5 ms·
Basic question - where will all these 747s actually physically go to be retired? Will there be a landfill somewhere with a huge amount of airplane parts? Will t
by samvaran 6y ago
Basic question - where will all these 747s actually physically go to be retired? Will there be a landfill somewhere with a huge amount of airplane parts? Will they be left to rust in some hangar in the middle of nowhere?
- jonahhorowitz 6y agoMost of them end up in dry desert areas in the southwest United States: https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/airplane-boneyards-list-and-map.htm https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/airplane-boneyards-list-an...
- Wowfunhappy 6y agoHuh—are these (presumably huge) areas guarded? Am I stupid for wondering what's to stop a group from making off with a plane?
- quickthrowman 6y agoWell, they don’t leave the keys in the ignition ;)
- sjwright 6y agoOr fuel in the tank. And it’s probably being blocked in by other planes. Those desert boneyards don’t park planes with random access in mind.
- quickthrowman 6y agoLooks like they leave fuel in the tank if it’s for short term storage, but they drain various fluids if it’s longer term storage. Probably depends on the circumstances.
- sjwright 6y agoPrecisely—and this circumstance is retirement with no prospect of a quick sale. At a guess, they’ll probably have limited parts value, only that which would be valuable to operators of 747 freighters. Mainly the engines, if they’re in good nick.
- pirocks 6y agoAs a random fun fact planes don't have keys.
- Wowfunhappy 6y agoDo they have some other authentication mechanism instead?
- anamexis 6y agoAirliners generally do not.
- plttn 6y agoThe authentication method is knowing how to fly said plane and getting in said plane in the first place. The planes that are relatively accessible aren't flightworthy without effort, and the planes that are flightworthy require violating federal law (in the US) to access them.
- worewood 6y agoI don't think the law was a deterrent to 9/11 te'rists.
- gruez 6y ago>and the planes that are flightworthy require violating federal law (in the US) to access them. That doesn't really answer the question though. Breaking into a house also violates laws, yet it happens all the time. If you've made it onto an airport tarmac, can you just steal a plane?
- Redoubts 6y agoIt's happened before https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Horizon_Air_Q400_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Horizon_Air_Q400_incident https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/12/opinions/seattle-stolen-plane-opinion-abend/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/12/opinions/seattle-stolen-plane... > most airlines do not lock airplanes because access can only be obtained by security vetted employees through jet bridges and coded door ramp access.
- stephen_g 6y agoFor planes that are being retired, they usually take the engines off pretty early because they have some of the most valuable parts for resale in them. They’d also be drained of all fluids. For planes in storage to be used again later, they fill all the fuel, hydraulic, etc. lines with special liquids to keep them preserved. So it’d be at least a week’s work for a team to get a stored plane going.
- BurningFrog 6y agoMost 747s won't be used again. Could I buy one to have in my backyard? Any idea on price?
- sjwright 6y agoAssuming you don’t have a 1500–2000 metre heavy aircraft runway in your backyard, it’s the shipping costs that would likely kill you.
- BurningFrog 6y agoI guess it would have to be disassembled and shipped in pieces. Unless a cargo blimp can take it. Do such things exist?
- lmm 6y agoThe Airlander 10 wrote off their old prototype, and has a maximum payload of 10 tonnes, whereas an unloaded 747 is about 180 tonnes. Remember it's a plane so big that they used to piggyback the space shuttle orbiters (which are not small) on it.
- BurningFrog 6y agoSounds like it could be done in 20 trips. Also sounds like even if they give the plane away, just shipping it will be a ~7 digit expense. I hereby withdraw my interest!
- mmcconnell1618 6y agoI believe just like storing a car for a long time, fluids are drained and other items removed/wrapped for storage. You can't just jump in the cockpit and taxi out to the runway. They are kept in a state that is relatively easy to restore to functioning status but not in functioning status.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- m4rtink 6y agoGood luck taking off without fuel and any ground equipment, not to mention any consumables that would have to be replaced after prolonged stay in a desert.
- dehrmann 6y agoIsn't this only for planes with some value left? Either they're for parts or might fly again? Otherwise, wouldn't you just cut up the airframe and sell it for scrap? Now, composite planes are a different story. I doubt there's any value in scrap carbon fiber.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- techdevangelist 6y agoI suspect some may be sold to freight lines for conversion but many will end up in aircraft boneyards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_boneyard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_boneyard
- xsmasher 6y agoThis guy could upgrade to a two-story house https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oquV0vvhjh0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oquV0vvhjh0
- walrus01 6y agoGoogle "desert aircraft boneyards". They will be parted out for pieces to keep remaining models of the same type flying, and when that's not economical anymore, they are cut up for aluminum scrap.
- stevehawk 6y agoThey'll almost certainly become cargo carriers. It's the main use for 747s these days.
- supernova87a 6y agoCan passenger versions get converted to cargo? edit: hmm, looked into it for a minute, and while it has been done, it doesn't sound very popular at the moment due to cost: http://www.aircargopedia.com/passengertofreightpg.htm http://www.aircargopedia.com/passengertofreightpg.htm https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/air-cargo-booms-747-freighters-needed-but-conversions-unlikely-419375 https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/air-cargo-boo...
- lsllc 6y agoCertainly can, even temporarily (this is an A380, but I assume it works for any aircraft). https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/a380-hi-fly-auxilary-freighter/index.html https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/a380-hi-fly-auxilary-frei...
- KMag 6y agoThat was the sales pitch when most observers thought the 747 was going to be the last subsonic long-haul passenger plane. "Don't worry about the supersonic plane we're currently designing, you'll be able to sell your 747 as a great easy-conversion cargo plane once the SST comes out."
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]