Falcon 7X: Opening and Closing the Cowl—It’s a two-man job!

Cowl Holding Rods

Opening and closing a cowl on a Falcon 7X sounds easy enough, but I want to express to you that unless great care is used during the process, you are at a higher risk of damaging the opening prop rods.

Opening Prop Rod

The prop rods on the #1 and #3 engine lower cowls are located at the front and aft outboard ends of the engine. They have a latched hook that engages with a hard point on the engine. Any unbalanced side load to either of these rods will break the end of the latch. The latch receptacle breaks when one rod is disconnected and the cowl is propped up alone with only one adjacent rod.

If this happens, the entire rod will require replacement.

It Takes Two

There is a warning in AMM task code 54-11-00-860-801 on holding the cowl secure.

Make sure that you hold the engine 1 or 3 lower cowling when you release and disengage the latches, there can be unexpected movements when you release and disengage the latches. Continue to hold it until it is safetied with the forward and aft hold-open rod. If you do not obey this instruction, you can cause injury to personnel and damage to equipment.

This procedure should be strictly adhered to and I recommend two people work together: one to hold the cowl and another to operate the latches.