by The Virgin Atlantic hangar is tucked within a ring of steel that surrounds Heathrow Airport; buried behind a metal fence at the eastern end of Britain’s largest aviation hub.
It literally takes me a week to get in, through remote security procedures and identity checks – then another 20 minutes of going through the same documents again, at the entry gate.
You don’t need to be an aviation expert to understand the need for such dedication – but the reason for all the care is emphasized as soon as I enter, to find myself verbally with a Boeing 787- 9 Dreamliner. Morning Marian He has just flown home from Johannesburg, and is due for a routine inspection before leaving again this evening.
Part of the medical examination is a borescope scan (see below). Scott Foxon, a certification engineer with more than 12 years of experience with Virgin’s maintenance team, will be looking at the most difficult parts of the plane.
When it is dusted from his hands, he sits down with Travel Telegraph to discuss the nuts and bolts of his job, from sneaking into the fuel tanks to cleaning up the aftermath of a bird strike.
Give me an insight into your average day. Is there such a thing as a normal day?
Yes. There is an aircraft in the hangar most mornings; or nights, on the night shift. Every time, we have a job checklist.
These are routine tasks, but they are tasks that need to be done in the hangar, as they require time and dry conditions. That said, every day is different, as I’m usually working on a different system within the aircraft.
What kind of tasks?
Oil servicing, checks on the hydraulic filters, that sort of thing. These are done every time an airplane visits the hangar. Then you have to leak-check everything, and run the engines.
Are there any tasks that you see on your worksheet, and your heart sinks?
Fuel tank entry. I wouldn’t say my heart is sinking, exactly. I like to get stuck in; most of the guys here do. But no one likes to work on toilets. Those, and the fuel tank entry, are my least favorite things to work on. It has to be done though. It’s all part of the job.
What is a fuel tank entry?
It changes. It could be a reseal job because there is a leak in the tank somewhere, or it could be a problem with a probe not reading correctly. It could be a five minute job, or it could be 12 hours.
Everyone working in the hangar must complete a “Fuel Tank Awareness” training course. Basically, any time you have an open fuel tank, you have to lock down the entire hangar, and turn off all power to the aircraft. You release the tanks and the fuel vapors.
You have opened the doors. You need to make her a very safe environment; no mobile phones nearby – things like that. It’s a dangerous place to be in. If someone is going into the tank with a full suit and an oxygen mask on, you are taking care of their life.
It sounds pretty claustrophobic…
It can be. Of course, the further you go into the wing, the thinner the structure gets. So you might be crawling around at the bottom of the wing, where you have more room to manoeuvre. But if you get further out, it can be very claustrophobic.
And when you’re wearing a mask, when you’re trying to do a job with tools, and trying to communicate with someone outside, it can be a tough position. It can also be a lonely position. You know how you see the competitors on I’m a Famous Person – when they go underground, or into a box, and they are immediately scared.
It can feel that way. It’s always handy to have someone at the panel next to you, to talk to, for a bit of daylight. I like my job, but it’s a dangerous job to be in. If anything happens, someone has to come in and save you.
How often do you have to do it?
We have to do the fuel tank entry training every two years, and then, after that, I think I was in four times. So not often. We rarely have routine inspections in the tank – usually when something goes wrong we have to go in.
What about bird strikes? Do you literally go into the engine and pull out feathers?
We must make sure that the engine is clean, and check for any damage. Birds create a lot of mess sometimes – dents to the leading edge, things like that.
We must inspect the engine completely, check that there are no cracks. And if they are, you have to fix them. Two weeks ago, we had to replace one of the engines because a few birds got in. Not the nicest thing to do. It’s a bit like the fuel tank, and the toilet stuff – but it’s part of the job.
So a bird can do more damage than a layman would think?
Yes. You have the heart of the engine. Then you throw the “cold stream duct” around the outside. Engines are rarely shut down due to a bird strike. Most of the time, birds don’t go through the core, they go into that outer part.
But that’s where the composite stuff is, and a strike usually causes damage around there. Sometimes, panels cannot be replaced, and we have to bring in a task force to deal with that. But most of the time, engines last.
Is it an urban myth that a bird strike requires an immediate emergency landing?
That is the captain’s decision. You look at Sully [Chesley Sullenberger, who ditched US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River on January 15 2009] in New York. That was a double engine strike; worst case scenario.
If the flight deck suspects a bird strike, and the display readings look bad, they will go straight back. From an engineering standpoint, I wouldn’t even question it, especially if you’re about to fly across the Atlantic.
How often does it happen?
More often during the migration season. But in reality it is not so common. Most of the time, airplanes are flying at an altitude of 30,000 and 40,000 feet. Birds are not really that tall.
Is a passenger aircraft checked every time it lands?
Yes. After each flight, when he pulls up to the gate, the passengers get out and an engineering team goes on; one certifier for the aircraft, and maybe two or three technicians.
They will perform tasks such as refilling oil for the engines. They will do a walk around inspection, checking the tires, the fuselage, the brakes. Then they’ll go upstairs, talk to the flight crew, and ask if they had any problems flying, if anything was up.
Like an aircraft Morning Marian come into the hangar every time he made a long flight from Johannesburg to London?
He will come in once a month. Airplanes are so reliable now. Most of the maintenance is usually walking around, then filling the engines with oil, and sending it on its way.
This plane [Maid Marian] he may have flown in from Johannesburg this morning, but he will be out this evening. There are a few paint issues – and we did a toroscope check.
What does a borescope do?
It is an optical device for looking closely at the engine. You are inspecting the rotors and combustion chambers, and checking that there is no wear and tear on the inner workings.
What is the most common repair issue you have to deal with?
[Without hesitation] Lightning strikes.
Seriously?
Yes. On the leading edge of a modern aircraft wing, you have these little sticks called “static peaks”. They spread electric charge. So, after a lightning strike, you have to look at those, then at the flight controls, and check that everything is okay. It happens more often than people think.
It’s all safe though. Modern composite aircraft have a layer of copper embedded in the carbon fiber. That is to spread the strike. But lightning will still leave brown marks, and you’ll often see burnt rivet heads. If it is suspected that there was a lightning strike, we have to do a lot of inspections, look very carefully around the aircraft.
After that, we have to sand the affected areas, apply new resin, and then repaint. With many of the 787s, if you look closely, you can see small repairs and paint marks. It’s mostly cosmetic damage, but that’s probably the most regular issue we have to deal with.
Have you ever had a problem that you can’t solve?
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of one. We always try – as far as our license goes. And we can talk to Boeing and Airbus on the phone – on a 24/7 basis.
Do the engineers of different airlines talk?
It’s a big industry, but a small world. As for the specific work we’re doing, we’re not sharing too much. But if we need some tools from British Airways, we can call them, or lease something. It’s all pretty friendly.
We try to take care of each other as much as we can. British Airways owns the high power pins that run the engine around the corner, and we use those quite a bit after engine changes. We call them up. It’s not a competition like that.
How often do you fly for travel? Are you a confident flyer?
I am a perfectly happy advertiser. I enjoy it. My wife and I went to New York last year.
Can you turn off a holiday flight, or are you listening to engine noise?
[Grins] I can turn off.
