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Does this make any of you fearful about getting on a plane? I mean, with all this airing of dirty laundry and scrambling I feel like mistakes are more likely no

Does this make any of you fearful about getting on a plane? I mean, with all this airing of dirty laundry and scrambling I feel like mistakes are more likely now than ever, plus no new planes = we are stuck on old hardware, and when those planes do go back into service they will have been outside collecting rust.

Aloha 7y ago
Look at average fleet age, and tell me if a couple months adds up to a hill of beans.
s1artibartfast 7y ago
it is not uncommon do mothball planes and return them to service. Here is a decent article from when many were mothballed in 2009: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airlines-park-idle-planes-in-the-desert/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airlines-park-idle-planes-in-th...
mark-r 7y ago
"outside collecting rust" seems a little harsh. Aren't planes designed to be outside 24/7 under conditions a bit more strenuous than being parked?
- dvdkdndjc 7y ago
  Well not necessarily more strenuous. Parked they’re exposed to the ground level weather, which might be harsher than in the air. - Less water - Less sodium if parked near a sea Chemically it seems better to be above the clouds then bellow them.
  - Aloha 7y ago
    I believe the bulk of the produces MAX's are parked in renton near the factory - or at Boeing Field in Seattle.
  - burfog 7y ago
    Chemically, a big factor is ozone at high altitude. It has caused window problems.
  - cesarb 7y ago
    I read somewhere that the most strenuous thing to an aircraft's structure is pressurization cycles, which properly parked aircraft aren't going through.
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  Technically: aluminium doesn't rust, it corrodes. The corrosion in air is near instantaneous, and, unlike rust on iron, forms an impervious barrier, preventing further degredation. Mind: aircraft are not comprised entirely of aluminium, and there are components which may suffer degredation. Airframe-as-a-whole, however, not so much. There are also aircraft which have been in continuous active service for decades -- the DC-3 and B-52 being two notable cases. These do see periodic overhauls, but net environmental exposure isn't the limiting factor. Flight-cycles, and cumulative metal fatigue (a distinct problem of aluminium to a much greater extent than iron or steel) is. Both wing flex cycles and pressurisation/depressurisation (takeoff-landing cycles) are far more significant.

Aloha 7y ago

Look at average fleet age, and tell me if a couple months adds up to a hill of beans.

s1artibartfast 7y ago

it is not uncommon do mothball planes and return them to service. Here is a decent article from when many were mothballed in 2009: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airlines-park-idle-planes-in-the-desert/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airlines-park-idle-planes-in-th...

mark-r 7y ago

"outside collecting rust" seems a little harsh. Aren't planes designed to be outside 24/7 under conditions a bit more strenuous than being parked?

dvdkdndjc 7y ago
Well not necessarily more strenuous. Parked they’re exposed to the ground level weather, which might be harsher than in the air. - Less water - Less sodium if parked near a sea Chemically it seems better to be above the clouds then bellow them.
- Aloha 7y ago
  I believe the bulk of the produces MAX's are parked in renton near the factory - or at Boeing Field in Seattle.
- burfog 7y ago
  Chemically, a big factor is ozone at high altitude. It has caused window problems.
- cesarb 7y ago
  I read somewhere that the most strenuous thing to an aircraft's structure is pressurization cycles, which properly parked aircraft aren't going through.
dredmorbius 7y ago
Technically: aluminium doesn't rust, it corrodes. The corrosion in air is near instantaneous, and, unlike rust on iron, forms an impervious barrier, preventing further degredation. Mind: aircraft are not comprised entirely of aluminium, and there are components which may suffer degredation. Airframe-as-a-whole, however, not so much. There are also aircraft which have been in continuous active service for decades -- the DC-3 and B-52 being two notable cases. These do see periodic overhauls, but net environmental exposure isn't the limiting factor. Flight-cycles, and cumulative metal fatigue (a distinct problem of aluminium to a much greater extent than iron or steel) is. Both wing flex cycles and pressurisation/depressurisation (takeoff-landing cycles) are far more significant.