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I don't have a source for that but I'd say if the airlines etc wouldn't be so subsidized there would be higher focus on developing better engines, electric plan
by dewey 7y ago
I don't have a source for that but I'd say if the airlines etc wouldn't be so subsidized there would be higher focus on developing better engines, electric planes or other technologies than in the current state where losses will just be covered by the tax payer. They wouldn't just stop operating and the "business world" would most likely not collapse.
I've talked to a bunch of people that get flown around by their company for 2h meetings at airports within Germany every day. If these wouldn't happen and would be done via video conferencing or other means that would be an improvement. Business will find a way to make it work.
- wayoutthere 7y agoThis is exactly what has happened — the 787 is the result, and is hugely popular with airlines. But the operational life of a big jet is measured in decades, and there are plenty of 50-year-old airframes in regular operation today.
- somecontext 7y agoFor some context in case anyone is curious: putting together information from various websites suggests that the following is the oldest plane in commercial service today. https://m.planespotters.net/airframe/Boeing/737/5Y-CGV-Zone-Four/bAMQCBP1 https://m.planespotters.net/airframe/Boeing/737/5Y-CGV-Zone-... It is a Boeing 737-200 and it has been in service for 43.7 years.
- TylerE 7y agoHardly. There are still DC-3's in commercial operation, and production of those ended in 1942. http://www.buffaloairways.com/ http://www.buffaloairways.com/ is one operator.
- cheerlessbog 7y agoThey have two Curtiss C-46 from 1945. Its interesting that its cheaper to continue to pay for the maintenance and fuel than lease something more modern.
- TylerE 7y agoReplacements don’t exist. Those old prop liners can operate off unimproved dirt strips, grass, even snow and ice - and off short runways too. Jets don’t like that. For back country missions the only thing maybe better than a DC-3 is a Basler... and that is a modernized DC-3 with reinforcements and turboprops for more power. They suck a lot more fuel than a plain DC3 though, which can be problematic as some of these fields they have to fly fuel in.
- goatinaboat 7y agoA C130 should be a viable modern alternative for those use cases, if economic
- somecontext 7y agoIt appears you are correct in this regard and the websites I used are not. Are there any such planes used for regular scheduled (passenger) airline services? It appears to me that Buffalo Airways is charter and cargo only.
- JAlexoid 7y agoThey don't seem to be a scheduled service operator. They look like a charter airline. Common definition of a "commercial operation" for airlines is scheduled operation, not charters. So... That boeing just may be the oldest flying airliner on scheduled routes.
- pmart123 7y agoAs the 737 Max has shown, this isn’t exactly the industry you want to “move fast and break things” by attempting to try out every late and great technology. Then there is just an issue with the business model in general. Customers typically make their purchasing decision on the lowest cost option, things like the weather are out of your control, there’s huge capital investments needed, and there’s a high risk if anything goes wrong.
- late2part 7y agodo you have any idea how many carbon emissions are created with a two hour meeting? The network, the video servers, the laptop/desktops - the monitors, the A/C to cool each of those people at the distributed locations?
- dasKrokodil 7y agoWhile it is valid to bring this up, I'm pretty sure the emissions and energy usage of a videoconference are minuscule in comparison to the flights that are replaced. Laptops will be needed in both cases, as well as A/C (if that is necessary at all).
- zanmat0 7y agoI'm pretty sure the parent comment was in jest.