General welding questions that dont fit in TIG, MIG, Stick, or Certification etc.
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Trapperdude464
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Just curious I've been wondering about this for a while, what kind of tools would a person have to have/use to install airplane panels/panel technician?


Curious I'm wondering about this is it like general electrician tools or what?


This is really Buggin me thanks for all the info in advance
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Could you describe the job in more detail? What exactly is a panel technician?
Trapperdude464 wrote:Just curious I've been wondering about this for a while, what kind of tools would a person have to have/use to install airplane panels/panel technician? Curious I'm wondering about this is it like general electrician tools or what? This is really Buggin me thanks for all the info in advance
Last edited by WerkSpace on Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Trapperdude464
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Thanks iv tried looking a few others up also and they all seem really great do you by any chance have a prefrence
exnailpounder
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Huh? Somebody's been puffin the cheeba me thinks :lol:
Ifyoucantellmewhatthissaysiwillbuyyouabeer.
ex framie
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Trapper,
With over 32 years working on military aircraft this is the first time I have heard of a panel technician.
The type of aircraft will have an impact on the tools required and whether the panels have sealeant in the seams.
Tools, speed brace and applicable bits, plastic scrapers to remove sealeant, inspection mirror, inspection light, vacuum cleaner, various sized brushes, sealeant gun to suit aircraft sealt tubes, masking tape, scrapper for forming sealeant.
A general set of tools plus the above should cover it.
Cheers
Pete

God gave man 2 heads and only enough blood to run 1 at a time. Who said God didn't have a sense of humour.....
Poland308
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What if he means electrical panel?
I have more questions than answers

Josh
ex framie
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Electrical paneling, good point, a completely different kettle of fish.
Generally electrical/instrument tradesmen would do the job, you will still need common tools plus vacuum, light, mirror etc.
Basically a bit more info would be nice regarding the exact job and its requirements.
Also will depend on whether the jobs on a modern electric jet or the fossils I have worked on, also a bigger aircraft or a bug smasher, very different requirements and complexity.
Pete

God gave man 2 heads and only enough blood to run 1 at a time. Who said God didn't have a sense of humour.....
Trapperdude464
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I'm not sure I'm guessing electrical instrument panels my friend is going to work for some place up in northern wv and he came over yesterday said hey you weld and stuff right and then asked me the question I first posted. Why? I haveno idea I have never been around an aircraft let alone worked on one but his question very well intrigued me so I asked lol
ex framie
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Nice segway from hey you weld to fitting electrical panels.
I need some of those pills.

Squirrel !
Pete

God gave man 2 heads and only enough blood to run 1 at a time. Who said God didn't have a sense of humour.....
Trapperdude464
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Yea hes not the brightest I'm actually kind of worried if there is any wiring stuff up I'm not so sure he should be doing it. That's why I try to just say hi and leave it at that it works sometimes
hey_allen
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Having been an aircraft instrumentation tech for a few years while in the military, I have a little experience in this.

From the US Air Force view point, there are at least three different trades that have been brought up in this discussion.
The skin/structural/interior paneling is in general the responsibility of the general maintenance techs, but any particular damage is repaired by the sheet metal shop. The "sheet metal" part of that is a bit misleading, since they also do a lot of composite repair.

Once you get beyond sheet metal and composites and start looking at electrical and electronics, you bring in the Electrical/Environmental techs who manage power generation and distribution, as well as the two avionics career fields. Radio systems belonging to one field, and the flight control systems to the other. All three of these fields have control panels, and the Electrical/Environmental techs would have numerous circuit breaker panels to maintain as well.

In civilian aviation I know that there are Airframe and Powerplant techs, at least on small craft. Once you start looking at airliners I suspect that you break up into specialties again, but I don't know the break down of responsibilities, and it may vary by maintenance depot and airline.

As far as welding, the only welding that I've ever seen has been done by the techs in the sheet metal shop, and that was in a fabrication shop, nowhere near the planes. If he's considering working for a manufacturer, who knows what they might be looking for, or if he's even repeating the information correctly.
-Josh
Greasy fingered tinkerer.
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I'm about to become a panel technician. :roll:

Another score for my man cave project.
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... f=2&t=7716

I've located 26,000 square feet of inexpensive heavy 20 gauge galvanized panels.
Each panel weighs approximately 15 pounds. Now, that should handle the hail.
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ex framie
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Trapper,
Looks like this job here;
http://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=2c29 ... &from=serp

To my eye it would be a "process" job, take panel off, clean,put panel on.
Any inspections would be carried out by the relevant tradesman or inspector before fitting.
I dont see anything electrical about this although there may be some electrical bonding which would be taken care of by a tradesmen.
10 bucks an hour, no trade qualifications in that amount an hour, here you'd starve on that wage.
Pete

God gave man 2 heads and only enough blood to run 1 at a time. Who said God didn't have a sense of humour.....
Trapperdude464
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I beleive that's the one he said although I did tell him that the power lines hire and fire everyday. they pay a lot more plus per diem and benefits all that but he said the travel wasn't worth his time
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