Spirit worker seen taping plane wing before flight. Don’t worry, it wasn’t duct tape
Most people buy into the idea that duct tape can fix anything.
But, sitting on a plane, that belief goes out the window when you see an employee taping down the wing.
In a viral TikTok video, one Spirit Airlines passenger was shocked when she saw an employee put what looked like duct tape along the wing of the plane she was about to take.
“I don’t care if it is aviation airplane tape or nothing, the fact that you have to tape the plane together and then (you’re) doing it while people are on the flight like we cannot see you,” she says in the video.
@myhoneysmacks Im only flying southwest now #spirit #spiritairlines #plane #planecrash #cockpit #airline #flight #fly #scary #omg #mindboggling ♬ original sound - My Honey Smacks Youtuber
Sitting on the tarmac at the Nashville International Airport, the TikToker filmed the employee roll a silver tape along one of the seams of the plane wing. The employee pats the tape down, then goes on with pre-flight duties.
“You flying all around the world and you got tape holding it together?” the TikToker questioned.
The video, posted April 26, now has more than 1.6 million views on TikTok.
Some of those viewers shared the TikToker’s concern.
“Fly with Spirit and become a spirit,” one person commented.
“Why are you still sitting in the plane!!!” another said.
But other commenters said it was nothing to worry about and even common practice.
“This is called Speed Tape used to perform minor repairs on airplanes,” one commenter said. “Every airline uses it including Southwest.”
“This is an industry norm, you just happen to see it,” another said.
A Spirit Airlines spokesperson told McClatchy News speed tape isn’t new.
”The safety of our Guests and Team Members is always our top priority, and we’re recognized in the industry for our safety practices,” Spirit said in an email.
What is speed tape?
Aluminum tape, commonly known as “speed tape” in the industry, is a material that is used to help streamline the plane when a section becomes exposed to the airstream.
“There’s never going to be a piece of garden-variety duct tape used on an airplane,” John Nance, a pilot and safety consultant, told The Washington Post. “So if you’re looking at it, it’s called speed tape, and it’s very, very specifically designed to do whatever it is they’re trying to make it do.”
It’s used in aviation, but also other industries including automotive, electronics, construction and in the military, according to 3M, a product manufacturer.
Speed tape is made of a high-grade aluminum foil with an adhesive backing and is much stronger than your dad’s duct tape.
3M says its tape can withstand temperatures ranging from -65 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, is protective against ultraviolet and thermally conductive.
Nance told the Washington Post that speed tape isn’t a permanent fix, but it is a perfectly safe way to prevent further weathering on plane exteriors for flights until it can be fixed.
“This is usually skin, but you don’t want anything peeling back further than it might already have started peeling back,” he told the news outlet. “There’s just no way this day and time to explain to passengers. They think you’re holding the airplane together with baling wire and Scotch tape.”
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