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ATA 10

Parking and Mooring.

This chapter gives you all procedures to storage and/or moor an airplane for long periods of time.

Depending upon the length of time periodic ground checks are mandatory.
Also the way the plane is immobilized depends upon the length of time the plane will stay like this.

Example:

Let's say we are going to store a plane with a storage time of : +/- 6 months

The periodic ground checks are as follows:

Every 7 days
Every 15 days
Every month
Every 3 months

Counting from the day it’s was parked. Depending upon which ground check you perform several things are to be checked.
It’s also possible to park an airplane in a “flight ready condition”. (+/- 12 weeks of parking)
After storage the plane needs special check called : “returning to operation check.”

Mooring.

Mooring an airplane or in other words, tying down an airplane is done due to weather conditions. Heavy winds or storms can easily lift or tip-over a plane on the ground. Resulting in damage to that plane and possible other planes or other objects in the vicinity of that plane. Depending upon the weight of the plane and the wind speeds. This can happen when the wind speed exceeds the limit described in every “airplane maintenance manual” or AMM supplied with every type of airplane by the designer. Wind speeds can be received via the air traffic control or ATC.

Mooring an aircraft is done with cables or ropes specially designed to be strong enough to withstand the high forces working upon the plane caused by the winds or storm. They are connected at the nose- and main gears. Using special design tools stated in the AMM. So you understand that small airplanes will be more often moored then a large one, due to the small weight. When ever a engine or more is removed on a large parked aircraft the weight is supposed to be compensated with ballast in the forward belly compartment if possible, all fuel is transferred towards the center of the plane or in case the wings are empty the planes center fuel tank is fueled full capacity. To give also more ballast to keep the plane on the ground.

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