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Average Air Frame Hours

KrisYYZ From Canada, joined Nov 2004, 1575 posts, RR: 0
Posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 1535 times:

I was just wondering what's would be an average amount of flight hours for a 10 year old aircraft. I know that engines can be replaced and swapped between planes, but how long are airframes suppose to last?

Are "D" checks where aircraft are basically taken apart and put back together?

Thanks,

Krisyyz

Malev forever!

7 replies: All unread, jump to last

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 1, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1528 times:

Well, each aircraft is different. A 747-400/A330 -v- a 737-300/A320 would have different daily cycles and flight hours. The 747/A330 might have 10 hours per day, with 1 cycle.... where the 737/A320 might have 4 or 5 cycles and 12 hours per day. Cycles are the real driving force on any aircraft. Most of the regional aircraft I deal with at 10 years old are in the 18-20K hours and cycles.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

OzLAME From Australia, joined Feb 2005, 338 posts, RR: 0
Reply 2, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 1488 times:

For the majority of turboprop a/c I have seen that are working for a living, the magic number seems to be about 2200 hours a year, with about forty minutes per cycle. There is of course wide variation, but that seems to be a fairly good average. The highest-time a/c I have worked on so far is a DC-3 with about 60 000 hours TTIS and it is still in service; I have also worked on a DC-3 with only 17 000 hours TTIS, while the fleet leader among DC-3s is up over 90 000 hrs TTIS.
An airframe will last for as long as it's owners are willing to spend money on it; several jetliners have reached 100 000 hrs TTIS. I believe that some of Northwest's DC-9s are the hardest-working a/c ever and are approaching 100 000 cycles.

Monty Python's Flying Circus has nothing to do with aviation, except perhaps for Management personnel.

2enginesonly From Netherlands, joined Jun 2005, 91 posts, RR: 0
Reply 3, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 1479 times:

Our B767's and MD11's run at about 4500-5000 hours a year so after 10 years this would be 45,000-50,000 flighthours.
We've had one DC10 that went back to MDC for testing because of its high flighthours....don't know exactly how much the a/c had so I have to figure that out.
The DC10's left the company after 16-18 years so they had around 80,000 flthrs.

Arjan

Caboclo From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 203 posts, RR: 0
Reply 4, posted (7 years 11 months 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 1414 times:

According to the A.net A/C Data page, many DC-8s have passed 100,000 hours. I expect some 727s are also close to that.

Freight dogs have more fun

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Reply 5, posted (7 years 11 months 1 week 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 1403 times:

EMBQA, how have you found the older RJ's holding up after several years in service? The consensus at work is that the RJ's won't hold up too well as they begin to age, since they aren't really designed for this type of flying.

Tornado82 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 6, posted (7 years 11 months 1 week 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 1357 times:

Quoting UAL Bagsmasher (Reply 5):
The consensus at work is that the RJ's won't hold up too well as they begin to age, since they aren't really designed for this type of flying.

The ERJ's were designed from the ground up, they should be fine. The CRJ's are the stretched Biz jets... they're the ones not designed for it.

Pilawt From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 100 posts, RR: 0
Reply 7, posted (7 years 11 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1348 times:

Quoting OzLAME (Reply 2):
the fleet leader among DC-3s is up over 90 000 hrs TTIS

Here it is, with over 91,400 hours TTAF. Around the airport this airplane is affectionately called "Captain Eddie," because it was flown away from the Santa Monica factory in 1937 by Eddie Rickenbacker himself, on behalf of Eastern Air Lines. It later served with Trans-Texas Airways and Provincetown-Boston Airlines before being restored to its original registration and livery in the early 1990's. For more information about this airplane see http://bluegrassairlines.com/feature_apr2003.htm

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