From: ehahn@bongo.mitre.org (Ed Hahn)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va.
Date: 31 Mar 94 00:29:51 PST
References: 1
Followups: 1
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In article <airliners.1994.1063@orchard.Chicago.COM> laewell@iastate.edu (Lars A Ewell) writes:
I recently flew on an Airbus 320 (Northwest). I
noticed that underneath the wings there were what appeared
to be support 'struts'. I think that there were three of
them on each wing. On the end (tail side) of these 'struts'
there was a black rod sticking out. It looked similar to a
car antenna. There were similar rods (five I think) sticking
out of the winglets. What are these rods? In addition, are
the 'struts' called struts and are they used for support?
thanx,
Lars Ewell
----
The black rods are static discharger wicks. They dissapate static
charge which may accumulate on the airframe to the airstream, but I
don't know the exact mechanism. I think they are used to improve comm
radio performance; anyone know for sure?
By struts, I assume that you are talking about the flap actuator
fairings. They surround the flap extension/retraction mechanism to
eliminate excess drag (and provide some protection). One of the
unique features of all Airbus aircraft are the large flap fairings
under the wings.
Hope this helps.
ed
//////// Ed Hahn | ehahn@mitre.org | (703) 883-5988 \\\\\\\\
The above comment reflects the opinions of the author, and does not
constitute endorsement or implied warranty by the MITRE Corporation.
Really, I wouldn't kid you about a thing like this.
