In aircraft years — how old is too old?

San Antonio Express News ^ | 16 April 2011 | Scott Mayerowitz

[rlmorel]

At various points in their lives, military planes are sent to facilities that tear them down, replace wire harnesses, do compete and thorough structural checks, etc. When the planes return to the squadron they are like new. I expect they do the same with airliners...or, at least, I HOPE they do the same...:)

[Young Werther]

The Space Shuttle’s life was 100 flights.The five shuttles flew 140 times. Why are they being retired? Congression age and IQ are 9!

[Jack Hydrazine]

They also said the Shuttle would be cheap access to space but now a flight costs close to a billion dollars. All the Shuttle proponents did was lie through their teeth.

[rellimpank]

—the B-52’s apppear to be good for another fifty or so—

[Victor]

Northwest’s fleet of DC-9s comes to mind....

[Venturer]

DC-3’s are still flying.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Not worry.

http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/174858.html#theContent

Obama wants everybody to take the train ....

[Jack Hydrazine]

Train, bicycle, or walk. He wants America to be more like China or Cuber.

[hoagy62]

DC-3’s aren’t pressurized aircraft. Do you know how much stress pressurization puts on an aircraft?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A few years ago, wife and I flew from Huatulco to Oaxaca, Mexico in a beautiful Air Liberdad DC 3. It was painted gleaming white with a blue lightning bolt down the fuselage.

[BobL]

“—the B-52’s apppear to be good for another fifty or so—”

Yea, to 2040 (80 years old) at this point...but probably longer after that, since we no longer see a need to build bombers in such a peaceful world....

[sasquatch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)

Milt Miner (halfway down) is my uncle.

[Waverunner]

And it's a shame that the Air Force and Congress can't approve a realistic design for a new heavy bomber. Sometimes stealth isn't the answer.( 1 B-52 sortie over Baghdad = a whole lot of B-2 F-117 and F15 strikes).

[Grut]

When the planes return to the squadron they are like new.

Actually (at least back in the '70s), bringing a plane back from depot was scary, they were so buggy - about four times as many malfunctions as on a typical training flight. It usually took a couple of flights for local maintenance to glue 'em back together.

[sasquatch]

...looking for a better link; sorry...

[ErnBatavia]

The old Eastern Airlines flew notorious buckets-of-bolts....only to be outdone by Aloha’s interisland fleet.

[sasquatch]

Better?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)

[sasquatch]

Cannot get the close paren. ‘)’ on the link.
Do so in the url by hand and it’ll get to the right page.

Milt Miner worked on cyclic fatigue of multiple levels of stress...

[Racehorse]

Fatigue (material)

Thanks for the link, Sasquatch!