P-8 Safety Diamond Area

The area is defined by lines connecting the aircraft’s nose, wingtips, and aft of the tail. 

On the P-8 what must be verified on all landing gears after the aircraft is recovered?

Verify ground safety downlock pins are installed in all landing gear. 

What must be done when floor panels have been removed on a P-8?

When floor panels have been removed, a suitable barrier and warning placards must be placed around the opening. 

What must be done when P-8 floor panels have been removed?

To preclude damage to flight control surfaces and to prevent personal injury, an outside observer should verify flight control surface area is clear before operating flight controls. 

What are located on the exterior of the aircraft to alert personnel to specific risk areas?

Aircraft Safety Placards. Placards on the exterior of the aircraft alert personnel to specific risk areas. The placards are on engine intakes, the weapons bay, and other hazard areas. Be aware of all safety placards and the hazards they identify. 

What are the Wing Control Surfaces and what hazards do they present?

Wing Control Surfaces. Flaps and slats are movable flight control surfaces on the wings. When the leading edge flaps and slats, and trailing edge flaps, are extended, there may be insufficient clearance for personnel and equipment. Moving flaps can cause personal injury or damage to equipment. 

P-8 Materials and Corrosion

The P-8 aircraft is of all metal construction. Corrosion has been found to exist principally along the seams of aluminum alloy structures, in box beam skin areas and around plated steel fasteners. Other corrosion prone areas of the aircraft are located on unpainted surfaces of actuating mechanisms, painted surfaces that are chipped or peeled, skin seams, lap joints, and areas where dirt and grime can collect. Rub strips, access doors, cowling areas and crevices are corrosion prone due to their affinity for accumulating moisture and cleaning compound residues. 

P-8 Fuselage

The P-8A consists of a forward section encompassing the flight station, the mid body section, and the aft fuselage section including the tail cone. 

P-8 Wings

The P-8A utilizes Boeing 737-900 wings consisting of leading and tailing edge, ailerons, flaps, slats, spoilers, engine mounts, and can be fitted with weapon pylons. 

P-8 Flaps and Slats

The flaps and slats are high lift devices that increase wing lift and decrease stall speed during takeoff, low speed maneuvering and landing. Leading Edge (LE) devices consist of four flaps and eight slats. Trailing Edge (TE) devices consist of two flaps inboard and four slats outboard of each engine. 

P-8 Flight Spoilers

Four flight spoilers are located on the upper surface of each wing. Flight spoiler panels are used as speed brakes to increase drag and reduce lift, both in flight and on the ground. The flight spoilers also supplement roll control in response to control wheel commands. 

P-8 Autopilot System

The autopilot system is available to control and stabilize the aircraft about its three axes (roll, pitch, and yaw) upon the pilot’s selection. 

P-8 Landing Gear Assembly

The P-8A landing gear is a fully retractable tricycle type gear design with air/oil struts consisting of two main landing gear and a single nose gear. The nose gear extends down and aft however the main gears extend down and sideways. Each main gear is a conventional two–wheel landing gear unit. The nose gear is a conventional steerable two–wheel unit. 

P-8 Struts

Absorbs the shock that otherwise would be sustained by the aircraft structure during takeoff and taxiing, and landing. 

P-8 Brake Assembly

Each main gear wheel has a multi–disc hydraulic powered brake. The brake pedals provide independent control of the left and right brakes. The nose wheels have no brakes. 

P-8 Antiskid Protection System

Antiskid protection is provided in the normal and alternate brake systems. The normal brake hydraulic system provides each main gear wheel with individual antiskid protection. When the system detects a skid, the associated antiskid valve reduces brake pressure until skidding stops. 

P-8 Autobrake System 

The autobrake system uses hydraulic system pressure to provide maximum deceleration for rejected takeoff and automatic braking at preselected deceleration rates immediately after touchdown. 

P-8 Parking Brake

The parking brake can be set with either hydraulic system’s pressure or from the brake accumulator. 

P-8 Wheels

The P-8A landing gear consists of a dual wheel assembly mounted on each strut. 

P-8 Engine Inlet Suction Area

Personnel must stay a safe distance from the inlet when an engine is running. Getting too close to an engine inlet could result in serious injury or damage to equipment. When personnel are near a running engine, loose items must be secured to prevent possible engine damage caused by ingestion. During engine operation, there is sufficient suction at the inlet cowl to pull an individual into the engine inlet. Fatal injury could result. 

P-8 Engine Exhaust Area

When the engines are running, the force and heat of the exhaust air extends far behind the aircraft. The force from exhaust air can blow over individuals and vehicles on the flight line, causing injury or damage. The exhaust area increases as the engines spool up from idle to takeoff power. 

What lights must be on while the P-8's engines are running?

Anti-collision lights on the top and bottom of the aircraft should be flashing while the engines are running. 

P-8 Power Plant Assemblies

The P-8A is powered by two CFM56–7B engines. The engine is a dual–rotor, axial–flow turbofan. The N1 rotor consists of a fan, a low–pressure compressor and a low–pressure turbine. The N2 rotor consists of a high–pressure compressor and a high–pressure turbine. 

P-8 Engine Power Lever System

Each engine has individual flight deck controls. Thrust is set by positioning the thrust levers. The thrust levers are positioned automatically by the autothrottle system or manually by the flight crew. The forward thrust levers control forward thrust from idle to maximum. The reverse thrust levers control thrust from reverse idle to maximum reverse. 

P-8 Fuel Tanks

Fuel Tanks are divided into five fuel tank groups (Main 1, Main 2, Center, Forward Tank Group, and Aft Tank Group) and two surge tanks. Each tank can supply fuel to its respective engine or fuel can be supplied from any tank to any engine through a cross feed system. When the APU fuel pump is feeding fuel to the APU, the fuel is being supplied from main tank No. 1. 

P-8 Fuel System

The P-8A fuel feed system, Engine Fuel Feed and Integrated Drive Generator Cooling System (IDG), consist of fuel tanks, boost pumps, fuel lines and fittings, and shutoff valves to convey and control the flow of fuel from the tanks to the engines and APU at the proper pressure and flow rates. The inlets for these pumps are located so as to maximize the usable fuel in the high-speed cruise regime. 

P-8 OBIGGS

The Onboard Inert Gas Generating System (OBIGGS) for the P-8A provides Nitrogen-Enriched Air (NEA) to the center, wing and auxiliary fuel tanks to protect against ballistic threats. NEA keeps the tanks at or below a 9% oxygen level through the entire design flight profile. 

P-8 Aerial Refueling

The P-8A has aerial refueling capability. A standard military aircraft refueling receiver known as the Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation (UARRSI) is installed in the crown of the aircraft. The receptacle door aft edge drops down to expose the receiver. A boom from the tanker is then inserted into the receiver to transfer fuel. A dual wall fuel manifold leads from the UARRSI to the center tank through the upper lobe of the aircraft. Lights on both sides of the slipway provide illumination for nighttime refueling. 

P-8 Total Fuel Capacity

The total fuel capacity of the P-8A is 10,856 gallons. 

P-8 Engine Bleed Air System

Engine bleed air thermal anti–icing prevents the formation of ice on the engine cowl lip. Engine anti–ice operation is controlled by individual ENG ANTI–ICE switches. The engine anti–ice system may be operated on the ground or in flight. The wing anti–ice system provides protection for the three inboard leading edge slats by using bleed air. The wing anti–ice system does not include the leading edge flaps or the outboard leading edge slats. Engine anti-ice in conjunction with wing anti-ice, empennage and wingtip de-ice (electrical), windshield heat (electrical), and windshield wipers make the P-8A an all-weather capable aircraft. 

P-8 APU

The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) is a self–contained gas turbine engine installed within a fireproof compartment located in the tail of the aircraft. The APU supplies bleed air for engine starting or air conditioning, and the APU starter generator provides AC power. The APU starts and operates in flight up to the aircraft maximum certified altitude. The APU supplies bleed air for both air conditioning on the ground or in flight. 

Extreme caution shall be taken when around hydraulic systems under pressure to avoid accidental injection of fluid under the skin. Fluid injection can result in serious injury; get immediate medical attention.

Hydraulic Theory Basics

P-8 Hydraulic Pumps

The P-8A has two electrically (AC) driven hydraulic pumps, and two engine-driven pumps. The engine-driven pumps are located on either engine. 

Liquid Force Distribution

As stated in Pascal’s law, when pressure is exerted on an enclosed liquid force it is evenly distributed to all actuators and or valves throughout the hydraulic system through hydraulic lines. 

Valves

Valves direct the flow of fluid to the various actuating units. Additionally each valve is considered a part of its related actuating system. 

P-8 Reservoirs

Each hydraulic system has a fluid reservoir located in the main wheel well area. System A and B reservoirs are pressurized by bleed air. The standby system reservoir is connected to the system B reservoir for pressurization and servicing. 

Hydraulic Booster Assemblies. 

The booster system is designed so the pilot has a normal feel of control forces when hydraulic pressure is available to the booster cylinders. Hydraulic flight control boosters operated by both hydraulic systems are incorporated in each of the three surface control systems. 

Entry Door

Service Door

Egress Door

Cargo Door

2 Over-Wing Doors

2 Flight Station Windows

Sensing Relays

Circuit Breakers

Voltage Regulators

P-8 Mission Systems

RADAR

Standoff

HERO - 302'

HERF - 500'

HERP - 213'

P-8 Mission Systems

Avionics

Electro-Optics (EO)

Acoustic Processor

Electronic Support Measures (ESM)

P-8 Mission Systems

Instrumentation and Displays

Common Display System (CDS)

Heads-Up Display (HUD)

P-8 Mission Systems

Navigation

Automatic Direction Finder (ADF)

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)

Inertial Navigation System (INS)

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Flight Management System (FMS)

P-8 Mission Systems

Communication

Intercommunications System (ICS)

UHF (LOS)

VHF (LOS)

HF (Long Range)

Mini-DAMA (SATCOM)

Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)

Secure Comms

P-8 Mission Systems

RADAR

Search RADAR

Inverse Synthetic Aperture RADAR (ISAR)

Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR)

P-8 Mission Systems

Countermeasures

Early Warning and Self Protection (EWSP)

detect and jam enemy threats

4 Countermeasure Dispensing System (CDS)

Search and Kill Stores

Safety

Bomb Bay Doors

Sonobuoy Safety Switch

Search and Kill Stores

Sonobuoy Stores

Pneumatic Launch System

3 10-buoy rotary launchers

33+

Search and Kill Stores

Weapons and Ordinance

A/C Components

Pylons

Bomb Racks

Missle Launchers

Search and Kill Stores

Weapons and Ordinance

Missiles

Air to Ground (AGM)

Air-Lauched Training (ATM)

Captive Air Training (CATM)

Dummy Air Training (DATM)

Search and Kill Stores

Weapons and Ordinance

Bombs

Cluster Bombs

Practice Bombs

Live Bombs

Mines

Torpedoes

Aircrew Survival Equipment

Enviromental Control

Atmosphere less than 10000'

Aircrew Survival Equipment

No Parachutes

Life Vests

12-Man Life Rafts (2)

Crash Axe

Fixed Oxygen (19)

Portable Oxygen (5)

Mini Oxygen

First Aid Kit (2)

Fire Extinguisher (6)

Survival Suits (21)

Emergency Destruct Kit (1)

Internal

6 portable fire bottles

FE-36 for the pressurized cabin

Monnex for the unpressurized areas

External

2 Engine fire extinguishers /engine

Auto

Dry Bay Fire Protection System