British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet

Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by stephen_g on Thursday July 16, 2020 @08:21PM (#23865514)

For planes that are being retired, they usually take the engines off pretty early because they have some of the most valuable parts for resale in them.

They’d also be drained of all fluids. For planes in storage to be used again later, they fill all the fuel, hydraulic, etc. lines with special liquids to keep them preserved. So it’d be at least a week’s work for a team to get a stored plane going.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by BurningFrog on Thursday July 16, 2020 @09:23PM (#23865971)

Most 747s won't be used again.

Could I buy one to have in my backyard?

Any idea on price?

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by sjwright on Thursday July 16, 2020 @10:23PM (#23866313)

Assuming you don’t have a 1500–2000 metre heavy aircraft runway in your backyard, it’s the shipping costs that would likely kill you.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by BurningFrog on Thursday July 16, 2020 @11:13PM (#23866598)

I guess it would have to be disassembled and shipped in pieces.

Unless a cargo blimp can take it. Do such things exist?

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by lmm on Friday July 17, 2020 @04:30AM (#23868447)

The Airlander 10 wrote off their old prototype, and has a maximum payload of 10 tonnes, whereas an unloaded 747 is about 180 tonnes. Remember it's a plane so big that they used to piggyback the space shuttle orbiters (which are not small) on it.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by BurningFrog on Friday July 17, 2020 @01:24PM (#23873004)

Sounds like it could be done in 20 trips.

Also sounds like even if they give the plane away, just shipping it will be a ~7 digit expense.

I hereby withdraw my interest!

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by Wowfunhappy on Thursday July 16, 2020 @11:20PM (#23866628)

I know nothing about this, but there are people who move their houses, surely a plane is easier than that.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by sjwright on Friday July 17, 2020 @11:29AM (#23871580)

I think you are grossly underestimating just how large a 747 is.

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Re:British Airways announces immediate retirement of 747 fleet by pinot on Friday July 17, 2020 @12:08AM (#23866907)

Check out the "spruce goose" and how it was moved.

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