Duct Tape is the thing

Keith Lane

Keith Lane

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Keith Lane
I got this in an e-mail. I don't know how to verify if it's factual, though.

The pilot hadn’t cleaned out the cabin of his aircraft after an Alaskan fishing trip. A Kodiak bear smelled the remaining fish odor and proceeded to take the airplane apart.

The bush pilot had to have 2 new tires, 3 cases of duct tape, and several rolls of cellophane flown in. He made emergency repairs and was finally able to fly the plane back to home base. I wonder if FAA approved his jury-rigging before flight?
 

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Mythbusters did a duct tape episode a couple weeks ago. They built a cannon entirely out of duct tape, lifted a car with duct tape and even constructed a sailboat out of duct tape. (The ribs, mast, and keel were made of Al or wood, but everything else was duct tape.) The boat was seaworthy, so I have no reason to believe it wouldn't work as a fabric surface on a plane.
 
EdFred said:
Mythbusters did a duct tape episode a couple weeks ago. They built a cannon entirely out of duct tape, lifted a car with duct tape and even constructed a sailboat out of duct tape. (The ribs, mast, and keel were made of Al or wood, but everything else was duct tape.) The boat was seaworthy, so I have no reason to believe it wouldn't work as a fabric surface on a plane.
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Hmm...so if you're ever shipwrecked and have 3000 rolls of duct tape, start building your magic carpet for home!
 
dmccormack said:
Hmm...so if you're ever shipwrecked and have 3000 rolls of duct tape, start building your magic carpet for home!
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Surprisingly, it was a small amount, and it carried 2 people.
 
Rotor&Wing said:
More duct tape.

You can never have enough duct tape.:D
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The best Duct tape out there is the Gorilla Tape. You better be ready to stick it because it doesn't come off very easily.
 

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The repair looks good to me. I've seen airplanes with worse fabric flying.
 
I've been reading the book Flying the Alaska Wild, and am about halfway through. Nothing Alaska pilots do surprises me anymore.
 
You'd probably get arrested outside of Alaska for a rig like that! :)[/quote]

Isn't that a shame?
 
As Red Green says, "Duct tape, the handimans secret weapon." He uses duct tape to do just about anything. Its a PBS show from Canada.
 
I love that he wrote the tail number in magic marker on the duct tape. Got to be legal.
 
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side and a dark side. It binds the universe together.
 
I've seen this before: looks like it's an an airport, however crude (gravel tiedown, hangar-like buildings)... and in the head-on shot you can clearly see that the right h-stab spar is trashed ("Do Not Push- Especially Bears"). Leading edge to the hinge line, the stab is twisted way out of whack.
I'd fly it with duct tape on the fuse, but I wouldn't fly with an H-stab held together with duct tape. :rolleyes: And I doubt anybody else did.

Maybe with some baling wire and Popsicle sticks, but not just duct tape. :D
 
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I'm thinking that if he used 3 cases of duct tape, and it does not appear that he removed any of the old fabric, that there would probably be some weight and balance issues as well. Duct tape isn't all that light, three cases has to be some serious added weight.

John
 
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