Qantas is preparing to begin international travel again in November, but with many of its planes parked up in California it’s a full-time job to keep the planes ready to go.
Many Airbus A380s are waiting at great expense, far away from Australia, among nearly 500 grounded planes.
Engineers tasked with maintaining its fleet of A380 superjumbos stored in California's Mojave Desert have had to create a desert workshop in the hot, dry location, 140km from Los Angeles.
Qantas Engineering Manager, Tim Heywood says the beauty of the dry, desert heat means it keeps the humidity out of the air.
“The airplane doesn’t get corrosion problems from the atmosphere and water getting into the aircraft,” he says.
Until the A380s are ready to go, they have to undergo daily checks – every window on the multi-million dollar planes are sealed, as is every opening.
The engines are tested, the tyres are monitored and sometime even rattle snakes need to be chased away.
Once the planes are set off from the desert, a return-to-service check, worth about 1,000 hours each will need to be done.
Qantas is already planning international routes, starting with the smaller Dreamliners followed by mid-next-year by the A380s.
SHARE ME