bonusonus From United States of America, joined Nov 2009, 398 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 11626 times:
My mistake. Yeah, it looks like this is actually the 13th plane delivered to JetBlue, give or take maybe one or two if they weren't in the database before this one's photos.
JetBlue sold this one in 2007. Are they still flying any planes that are older than this?
canoecarrier From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2657 posts, RR: 12 Reply 4, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 11620 times:
503JB (Blue Bird) was B6's first delivered A320 IIRC. Only aircraft delivered during '99.
canoecarrier From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2657 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 11532 times:
Quoting bonusonus (Reply 3): JetBlue sold this one in 2007. Are they still flying any planes that are older than this?
I believe several. Granted it's not the oldest in the fleet. The latest photo in the DB with 503JB on it was taken in January, '11. N504-6 all have latest photos that range from December '10 to last month.
Not sure how up to date this list is but here's a link the "historic" fleet for B6. Meaning aircraft sold and/or leased to other carriers. You have to click on one of the tabs after the page opens to take you there.
legoguy From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2006, 3301 posts, RR: 44 Reply 6, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 11472 times:
What I'd be interested in knowing is why was the aircraft parted out in Dusseldorf, only for the front half of the fuselage to be shipped across the ocean to the States where it has seemingly ended up in Southern California?
Can you say 'Beer Can' without sounding like a Jamaican saying 'Bacon'?
GCT64 From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2007, 1104 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 4 hours ago) and read 8646 times:
Quoting bonusonus (Thread starter): Ten years doesn't seem like a very long life for an A320-200. Does anyone else know more of the story here?
Prior to being scrapped this year, it had been stored at DUS since 2009, so actually only operated flights for 8 years.
There must be some story as to why this aircraft could not be returned to service as the other Blue Wings A320s all went back into service with other operators.
Chrisba777er From UK - England, joined Mar 2001, 5964 posts, RR: 63 Reply 9, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 8550 times:
Quoting GCT64 (Reply 8): Quoting bonusonus (Thread starter):
Ten years doesn't seem like a very long life for an A320-200. Does anyone else know more of the story here?
Prior to being scrapped this year, it had been stored at DUS since 2009, so actually only operated flights for 8 years.
There must be some story as to why this aircraft could not be returned to service as the other Blue Wings A320s all went back into service with other operators.
What was the rego of the bird that had the front gear mishap at LAX (or was it OAK?) that time?
I remember VS had an A343 that they bent with a landing mishap that it is reported never flew right afterwards and was an MX dog. It got parted out a couple of years back after a few years service with BWIA.
Might this one be the one that had the gear problem (nose gear turned 90 degrees?).
AmericanAirFan From United States of America, joined Jun 2004, 397 posts, RR: 3 Reply 11, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 8260 times:
To the OP, this aircraft arrived at your company. No need to divulge where you work, but do you happen to know why they brought this fuselage section back to LGB? Is it going to be used for company training purposes or a museum piece, or whats the idea here?
"American 1881 Cleared For Takeoff One Seven Left"
richierich From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 4024 posts, RR: 6 Reply 12, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 7729 times:
Ironically, N522JB launched JetBlue's service to Long Beach in May 2001. I looked it up in the photo database.
Quoting GCT64 (Reply 8): There must be some story as to why this aircraft could not be returned to service as the other Blue Wings A320s all went back into service with other operators.
This was JetBlue's first aircraft to be returned to the lessor, back in 2007 I believe. Their first aircraft, N503JB, also leased, is still with the airline although for only a few more years. N522JB, like some of the other B6 aircraft that were sold, ended up with Blue Wings and this frame has sat idle since that airline ceased operations.
I can only imagine that because it sat around for so long without moving on to another carrier, some of the key components needed work. And maybe it was due for a big check when it was parked, all combining to make this relatively low-cycle A320 worth more in parts. Somebody did the math, obviously, but we don't know exactly the reasons why this aircraft was cut up.
KarlB737 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 2929 posts, RR: 9 Reply 13, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 7572 times:
Quoting bonusonus (Thread starter): Ten years doesn't seem like a very long life for an A320-200
I have always been amazed at the short life span of some aircraft. This is not a slam against Airbus as I have flown in A320s out of DTW and I enjoy the ride. But compare the life span of some of these aircraft to the life span of some DC9 aircraft recently discussed on our forum.
On a seperate note I am also wondering about the potential life span of regional jets compared to the length of life acquired from DC9s.
wellies From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2009, 40 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 7192 times:
Could the reason for this decrease in life be similar to that of cars nowadays? I've said for a while now, more and more modern regulations regarding emissions etc, along with new technology generally, often require massive outlay on individual parts. My twelve year old car (bear with me ) recently needed four new tyres, a new central locking unit, a new catalytic converter along with a few other bits and pieces. Now it wasn't exactly a cheap car new, it was an Audi, but the sum of the parts far surpassed the value of the vehicle, so rather than throwing money at a twelve year old car why not trade it in for a newer model?! So I did! Now, I know these are very different monsters, but I believe this is why these things have such a short shelf life nowadays, too complicated and expensive! Not that it's a bad thing generally, just the way things have to be nowadays.
clydenairways From Ireland, joined Jan 2007, 1003 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 7071 times:
Quoting KarlB737 (Reply 13): I have always been amazed at the short life span of some aircraft. This is not a slam against Airbus as I have flown in A320s out of DTW and I enjoy the ride. But compare the life span of some of these aircraft to the life span of some DC9 aircraft recently discussed on our forum.
On a seperate note I am also wondering about the potential life span of regional jets compared to the length of life acquired from DC9s.
People don't seem to realise that these decisions are Financial ones, and it is very simple. The value of this A320's parts was worth more than the aircraft staying in service.
This is nothing to do with the life of the aircraft.
And 40+year old Jet aircraft are the rare exception and don't expect to see aircraft staying in service this long in the future.
jblua320 From United States of America, joined May 2002, 3160 posts, RR: 21 Reply 16, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5996 times:
In the past few weeks, I've worked flights on 503, 506, 508, 510 and 517. Tail 508 used to be Canard Bleu and wore N508JB with the original tail pattern. Since being returned to us from Blue Wings, it wears N508JL with the barcode tail and is named May The Force Be With Blue.
I don't mean to 'hijack' the thread, but is Canard Bleu now being cycled on a new E190 or a 7-series 320? (7-series referring to the registration, not the series)
milesrich From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 1856 posts, RR: 7 Reply 18, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5866 times:
Dispose-a-plane. It will be interesting to see what Delta does. I flew on an A-319 for the first time earlier this week, ATL-MDW-ATL. (I had flown on the A-320 several times on UA and NW but it was years ago). I am not knocking Airbus. Although Delta says the seat width is the same as the 737, the wider fuselage at hip room and wider aisle make the airplane more comfortable than a 737NG, but noisy, oh boy. When descending, the air whistles from those doors. The Flight Attendants, Delta Heritage, were definitely not lovers of the aircraft. On the flight to MDW, the A Line doing the safety announcement showed obvious disdain for the aircraft, especially the way he informed us we were on an Airbus. Another senior gal remarked to me that they call it the Rice Krispies plane because it makes snap, crackle, pop noises. Let Air France and Condor fly them. USA carriers should buy Boeing. Free Trade is a joke.
bonusonus From United States of America, joined Nov 2009, 398 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5840 times:
Quoting AmericanAirFan (Reply 11): To the OP, this aircraft arrived at your company. No need to divulge where you work, but do you happen to know why they brought this fuselage section back to LGB? Is it going to be used for company training purposes or a museum piece, or whats the idea here?
I'm not sure I can divulge any more details without giving away confidential information. Suffice to say that this fuselage may surface publicly in the future and maybe I can give more details then.
AADC10 From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 1836 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 5769 times:
Quoting wellies (Reply 14): Could the reason for this decrease in life be similar to that of cars nowadays? I've said for a while now, more and more modern regulations regarding emissions etc, along with new technology generally, often require massive outlay on individual parts.
Cars have increased their lifespan over the years, not decreased, so if aircraft lifespans are shortening that is not an appropriate analogy. Individual model cars or aircraft may have particular limitations but the long term trend for cars has been increased lifespan.
There is certainly an economic reason for parting the A320 out rather than operating it. There was also a reason for B6 selling it while it was still taking on new aircraft. There has been an unsubstantiated opinion on this board that A320 family parts are expensive, so that may be a reason to part out aircraft that had questionable operators and was probably in need of a major maintenance check. Is there any indication that it got bent on a hard landing or something?
Another possibility is that aircraft maintenance and servicing has been slipping due to the financial pressures on the airlines. Much work is now outsourced to rather secretive overseas and third party companies. This may have a negative impact on lifespan.
richierich From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 4024 posts, RR: 6 Reply 23, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 4596 times:
Quoting AADC10 (Reply 20): There was also a reason for B6 selling it while it was still taking on new aircraft.
As I stated in a prior post, N522JB wasn't sold, it was returned to the lessor. Other JetBlue A320s, however, were sold. As I recall, they were sold when B6 was trying to slow their heavy growth in the 2005-07 time period and the A320 market in Europe was still somewhat strong, so it made some sense for them to unload their oldest owned aircraft and return 522 to the leasing company.
Quoting milesrich (Reply 18): Dispose-a-plane. It will be interesting to see what Delta does. I flew on an A-319 for the first time earlier this week, ATL-MDW-ATL. (I had flown on the A-320 several times on UA and NW but it was years ago). I am not knocking Airbus. Although Delta says the seat width is the same as the 737, the wider fuselage at hip room and wider aisle make the airplane more comfortable than a 737NG, but noisy, oh boy. When descending, the air whistles from those doors. The Flight Attendants, Delta Heritage, were definitely not lovers of the aircraft. On the flight to MDW, the A Line doing the safety announcement showed obvious disdain for the aircraft, especially the way he informed us we were on an Airbus. Another senior gal remarked to me that they call it the Rice Krispies plane because it makes snap, crackle, pop noises. Let Air France and Condor fly them. USA carriers should buy Boeing. Free Trade is a joke.
I find this an incredibly ridiculous view, and I disgaree with almost every part of. The smaller Airbuses are not any noisier than similar Boeing 737s, in my opinion, and the extra width is barely noticeable (but appreciated). If the FAs at Delta don't like them, so what? I am always amused at the number of people on this site who base their "knowledge" of aircraft or the direction of an airline based on what they perceive from a small number of flight attendants or pilots. And as for Free Trade, you must be kidding. Being forced to 'Buy American' would put far more American workers out of a job than it would put people to work. How many people in the USA owe their livelihood to Airbus and related suppliers? Or Honda, Toyota and Nissan, if you want to use an automotive analogy? Perhaps FT is best left for a different forum but basically I feel that competition, while painful and brutal at times, brings out the best in workers and companies.
lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10695 posts, RR: 100 Reply 24, posted (1 year 8 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 3896 times:
Quoting richierich (Reply 12): And maybe it was due for a big check when it was parked, all combining to make this relatively low-cycle A320 worth more in parts.
Exactly.
Quoting clydenairways (Reply 15): value of this A320's parts was worth more than the aircraft staying in service.
This is nothing to do with the life of the aircraft.
And everything to do with high demand and value for A32x parts.
Which will only increase with the NEO. As A320OEO values drop post A320NEO EIS, expect to see more young A320OEOs parted. This is nothing against the aircraft, just the high value of the parts in new aircraft. This will be compounded by the 'split winglets' between new factory built and retrofit.
This is nothing against the A320. It is just the financial reality.
Quoting clydenairways (Reply 15): And 40+year old Jet aircraft are the rare exception and don't expect to see aircraft staying in service this long in the future.
Once the A320NEO, 737MAX, and C-series are in service, I expect older 737s and A320s to be scrapped. Not due to the in-service economics, but the high part values.
Quoting jblua320 (Reply 16): it wears N508JL with the barcode tail and is named May The Force Be With Blue.
Wait a second... Returning to B6. That is interesting.
I noted in the Jetblue fleet 7 examples that seem to have left the B6 fleet and returned.
Lightsaber
Life is short, Live it!
25 Lufthansa: First of all as much as 60% of th value of airbus components comes from the USA, a few companies like pratt and whitney, GE, Rockwell and Honeywell..
26 B727FA: Really? If it's not the "barking" or the "snap/crackle/pop" or one chime after another on that bird that makes it louder than a Boeing, I don't know
27 jblua320: Georgie! I wanted to pick up your 4-day trip but its not on the board anymore! (It's Ben!) - Anywho, it's on a 320. I'm pretty sure tail 775.
28 spchamp1: Canard Bleu is currently on an A320 Tail 775 As far as the a/c that went to BlueWings, I believe it was 5 total and I believe we got about 4 of those
29 UALWN: The barking I know, but it happens only on the ground. I've never heard any "snap/crackle/pop" sounds on any 320. As for the chimes, aren't they airl
30 N1120A: It was at LAX (where they didn't serve at the time).
31 B727FA: The doors are very loud on taxi/take off/landing. And the chimes are all the chimes for the gear, 10000, etc. In cruise it's about like any other bird
32 B6JFKH81: N522JB also had to have significant repair work done to one wing after an engine fire in 2005, that could be one reason why B6 didn't take that frame
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From UK - England, joined Mar 2001, 5964 posts, 
) recently needed four new tyres, a new central locking unit, a new catalytic converter along with a few other bits and pieces. Now it wasn't exactly a cheap car new, it was an Audi, but the sum of the parts far surpassed the value of the vehicle, so rather than throwing money at a twelve year old car why not trade it in for a newer model?! So I did! Now, I know these are very different monsters, but I believe this is why these things have such a short shelf life nowadays, too complicated and expensive! Not that it's a bad thing generally, just the way things have to be nowadays.
From Ireland, joined Jan 2007, 1003 posts, 
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Once the A320NEO, 737MAX, and C-series are in service, I expect older 737s and A320s to be scrapped. Not due to the in-service economics, but the high part values. 
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