no time.
ChemicalChaos said:
Firstly,
The wingbox on most airliners is a monocoque structure acting as a torsion box, usually bonded or riveted together. Definitely not a case of some bolts in some lugs like a Spitfire....
Secondly... who's got some popcorn?
Key Aero says;The wingbox on most airliners is a monocoque structure acting as a torsion box, usually bonded or riveted together. Definitely not a case of some bolts in some lugs like a Spitfire....
Secondly... who's got some popcorn?
“The engine flow section was cleared of soil and straw, which was confirmed by repeated inspection,”
That is okay then.
eccles said:
sherman said:
Are Airbus wings not made in Wales and attacged to the bodies in Belgium or something like that so they must be able to be detached if they dont get built together?
In my experience airliner wings are structurally attached, by which I mean they are not quick release or on transport joints.Anything is possible, but it would be a huge amount of work rather than a quick unbolt job.
Wings are made in N Wales and shipped to TLS or HAM for final assy, bar A400M (BRS to SEV).
Avionics and systems are more work than the structural side.
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