Midwest's 737-600 was the second Next Generation to be disassembled after a Ryanair 737-800 © Air Salvage International
Olivier Bonnassies with Flight International, did a wonderful write-up on newer airliners finding their way into the scrap heap.
Recently an 11 year old Boeing 737-600, a two year old Boeing 737-800 and an Airbus A318 were sent to the scrap pile. It is nothing new when an old and worn airliner makes its way to the scrap pile, but these were both newer, 737 Next Generation aircraft. It seems in this economy, some airplanes are worth more parted out than they are flying.
“We were surprised by the amount of bidders, mainly tear-down companies,” says International Bureau of Aviation’s commercial director, who handled the sale of the 737-600 commercial. The Boeing 737-600 is a pretty rare aircraft with only 68 currently in service. This means its parts are going to be worth more than a widely used aircraft like the Boeing 737-700.
The Airbus A318 is in a similar situation. There are only 72 A318’s in operation. Even though there are many common parts between the Boeing 737 Next Generation and Airbus A320 family, there aren’t many that have already been scrapped off for parts and with the A318 and 737-600 being the smallest in the family, they are some of the least economical per seat to fly.
Another problem is airlines are having harder times getting financing on used aircraft. Airlines don’t have the cash to buy new aircraft nor the financial ability to lease older ones. With many airlines choosing to keep airplanes longer, it makes a parted out aircraft worth more. It is believed that as many as 1,800 parts will be re-used out of the Boeing 737-600 including the interior cabin.
To learn more, check out Bonnassies’ full write up at Flight International.
Four US Airways aircraft in three different liveries. Closes is special Allegheny livery (N745VJ)
One of my readers, Drew, sent this awesome photo to me that he took at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and I wanted to share. This photo shows an Airbus A319 in old Allegheny livery next to an Airbus A321 in new US Airways livery. If you take a look in the background you can also see an A320 in previous US Airways colors and a CRJ taking off.
Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir in 1979 after airline deregulation. Then in 1997 USAir’s name was changed to US Airways.
See larger version.
All that wasted energy from a Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 747 taking off in Hong Kong
The exhaust of an engine, or jet blast, can be extremely powerful. Everyday planes all over the world create powerful wind gusts when putting their engines on full throttle to take off. Could that wind ever be harnessed to create “green” energy?
US industrial designer Richard Hales thinks maybe we can. He has worked out some ideas on how to possibly capture this energy, but is the first to admit he is not an engineer. ’œI have received numerous ideas from individuals in the wind energy industry but as I am a general design consultant and not an engineer, with limited experience in wind energy, I have to rely on others to assist me in the final design of the product which would include the amount of electricity that possibly could be created,’ Hale says.
The project, called FreeWind, is a reinforced unit that contains a wind turbine, flywheel and generator. Multiple units could be used in the same location to harness all the potential wind energy.
Hales has talked with representatives from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, where he is based, and they seem interested. ’œThe three persons I met with were impressed with the idea,’ he recounts. ’œHowever, there was nothing they could do unless I produced a working prototype for evaluation by the City of Phoenix. Since I was not able to afford the construction of a prototype, the idea remained undeveloped for over a year.”
Hales has secured a provisional US patent for his idea and is now trying to find partners and funding to be able to build a prototype and prove his concept. “I am looking for a university, engineering firm or group with the knowledge and creative strength to share in the development of the FreeWind concept to make it a reality, ” Hales said. Some have outright told him that his idea is crazy, but Hales is determined to see if his concept could work.
I would like to see this concept explored, but there are some challenges. The winds coming from jet blast can reach up to 300 MPH and it would take a strong unit to handle those winds. However, this concept could provide green energy for airports and make some use of energy that is mostly wasted.
If you have any questions or suggestions for Hales, you can either leave a comment or email him directly.
UPDATE: I spoke with Hales and my photo used might be a bit mis-leading. The FAA won’t allow anything to obstruct the flight path of an aircraft, so the turbines would be set up perpendicular to the runway to get the thrust of a waiting aircraft.
Additional Information:
* Graphic showing concept
* Proposal in PDF format
* Original story from GreenAirOnline.com
Image: terraxplorer2
Cheers! Me on Horizon Air this last weekend flying to Reno (review coming soon).
In 11 days I will be celebrating two years of writing this blog. A lot has changed since then and it has been an awesome ride. I have loved being able to share my passion for airlines and aviation and it seems some of you enjoy it too. Today marks a big milestone for my life and for the blog and I hope it all works out for the best.
On top of writing the blog, I have been working at a 40 hours per week job. It has been difficult to juggle both (on top of other stuff in everyday life), but very worth it. An opportunity came up recenty where I am able to only work 20hrs per week until September 1st, where I go to 30hrs per week after that and I took it!
I will be selling my car, tightening my belt on expenses, but I am willing to do so to make a serious effort on this blog. I hope to provide more and better content and have more time to do some pretty cool stuff (ie get a ride in a Beechcraft Starship).
As always, if you have any suggestions about making revenue, blog ideas or anything, please feel free to contact me.
I am very excited and look forward to bringing more unique content for the blog!
I constantly hear people say, “flying just isn’t the way it used to be.” Sure it isn’t, less food, more fees, but there are also lower fares. One service that we have seen a big decline in is food service. We have gone from getting a free meal to feeling lucky to have some free peanuts. Brett Snyder, who writes the blog CrankyFlier, took a look at the cost per passengers airlines spent in 1990 versus today and he found some pretty interesting things.
United Airlines ends up spending the most (probably from First Class) and Southwest ends up spending the least (is that a shocker?). I am actually kind of surprised that average costs haven’t decreased more since the 1990’s.
Take a look at Snyder’s awesome chart and some interesting observations on his blog.