How long to change a tire on MD-80?

The correct answer is:

As long as the airline feels like they should take.

:)
 
Can’t speak for MD-80, but I’ve seen them change a wheel on an A320 in about 45 minutes.
Even jacked the plane with the folks still on board.
 
Delta’s trying to change the tire on the taxiway next to 27R. Maintenance declared it unsafe to taxi back to get gate so they are trying to do it out here, but they can’t get the jack under it.

I figure in a half hour hour they’ll give up and deplane us and have to bus us back to the terminal
 
At least I’m not on Spirit. They’d probably still be waiting for enough passengers to swipe their cards to pay for the new tire.
 
Unfortunately, I don’t think fix a flat works when the tire actually blows up.

Good news is that once they got the right jack out to us, the actual change was quicker than changing a car tire.
 
Changing the tire? 30 minutes
Filing the paperwork... 1 hour.
Getting re-inserted into the schedule... 30 minutes to an hour, longer during a push.
 
Is that something you can do in the field? I thought those tires were filled with nitrogen?
 
Changing the tire? 30 minutes
Filing the paperwork... 1 hour.
Getting re-inserted into the schedule... 30 minutes to an hour, longer during a push.
This.

So, after the tire change, we taxi back to a gate. They announce that they have to take care of all the paperwork and refuel and be re-dispatched.

Then 30 min later, they tell us that it’s going to take too long to turn the airplane back around, so they deplane us and change airplanes.

Finally back in the air on our way to Providence 4 hours after the initial pushback.
 
Is that something you can do in the field? I thought those tires were filled with nitrogen?

Why would the fact the tires are filled with nitrogen preclude changing a wheel/tire assy in the field? You do know that they don’t actually mount a new tire on the wheel out on the line, right?
 
Unfortunately, I don’t think fix a flat works when the tire actually blows up.

Good news is that once they got the right jack out to us, the actual change was quicker than changing a car tire.

I trust they replaced both tires/wheels on that axle and not just the flat one.
 
Is that something you can do in the field? I thought those tires were filled with nitrogen?
They have wheelie carts with nitrogen bottles; one was brought to my plane when my nose strut collapsed ('cuz my air gauge was defective and drained it!)
 
I trust they replaced both tires/wheels on that axle and not just the flat one.
They’ll only change the tire that needed changing. No need to change another tire on the truck.
 
It looks like the tow driver started too quickly, or they still had the brakes set on the plane. I'll bet somebody's head rolled over that one. Ouch.

That made my head hurt. That can't possibly be the only time that's happened though.
 
They’ll only change the tire that needed changing. No need to change another tire on the truck.

Most large jets that I’ve worked on required that both be changed if the pressure in either was below a certain amount. I don’t have experience on the MD80 so if your experience working on them is that it isn’t necessary then I defer to your knowledge and experience on that model. I just know on the Boeings and Lockheeds that I’ve worked on the AMM made it a mandatory double change.
 
Tire change at the gate about 30 mins........and agree on both have to be changed if the other one was low also.......
 
They brought two tires out to the aircraft, but only ended up changing the one that blew.
 
Most large jets that I’ve worked on required that both be changed if the pressure in either was below a certain amount. I don’t have experience on the MD80 so if your experience working on them is that it isn’t necessary then I defer to your knowledge and experience on that model. I just know on the Boeings and Lockheeds that I’ve worked on the AMM made it a mandatory double change.
Not a mechanic, just a pilot. I’m not saying you’re incorrect, but in all my years of doing walkarounds and reading ARDs, I don’t ever recall seeing two tire changes at the same time. The majority of the tires changes I’ve seen have been for worn tires to the cord limit, not flat/low pressure/blown, so maybe that’s the difference.
 
Not a mechanic, just a pilot. I’m not saying you’re incorrect, but in all my years of doing walkarounds and reading ARDs, I don’t ever recall seeing two tire changes at the same time. The majority of the tires changes I’ve seen have been for worn tires to the cord limit, not flat/low pressure/blown, so maybe that’s the difference.

Yep. That’s the difference.
 
Yep. That’s the difference.
Now I’m intrigued. And the more I think about it, the more I remember something like that. Is it because with a blown/deflated tire, the opposite tire on the truck is bearing more weight and has maybe been stressed to the point where failure is more likely?
 
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