 |
DOUGLAS
DC-8
Modifications at McDonnell Douglas - Tulsa: A Personal Recollection |  |
Roger
Gordon's Photographs
(Captions are Below Each Photo Set)
The
T-706 Hydraulic Shop
The end
of the F-4 Phantom Line & Beginning of the DC-8 Modification Line.
Photo taken during an "open house" for MDC Employees & Guests
This
is the compressor station where the DC-8s were tested - looking for leaks
in the
fuselage (hull). All pressurized aircraft have small leaks in them but as
long as they
stay within acceptable safety tolerances then the aircraft remains airworthy.
The first
test (proof test) required the fuselage hull to be pressurized at 12 psi.
After passing the
proof test then the hull pressure was reduced for the second test. Once the
flow equalized
then the hull leakage was measured using a "differential orifice."
If the pressure leaks exceeded safety tolerances then the leaks must be found
& patched until the pressure within the hull remained within the safety
tolerances
throughout the tests.
Next
door to the compressor station another FAA Type Approval test was ran in which
hydraulic cylinders applied force near the wing root where the landing gear
was located.
This force was applied to simulate the stresses of thousands of take-offs,
level flights &
landings. Small telescopes monitored the wing for any cracks that developed.
The
above 3 photos show a United DC-8-71 hooked up to the compressor station
to be checked for hull leakage.
A
Nice View of the General Electric/Snecma CFM56-2 High Bypass Turbo Fan
Engines & New Pylons installed on the DC-8-70 Series. This Ex-CP Air DC-8-63PF
Passenger Aircraft is being converted into a DC-8-73F Cargo Aircraft for Handlingair.
Pictures
of the Sultan of Oman's Private DC-8-73 Aircraft in various stages of the
conversion. The last photo (just above) shows the pressure hoses hooked up
and
& the "tail drag fin" further back on the tail. If this fin
is scratched/scraped this indicated
that the pilot over-rotated the jet on take-off and upon landing the aircraft
would require
structural testing to make sure it was not damaged during the "tail drag."
Hydraulic
Testing Equipment at the T-106 Building. The Dark Gray Unit was used
to test Petroleum Based Systems and the Light Gray Unit was used to test the
Synthetic Based Systems. Just never mix the two types or you will have
a disastrous situation on your hands!
The
Mercury Manometer which was used to determine differential pressure &
ultimately the total amount of hull leakage to verify if this amount was within
FAA Safety Tolerances - as described in the story.
Finally,
we must not forget the infamous DC-8 toilet service cart, aka the
"turd hearse" or what I knew it as when working for the airlines
- "the honey
wagon."
Oh,
I'm just kidding, we don't want to end this picture display on a "nasty"
note,
so our final photo is of some Beautiful DC-10 & MD-80 Models which were
displayed
at the "open house" for employees & guests.
Many Thanks To Roger "Flash" Gordon For Sharing His Story &
Photos!
USE OF ANY IMAGES FROM THIS WEBSITE IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE IMAGE AUTHOR.