Jay Honeck wrote:
More metal fatigue. Our military might as well be a chapter of the
Antique Aircraft Association in Blakesburg, Iowa...
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Washington, USA - "Structural fatigue"
(WAPA) - The US Navy decided to ground 39 of its 161 P-3C Orion
reconnaissance planes, because according to data resulting from
examinations they show signs of "Structural fatigue on the lower
section of the wing". The aircraft will now undergo maintenance
interventions, which are expected to take from 18 to 24 months.


The P-3s have also been flying into hurricanes for a few decades. When you
beat an airplane up in weather like that, you can't expect it to last forever.
It's pretty impressive that they lasted this long (Weren't most of them built
in the 50s?). Structural fatigue is often directly related to the amount of
abuse and airframe must absorb. Navy planes are famous for requiring
special maintenance programs due to structural fatigue (usually the carrier
based ones).

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

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