An Airport Worker Revealed All The Tape That 'Holds Planes Together' & TikTok Is Shocked
This is fine. Really!
Screen grabs of the TikTok showing the tape on the plane.
Have you ever looked out the window of a plane before takeoff and spotted duct tape on the wings?
We don't blame you if that makes you feel a little uneasy, but that's not actually duct tape -- and apparently, that stuff is used more often than you think.
A runway employee at an airport left TikTok shocked after he showed off all the unexpected tape jobs that he's seen on planes.
And it's a lot.
TikTok user @11.11.eleven.11.11's video has amassed over 2 million views so far, and it shows several different shots of plane parts that have a silver, duct tape-like material holding them together.
The caption over to the video said: “POV, you start to notice all the tape and flex seal that holds planes together.”
That caption might be enough to throw a nervous flyer over the edge and never want to board a plane again.
@11.11.eleven.11.11 Any other rampers notice this all the time 😭😭 #rampagent #airportlifestyle #milehighclub #fyp
However, the TikToker’s video is a little misleading because the material is not actually the regular old duct tape that you can buy at the store.
The tape used on planes is called "speed tape." I’s a heavy-duty aluminum bonding tape; and believe it or not, it’s strong enough to hold a plane together.
Ask The Pilot blogger and pilot Patrick Smith once explained how the whole stuff works, after photos sparked an internet scare about the tape a few years back.
“It’s a temporary fix, and it’s used only on superficial or noncritical components until more substantive repairs are made later on,” wrote Smith in his article.
The pressure-sensitive tape is approved for use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and it’s been engineered to stick to the plane and withstand the pressure even when travelling at 550 mph, reported Conde Nast Traveler.
So if those shiny patch jobs make you worried, don’t be. It’s completely safe.
But if you're still feeling nervous, don’t go into the comments section because it will only make you feel worse.
The top comment under the view with 33,000 likes revealed another secret about planes we could have lived on without knowing.
“Wait till they find out planes can be missing rivets and screws and still be fine,” read the comment. The creator of the TikTok replied: “They ain’t ready for that conversation yet.”
Yikes.
Another commenter wrote, “nah, they fixing em with ramen,” referring to the old school TikTok trend where people would fix things like sinks with dried ramen noodles.
So the next time you board a flight, we recommend you don't go looking too hard for tape on the aircraft.
But if you do spot it, just remember: that's no ordinary duct tape!