5
Found out a 747 has like 171 miles of wiring inside it
Was reading an old maintenance manual from the 80s last night while waiting for parts and stumbled on that stat. I've been pulling wires on these birds for 5 years and never actually thought about the total length until I saw that number. Has anyone else run across a random fact from an old manual that just blew your mind?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
noahw532d ago
Man, 171 miles. That's wild. Did the manual say how much of that is just the stuff they run through the wing roots and tail section vs. the actual control cables? I've always wondered if the wiring in a 747 is mostly for instruments and lights or if there's a hidden web of it just for entertainment systems and galley stuff. Feels like you'd hit critical mass on weight before you even get to the fuel.
3
jordangibson2d agoTop Commenter
They say "you'd hit critical mass on weight before you even get to the fuel" but I gotta call that out. The whole plane is built around carrying fuel and heavy stuff. A few hundred extra pounds of wire is nothing compared to the fuel tanks themselves, which hold like 50,000 gallons. And most of that wiring is aluminum or copper anyway, it's not like they're using lead. Plus they shave weight everywhere else, like those thin seats and plastic trays. I bet the in-flight entertainment system and those little screens weigh more than the control cables do. Is it really that big a deal when you're talking about a plane that weighs 400,000 pounds empty?
0