I hated going into the tanks. When I was in the USN, my ship was still being built. We provided the shipyard workers with fire watches whenever they performed any hot work on board. At 0700 there would be 200 sailors waiting on the hangar bay and the shipwrights would just come up and tell the petty officer in charge how many they needed and what compartments. If they were doing hot work in a corner, they would have to have four fire watches to cover all the compartments involved. Some of them were just like this tank. I can remember once being in the very bottom of the hull in a space half that size for hours on end. Sometimes those bastards would forget about us and no matter what, you cannot leave your watch. It sucked ass.
Spent many, many hours working in P-3 fuel cells. Loved it since in Texas we had air conditioning hoses right next to us at all times, or in winter cold, heat hoses. During break I wouldn't even come out. Just lay down on my thick, cushioned floor mattress and take a nap.
Crooked Halo Pardon me for asking but in Texas what’s your definition of cold where heat hoses become necessary? I’m no expert but wouldn’t such a confined space get warmer than ambient before long with two or three men in there?
@@mackerel1875 At first I enjoyed _nothing_ about "working in the tanks, _especially_ # 1 & #4! Those were the tip tank numbers, if I remember correctly, the belly being #5. The tips had very little room because of the taper & it got skinnier closer to the tips. Those tanks were where I learned I had (minor) claustrophobia. I got over it quickly, however, because I was elected to work the tanks being new & slimmer than my co-workers. I did grow to enjoy the tanks, though, especially the belly tank as it had lots more room. In the wings I would sometimes remove more stiffener brackets than what was called out simply to make it easier to move up & down the inside of the wing.
@@crooked-halo Hahaha! Luckily for me, we didn't get many leaks outboard in 1 and 4. And due to the Royal Australian Air Force operations, (regarding use of 5 and 5A tanks) we didn't go into the belly tank all that often. 3 and 4 were mostly a weekly event, very rarely we wouldn't be in 2 or 3. I don't remember ever removing any structure from inside the tanks though, but I do remember being thankful for the "invention" of tank mats! I hated worming my way outboard in 2 and 3, under the exhausts, through the A-frames. I think they were there to carry through the main landing gear trunnions. I've still got scars from bashing knuckles on dome nuts or bolt heads in there. And, 25 years later, I still remember the smell of PS870... Glad to see you "survived" your time in those tanks!
On the 727 overhaul, this was always the apprentices job, changing boost pumps & check valves. No breathing apparatus back then, just a blower pumping air.
I've worked on all sorts of machines. Never any airplanes. Have serviced many fuel tanks for different reasons. It's not easy to get them totally empty. And even when they are empty, they aren't empty. That's why when welding or soldering them they are filled with non flammable gas or sometimes water. Even then it's dangerous. And when they are empty is when they are the most dangerous. Liquid fuel doesnt burn. The fumes do. That's why most won't repair them. And I'm talking about a tank that is from 2 to maybe 50 gallons. I couldn't imagine trying to do it with one that big.
TJ USMC I still don’t understand how airplanes can fly for 13 hours non stop and have space for enough fuel in the tank and wings! Fuel is also very heavy.
Mike F finally someone using critical thinking... I agree I have seen a lot of tanks of all kinds. That is not a fuel tank no way. To clean. Even if brand new and never been filled it's not what it would look like
Friend of mine used to do NDT testing using xray to certify pipes and tanks. He went to Chevron in northern California they had him go into some box all black inside had to wear a full air fed suit. It was 150F in there could only stay in for 5-8 minutes had to come out to cool off. To access had to climb though a tiny pipe he said it was awful worst job he ever contracted to take on. He mostly did pipe testing he would live out of an RV for weeks at a time on oil and gas pipelines they were welding. The Chevron refinery pools of liquid all different colors on the ground the place was nasty.
Just think, you have a fastener that has to be changed or a fuel leak. Drain and purge tank to make it safe for entry then go find fastener that needs replacing or reseal, FUN, not.
Looks like new construction. On a new aircraft they seal up the tanks and use a air purge of a few ounces of air pressure then use soap/water to spray the outside seams to look for air bubbles. Then mark them and go inside and reseal with a fuel tank sealant then test again.
What aircraft type? Obviously a large one! I have done that but in a much, much smaller fuel cell. Looks like a factory new build, hence no mask. Good video. Thanks
Id Love to know what type of hoover they used to clean up the fuel with an make it all clean and dry with special wires on show ..not a drop of fuel ....all garbage the engines are run off air compressors.....AIR ..LINES ....most factories use air compressors for free energy
Happened in Russia. There was a case of a mechanic that got locked inside by his colleagues, who thought there is noone in. Tank got filled up, plane was flying for some time. When the poor lad was discovered, he was partially melted.
Shout out to all my tank rat brothers its a rough job and this is a very clean tank most of the ones I enter have to be monitored for toxicity and a respirator with a blue wet tank suit like the one in this video god and a lot less room
consider yourself lucky you found an exit....Imagine the job known as a "SEALER" which is one who in fact spends his time in those tanks sealing the seams etc.
I always had & gave tons of respect to the sealing team on the P-3 & C-130s. I worked a lot in the fuel cells but a different company did the sealing. They got covered with their sticky sealant, which stunk, got all over everything & never came off of clothing. Sealers have to stick their noses and hands in the most hard to reach areas of the cells.
mac zana: "What would happen if you ever get lost and end up coming out of the toilet?" Wellllll, I hate to state the obvious BUTTT....... you'd literally be "in the shit" lol.
One year an aircraft had a fuel problem they suspected was contamination. When they opened the tanks, they found a dead body. Removed body. Ops check good.
Obsolete Professor, in a word ‘yes’. This tank, despite being empty and dry for quite some time will still have a slight fuel odour. What you can’t see is the air pumps drawing in fresh air to allow people to work in there without the usual confined space collection of crap. It is far more comfortable to put up with a faint fuel odour than to drag your mask, air supply hose, torch/light, tools for the job and parts required. I sure don’t miss doing this on the big jets, coz I’d come out battered n bruised after a shift. Lucky for me I now work on smaller stuff that can be reached at arms length from the entry panels. Be grateful we don’t have ‘smellievision.........’
First they pump off all the fuel that will pump off. Then they go to the fuel sumps and drain the residual fuel. Then they open the tank and purge it with air. Then they may or may not use a suction device so suck up the last fuel. Finally they use a sniffer to determine that the fumes are below the lower explosive limit, (won't burn) below human safe limits, and that there is adequate oxygen.
No way that is a fuel tank! Not one drop of fuel... Plastic bags , cables , yeah yeah ... Even if they pump clean air in there the fumes stille be there and You would not go in there without a mask!
To all you conspiracy theorists who are here to tell the world you are being lied to, if you can design and build a plane that can carry a usable payload for a usable distance running on ‘compressed air’ please do so because you will become a trillionaire overnight. The engine makers spend billions combined to achieve a single digit percentage improvement on fuel burn from the last generation of engines. A measly 3% efficiency gain in fuel burn on a long haul 747 flight can equate to 4000kgs more passengers and freight over a 15 hr flight. That’s how tight the profit margins are in aviation.
nothing is tight in aviation or in any other big business - the business is rigged from bottom to top - everything in this industrial complex is rigged to enrich itself - the whole world is in fucking Babylonian debt slavery. You should realize that the international banking system is the biggest scam on in the physical reality... Everything is a lied, not just some parts...But we will find out soon, disclosure is coming.
This vid shows a dry tank. A wet fuel tank had fuel in it that has been drained of fuel and ventilated with forced air. Nevertheless, it still smells bad and we have to wear a face masked filtered ventilator which adds to the cumbersomeness while "tank diving".
Seems to me when those tanks are half empty in flight there’s nothing to stop the wash. How stable would an aircraft be with so much fuel sloshing about?
Take a fresh air line in with ya. It is real thin and don't get in the way but it keeps a positive fresh air supply coming out so a +1 inside with you alway flushing fresh air but ya take a VOC meter in with ya and it will tell ya if it is fresh or too much fuel vapors present.
You are repairing a fuel tank in the wing of a plane that's been used, or am I mistaken? Would you not need to wear breathing apparatus and eye protection to avoid fume intoxication? Watch a couple of vids on the ''Enslaved By No Media'' channel'' intriguing.
Ok great, you could of started off like that instead of being rude. Maybe you can answer some of the questions a lot of people have. Why is there no residue or any sign of there ever being any fuel in there ever? I know the procedure of ventilating and drying out the area.. still not going to remove all signs of use. Are the wires resistant to corrosion? Even if they have equipment to Gage the oxygen and toxicity level they would still need to wear masks as a precaution. As a critical thinker even you must see the oddness in this video? Wires just hanging there with plastic bags covering them.
The video was made in the middle of a process. The aircraft was in the hangar for long term maintenance, IMO at least a week. The fuel was drained, the tanks were opened up and ventilated, then further cleanup was performed. Only then the confined space entry procedure allowed workers unfettered access inside the tanks. This time period is when the video was made, days into the process. The interior would receive a final cleaning and the lighting and other equipment will be removed once the work is signed off and then the tanks closed off. There would be further testing to ensure equipment inside the tanks functioned, and then for fuel leaks before the aircraft was signed off. If you have a metal container full of gasoline, drained it and cleaned the interior fastidiously, would you expect any residue? No difference. What the video does not show are the two or three days spent preparing the interior of the tank so workers (in the video) could access the interior to perform their chores.
That aircraft has had its fuel tanks open for a long time. As part of the procedure of making the tank safe for entry to the point of no breathing apparatus required, all little puddles of fuel are mopped dry and a constant flow of air with blowers and vacuum pumps will dry the remaining fuel out of the tank. Tank entry people are a band apart. It’s a confined space area I sure don’t miss. Ps just ignore the aluminium foil hat wearers that now claim that aircraft engines don’t use fuel. For them every day is April the 1st.
Since I used to work on this kind of stuff, I agree. What this video is showing is not the beginning of a process, but one near the conclusion. The tanks have been drained, cleaned up and well ventilated. Personally I never had a problem with claustrophobia, I have been in places much tighter and more confining.
Theron Ponds maybe you can answer me something. How do they get a person out if they collapse/die ? You know, heart attack or even if they freak out from the confined space.
Robbo they have walkie talkie that give them a ring every thirty minutes, from the outside from the lead. If no answer, they notify the managers and after that call the fire department
At L-3 Waco they had major, huge, mean-looking gas-powered saws to cut fuel cells open & extract injured/claustrophobic/freaking-out workers. They have yet to be used, though I saw a few guys actually freak out in there. The P-3 fuel cell is where I was cured of claustrophobia.
I been reading online that fuel in airplanes is a hoax? Can you tell me why that isn’t possible? Just RU-vid Airplane fuel hoax and you’ll see tons of into on the subject
fuel tank for what? is it a craft? not naming the craft type makes this totally useless. if this is allegedly a typical plane, please show a drawing where this compartment system is located and how much of the fuselage it would require under the cabin.
There's a process called depuddling. Someone goes into the tanks or cells with required equipment to retrieve residual fuel. Fumes can be neutralized filling the tanks with carbon dioxide.
It this is true how can you breath in where fuel has been stored...Or is just for the public to believe this theory...Looks a little too big for a plane,why not show the plane and going into it ???
+Jessie James "It this is true how can you breath in where fuel has been stored..." Because they've had huge blowers blowing air through the tanks for 24 hours or more, and the previous team with respirators mopped up whatever residue they could find. Simple. How do you think car mechanics weld fuel tanks anyway? They just don't fire up the torch and fire it down the fuel fill hole. It takes a few hours worth of procedure to get it clean enough and vent all the fumes.
Wings must be thick enough to hold the weight of the plane and to generate lift more effectively. The wing root of an A380 is over 8ft thick. This plane is a Boeing 767 which is a little smaller, but big enough to fit a person, as seen in the video.
Wings are actually quite large, these guys are not however. I am 6'3" and would never fit in these confined spaces. Well, I might fit with a lot of extra effort but I would never do it!
Unfortunately it takes ages to get all the funk out of a fuel tank, not minutes. I work on large jets for a living. We have to soak up all the residue and vent the fumes with active airflow for 24 hours before anyone is allowed inside the tanks without respirators. You still end up smelling like the stuff after you've been inside.
+Johnny Hicks "Too big to be a plane wing"? The root of the A380 wing is 8 _feet_ thick (747 probably 6-7), and the top and bottom skins of the wing _are_ the fuel tank (hence the curved floor and roof in this video).
+tjperez69 He did, but it doesn't look like these tanks would be any significant amount taller than the ones in the wings. Depends on the aircraft of course - Series 2, episode 25 of "Dirty Jobs" shows the "intrepid hero" ;-) inside the wing of a KC135 (military version of a 707 which is rather smaller than this aircraft), photos of the inboard fuel tank wing bulkhead of an A380 show close to 8 _feet_ high, and there's even photos of a person inside of a Concorde tank. Close quarters certainly. But not impossible. Cavers do it all the time under worse circumstances.
well well was comming here too debunk the fuel hoax claim but now where i see no spills from this claimed fuel i will take a deeper look into this claim
Free The Plane it’s bone dry and actually have dust particles around. I came to do the very same thing and this has made it a bit more realistic case for compressed air than before
