Aircraft mechanic explains why ‘duct tape’ on this airliner engine isn’t what it looks like
A plane mechanic has finally explained the viral video of “duct tape” on an airliner jet engine — and revealed what it’s really used for.
“We looked out of our window and saw this,” the caption reads on the original video, which zooms in on a fin-like structure on the engine to show what looks like several strips of duct tape.
“So, yeah, that’s not actually duct tape. That’s speed tape. I’m an aircraft mechanic,” Max, a bearded man with chest-length flaxen hair who goes by the handle “airplanefactswithmax” explains to the audience in a clip viewed on X more than 10 million times.
“Speed tape is an aluminum based tape designed specifically for aviation due to the high speeds and the large temperature differentials that aircraft are subjected to,” he says in his signature informative, yet emotionless monotone, brandishing a roll of the stuff for the camera.
“In this instance, [it’s] most likely being used as a temporary sealant for the forward part of this component,” he says, grasping the fin-like protuberance on the side of the engine, which he explains is called a “strake” and whose purpose is to “help redirect airflow coming around the engine and over the aircraft’s wing to increase the wing’s lift efficiency.”
At this point in his answer, Max diverts into one of his signature tangents about lore from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” — a feature of all of his videos.
After the 30-second aside about Aragorn’s breaking of the siege of Minas Tirith with an army of the undead, Max offers a conclusion to his explanation about speed tape.
“But, yeah, speed tape doesn’t actually hold anything together. In this case, it’s keeping moisture from getting underneath this component,” he says — gesturing to the strake.
Airplanefactswithmax has over 1 million followers between TikTok and Instagram, a milestone he reached through his impressive ability to explain everything you ever wanted to know about the inner workings of a jet engine — and some of the most obscure details about “The Lord of the Rings.”
