for sale… one careful owner…

Not sure of how things affect Vulcans, but Shackletons had varying lives based on the work they were doing, and it had to be put into a Fatigue Index formula. Circuits and bumps seemed a quick way to use up FI, with MOTU use, Maritime and AEW work being less stressful in that order. Just to make it more confusing, various components have different lives, including three parts of the spar boom.

Not to mention the rougher air pounding the wings up & down – leading to the spar issues on Valiants, Vulcans, & Victors once the RAF changed to low-level bomber ops in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

Not forgetting Shacks and Nimrods. I believe this was the reason behind the re-spar programmes for Vulcan and Shackleton.

http://www.jetartaviation.co.uk/what-we-do/aircraft/

One in kit form for sale.

Hours don’t really count it’s the FI that’s the main concern

Details of both sale figures highlighted in this BBC article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-28509563 😮

And high speed, low level operations seem to be more fatiguing than upper air ops. High speed low level bending it round the corners of hills and valleys can’t be good for the airframe.

Not to mention the rougher air pounding the wings up & down – leading to the spar issues on Valiants, Vulcans, & Victors once the RAF changed to low-level bomber ops in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

You can’t compare the service life of a military combat aircraft, to that of a civilian airliner.
Rather like comparing an F1 car, to that of a family saloon.

(just to state the obvious, I know)

3000 hrs is nothing for a jet 🙂

A site I was looking at recently had some flying bus at +82,000hrs, which was why I asked…
(I guessed that the air forces birds might not get quite so high!)

The total hours flying time in most mil a/c has nothing to do with the airframe hours, but fatigue life. I am not sure how it is calculated on the various types but the general way is straight and level 1=1hr. Start pulling G and it reduces by whatever factor. Perhaps half an hour of aeros flying time = one hour of FI (Fatigue Index) I am sure it is a variable for each a/c.

And high speed, low level operations seem to be more fatiguing than upper air ops. High speed low level bending it round the corners of hills and valleys can’t be good for the airframe.

Anyone know what anything else sold for?

Delighted for Chris and the team, I wouldn’t have the cojones to try it. I could never see the market; Chris could, and did, and it worked for him.

Maybe the Mod should go back to the old days of auctions as a better way of giving the tax payer a return

Tornado just sold at £32’000 GBP , BARGAIN!!!!

Started at 25k, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32

Harrier just sold at £92’000GBP

Started at 68k, 72. 75, 80, 82, 85, 88, 90, 92, all on the book

The total hours flying time in most mil a/c has nothing to do with the airframe hours, but fatigue life. I am not sure how it is calculated on the various types but the general way is straight and level 1=1hr. Start pulling G and it reduces by whatever factor. Perhaps half an hour of aeros flying time = one hour of FI (Fatigue Index) I am sure it is a variable for each a/c.

Not really! 37+86 F4F was chopped at nearly 7000hrs and one other that was a Bruntingthorpe had in excess of 7000hrs.

Happy landings.

3000 hrs is nothing for a jet 🙂

I would say that is probably true for an aircraft living the relatively sedate life of an airliner. For a Harrier or other combat aircraft it’s a lot.

Yes and no.

The USAF specification for the LWF competition specified an airframe life of 4,000 hours & 7.33g with full internal fuel.
General Dynamics decided to instead design the F-16 for 8,000 hours and 9g with full internal fuel.
I don’t know what Northrop designed the YF-17 for, but McDonnell-Douglas & Northrop designed the F/A-18A for an airframe life of 6,000 flight hours.

The USAF is now seeking to extend the life of its F-16s to between 10,000 and 12,000 hours.
The USN/USMC are extending the life of the F/A-18A/C/Ds to 9,000-10,000 hours – but many are over 6,000 and some of the refurbished ones have already reached 8,500.

I have no idea – is that a lot?

3000 hrs is nothing for a jet 🙂

I just hope they get a good home, indoors preferably.

I wonder if the Harrier might go to the US, to be flown privately ?

We need one of those gun pods for ‘our’ Harrier!!

http://www.aviationmuseum.co.nz/cms/index.php