The first thing that comes to mind on hearing the word vintage is “difficult to maintain.” There is no doubt that that’s true. Especially when it comes to vintage aircraft, maintenance is quite demanding. The role of aviation welders and other maintenance workers becomes greater and more significant.
In this blog, we’re going to see in what ways maintaining a vintage aircraft is tougher than maintaining a new one. What role does an aviation welder play in keeping a vintage aircraft in the air?
Original manufacturers don’t offer support anymore
The first thing that makes maintaining a vintage aircraft difficult is the discontinued support from the manufacturer. When a manufacturer makes an aircraft, there’s a time duration for which they provide all sorts of support to maintain the plane. It includes spare parts and other types of technical and expert support that help keep the aircraft flying. It makes it challenging to provide the plane with new components, and as time passes by, parts, and even information about the plane, become obsolete.
Here come the aviation welders to play a significant role. If the aviation welders are capable and skilled enough, they’ll be able to repair, weld, and replicate the parts to avoid new components.
New mechanics are unaware of older technology
Maintaining a vintage aircraft is hard because it lacks the exposure of modern aviation welders to older aircraft. Not all the aviation welders have the knowledge and skills to repair old aircraft that are not used in recent times typically. It disables them to deliver their best as they are not familiar with the differences in the type of metal, components, and other materials used in the aircraft.
It requires specialized training and extra certifications to equip an aviation welder to handle vintage aircraft with the same quality and guarantee. Therefore, the role of adequately trained aviation welders is significant as they are not in abundance.
New parts don’t fit in the old fuselage
Another problem is finding new aviation components that fit in the old vintage aircraft. The progressive changes in the industry and technology have made vast differences in the making of modern and vintage aircraft. The difference in sizes, shapes, and models make it very difficult to find any component that fits in the same spot.
This is where an aviation welder can come in for assistance. Components of an aircraft that can undergo welding can be shaped, cut, and ground to an extent to fit in the vintage aircraft. But you should realize that there’s only a minimal margin of error. It’s not like magic that the two parts will match in any aircraft. The most suitable and closest component found in the market can be fit into place within millimeters, and not more than that.
Changing aviation rules may come into play
With passing time, there’ve been changes in aviation rules and regulations. According to modern laws, an aircraft must fulfill specific criteria to be allowed to fly in the air. It may also become a hurdle in the path of restoring a vintage aircraft and operating it in the air.
At Acorn Welding, we’ve got the expert aviation welders and other resources to keep your vintage aircraft flying in the air. We’ve got a full range of services that include all types of aviation welding to ensure you don’t need to go anywhere else when it comes to restoring a vintage aircraft. You can also get in touch by clicking our contact us page.
