Miles_mechanic From Canada, joined Sep 2001, 132 posts, RR: 0 Posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 2088 times:
Today marks the end of the road for the oldest flying Learjet 35, serial # 002, it was ferried to Oklahoma City where it will be parted out. so after 35 years in the air and 15,000 hrs. 6 AM this morning it made its last flight.
I thought I would post this for any Learjet fans out there.
CanadianNorth From Canada, joined Aug 2002, 3371 posts, RR: 10 Reply 1, posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 2042 times:
Parted out after only 15,000 hours? I regularly work on planes that are still going strong well after 50,000 hours, so what is considered normal for these type of jets?
SEPilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 6258 posts, RR: 39 Reply 2, posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 2013 times:
Quoting CanadianNorth (Reply 1): Parted out after only 15,000 hours? I regularly work on planes that are still going strong well after 50,000 hours, so what is considered normal for these type of jets?
Private planes get much, much less utilization than commercial ones. They usually get retired when maintenance costs rise to the point that it costs more to keep the plane in the air than it is worth. It may be that the engines are due for overhaul or something like that; the Lear 35 is also the first Lear with fanjets; newer ones are probably much more efficient, substantially reducing its value. Time is often harder on aircraft than use is; other than NW DC-9's, how many airliners that old are still flying?
The problem with making things foolproof is that fools are so doggone ingenious...Dan Keebler
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 3, posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1989 times:
Quoting SEPilot (Reply 2): other than NW DC-9's, how many airliners that old are still flying?
Isn't a lot of DC-9s and B-732s still flying airline service in Africa and SE Aisa? Don't forget about all the B-707Fs, A-300B-2/4F, and DC-8Fs still flying around.
Doesn't Iran Air still fly a pax B-707 and another pax B-707 flying somewhere in South America?
A 15,000 hour Lear-35 isn't a very high time aircraft, unless it has about 20,000-25,000 cycles (lots of 15-30 minute flights).
SEPilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 6258 posts, RR: 39 Reply 4, posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1946 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 3): Isn't a lot of DC-9s and B-732s still flying airline service in Africa and SE Aisa? Don't forget about all the B-707Fs, A-300B-2/4F, and DC-8Fs still flying around.
I should have specified in First World fleets. I suspect there is not much demand for Lears in the areas where the planes you cite are still flying. The bottom line is that economics dictate when planes get retired, and the economics are different where capital is scarce and labor is cheap, which is generally the case where very old planes are still flying. But where capital is that scarce there are few people able to afford business jets, so they just do not find their way to those parts of the world.
The problem with making things foolproof is that fools are so doggone ingenious...Dan Keebler
Miles_mechanic From Canada, joined Sep 2001, 132 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (3 years 11 months 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 1819 times:
well the reason for retiring the airplane is that the flight controls were coming due for replacement, and it won't meet the new TCAS II requirements. The aircraft has about the same number of cycles on it as hours. They said it is worth more as parts then as a complete airplane. They tried to find a buyer for the airplane as a usable machine, but was no good offers. As was mentioned, yes there are other business jets that are more efficient, and have more room inside also.
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