Gravel Kits

There is a rather large mining and exploration company called Falconbridge that operates here in Quebec. A very nice "falcon "on the tail, isn't it. This bright and beautiful morning in Rouyn Noranda, we had the pleasure of watching their corporate 737-200combi (fancy talk for - combination of people and cargo) getting ready for a trip up to a mine.



All the passenger seats are in the back.



Airplanes can have modifications done to prevent damage from operating into unprepared airstrips (gravel). Often, it is a system that prevents rocks being kicked up by the tires, from damaging the fuselage and engines.......... Although it's hard to see in this picture, a large metal plate can be fitted to the aft of the nose landing gear for this purpose.



What I learned on this fine sunny morning, is what the job of this little tube below the engine intake is. I had seen it before on some other 737-200, but could never figure it out. It is part of the gravel kit modification, as I've described above. Apparently, upon touchdown, it shoots out high pressure bleed air (excess compressed combustion air) to create an invisible wall to repel any rocks from entering the engineor damaging the fuselage. A handful of rocks in the engine could mean a bill of a couple-of-million-dollars, for a new engine.



I guess you learn something new everyday...............