how long can a commerical plane fly before it is scrapped?

Answer 1

You don't typically judge an airplane by which year that it was made, rather you judge it by how many hours it has on it. For example, you could have a 1974 Cessna 172 (which sounds old), but if it only has 1,200 hours total time on it, then it is a relatively new airplane. Sure, the interior seats, avionics, etc. may all be from 1974 and look old fashioned (and it would be old fashioned!), but there are many, many companies out there that specialize in taking airplanes like that and doing complete interior, exterior, and power plant refurbishments and overhauls. They are so good at what they do that you could take your recently aquired 1974 Cessna 172, send it to such a company and when they were finished, you couldn't possibly tell it apart from a brand new one leaving the factory today. These companies have are extremely talented at breathing new lifeblood into old airplanes and making them brand new again. And companies and individuals frequently refurbish their airplane interiors, often times well before they actually need it. This is a lucrative business, but one that you have to have a lot of expertise and know-how to get involved in.

Airlines routinely fly their airplanes above and beyond 100,000 hours. FedEx, one of the wealthiest air carriers in existence, still has a large fleet of old Boeing 727s. Sure a brand new Boeing 737 would hold more cargo and cost less per hour to operate, however, their Boeing 727s are all completely paid off! It would cost them a lot to replace a still perfectly functioning Boeing 727 with a brand new 737. In fact, they would be making payments on the new 737 for many years to come. The same holds true for UPS's fleet of DC-8s.

Once airplanes are completely scrapped there is an amazing amount of stuff that is still useful, and is stripped before final destruction. When final destruction takes place most of the scrap that is left over gets melted down, sold to various manufacturers, such as aircraft manufacturers, who then make new products, such as airplanes, with it.

Answer 2

Typically about 30-40 yrs. But some airframes are time/cycle limited and some (like the 737) require extensive modification after a certain time to keep flying.

Basically an aircraft can keep on flying as long as it is economical and legal to do so.

I've worked on aircraft that were over 50 years old with 90,000hrs and 150,000 cycles, still in daily service (Convair 580). One of these aircraft has over 300,000 hours on it in Bolivia.

Answer 3

Many different aircraft have different flying life or flight cycles. A flight cycle is one take off and landing. An example of this is the Boeing 747 100. Since its certification it's cycle life has steadily been increased, as ongoing inspections and upgrades have seen its safe working life extend past even the designers expectations. The Commet on the other hand, had its cycle life reduced and it was eventually withdrawn from service early following a number of catistrofic failures. These interestingly, were to have their beginings at several windows just forward of the wing that commenced with tiny cracks desending from the window to the wing root.

Answer 4

That is a decision that is left up to the individual aircraft owner.
All aircraft have various inspection times set on them.
From time to time aircraft are brought in for maintenance & inspections at regular intervals as specified by the manufacturer.
As the aircraft gets older the airframe requires more & more repairs on it to remain airworthy, until eventually the owner decides that it would be in his best interest to stop reapairing the aircraft & take it out of service, & spend his money on a newer aircraft.
There are some aircraft that have been flying for more that 50 years & are still not showing any signs of being taken out of service.

Usually the major passenger carriers choose to turn in their old aircraft for newer ones, not because the aircraft are ready for the scrap heap. It is usually because of demands from passengers to ride in newer smoother more comfortable aircraft. As well as newer designs are more cost effective & efficient, than the older designs.

The older aircraft usually stay in commercial service with regional carriers, or with courier services. That's where most of the older commercial airliners end their operational lives.

Answer 5

If properly maintained, -- till they get tired of it and buy a new one,- then it flys some more for somebody else! There are still DC3 aircraft built in 1941 that are flying yet, and they were the mainstay of the airlines during the 50 into the 60s. Ricky Nelson was killed in a DC3 crash (in the 70s I think) Next was the DC6 and Constellations, - many of them are still in service today!

Answer 6

Technically, there is no limit to the amount of time. Every commercial aircraft has to go through scheduled maintenance for both the air frame and the power plants. When the cost of keeping the airframe and power plants exceeds the amount of money the owner is willing to spend, the aircraft are normally sold. If there are no buyers for the aircraft, they are scrapped for whatever they can get. As an owner, you just hope to get your money’s worth out of the aircraft before it reaches the cost prohibitive stage.

Answer 7

Depends on the type of plane. There are many planes in service today that have been flying for over 30 years.

Answer 8

They usually fly commerical airliners until the top peels off like the one in Hawaii a few years ago.

Answer 9

Some have airframe life limits. example a beech 58P has a 10,000 hr life before the fuselage gets retired.

Most airliners just get down graded to cargo duty, and they fly indefinately but most get retired when problems arise that exceed economical repair.

Answer 10

Don't be a fool! Do you think only Muslims would be hurt in such a horrendous act? But your point is valid in that the cost to keeping the mosque secure from just such an act would be HUGE! And more than likely, the city would pick up the lion's share of the tab... and it would be necessary FOR EVER.