Caught on Tape with Tape on Wing!
A photo showing Duct tape spread out all over the wing of an Air New Zealand planer last week set off a firestorm on social media, but now the airline is saying it's not what you think.
Australian opera singer David Wakeham tweeted the photo showing silver tape all over the wing of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and wrote, "When choosing your favorite airline, choose wisely. Profits before safety." Naturally, everyone was shocked and assumed the tape was used to make repairs to a wing -- a pretty important part of an airplane. But the airline insists there was nothing wrong with the plane and the tape was not being used for repairs. It's actually a commonly used material called "speed tape," and was most likely used to cover up peeling paint, which has been a problem with this particular Boeing plane. A Boeing spokesperson says, "The peeling does not affect the structural integrity of the wing, and does not affect the safety of flight." (NY Post) CHECK OUT THE TWEET BELOW.
Scott's Thoughts:
- If I get on a plane and see the wing wrapped in tape, I'm getting off that plane.
- Nothing against Duct tape. If it happened to have been used to keep the wing together, I would would trust it.
- Still, it's not a good look for the airline. Get that paint situation fixed.
- Half of the radio stations I have worked for are held together with duct tape and bailing wire.