• Question: In the whole of your enginerring career what is the most difficult thing you have done?

    Asked by Jack T to Sarah on 6 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Sarah Hunt

      Sarah Hunt answered on 6 Nov 2016:

      Hi Jack, thanks for your question! Hmm the most difficult thing…

      I think it was probably when I had to find a way to test an engine holder (we call it a pylon) for air leaks. It’s the same if you have a burst bicycle tyre and need to find the hole in it. However, with an aeroplane engine there are hundreds of meters of pipe, and it’s wrapped around instrumentation (a fancy word for wires that measure temperatures and pressures) and it’s impossible to see! I had to really think out of the box for this problem and it took me a long time to come up with an answer. In the end, I used a fish tank pump I found in a pet shop and a valve from a NASA spaceship! Sometimes crazy ideas are the best ones 🙂

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