“Lubrication is the Lifeblood of the Airplane”

Lubrication is needed for everything in the airplane industry, from the landing gear to the gear box for the engines. The safe operation of the aircraft depends on it.

The Lifeblood of the Airplane

Dave Nickson co-founded U.K.-based Sil-Mid, which stocks a wide range of lubricants from manufacturers including Shell Aviation and Henkel Bonderite. He explains that the safe operation of the aircraft depends on lubricants that respond to the higher standards.

An example of this is the aircraft’s wheel bearing grease. For several hours it has been subject to very low temperatures while in the air, but on the wheel making contact with the runway, it must cope with a dramatic rise—and then carry out this role over many cycles before being changed.

Alex Drummond, engineering manager at BCT Aviation Maintenance adds:

Checking, changing and analyzing lubricants forms a vital part of the multitude of checks every aircraft has to go through, from daily right up to D check, where the entire plane is taken apart for inspection. This is because lubrication is the lifeblood of the airplane.

Courtesy of Shell