Old Britannia 737 being broken up sad

Is that the one between Southgate Mall & Eldorado Park. Painted in the blue and yellow of Sasol

Sure is. Vics Viking. I haven’t been there for a few years. The owner of the Service Station owned a flying school at Rand Airport, but I wouldn’t know if he still does now.

My retirement project one day will be to acquire a carcass and turn it into a restaurant/pub such as some people have done with railway carriages. The cockpit would be restored as close as possible to reality. There is a Shackleton in South Africa that has been retired to the roof of a Service Station, which is quite a well known landmark. Used to be a Viking, but the SAA museum traded the Shack for it. At least the plane can rest in dignity.

Is that the one between Southgate Mall & Eldorado Park. Painted in the blue and yellow of Sasol

What is a pity is that we don’t see more preserved airliners, the only aircraft which historic aviation buffs seem to care about are “war birds”. I have nothing against military aircraft, but I would like to see the same keenness attached to preserving civilian aircraft too.

It is sad when you’ve worked on them. They become personal. I remember working on a couple of her sister aircraft at Sabre Airways back in the mid 90’s.
Still miss the old ATR’s I worked on later. Shame the missus won’t let me have one as a shed. 🙁

Regardless of 33 years of service and possible incidents, I wasn’t refereing to that, just a sad sight being dismantled.

Is it though? I’m not talking so much about this particular aircraft, but aircraft like this. Look through the pictures on A.net and PP.net of aircraft in the desert, and see how many occurrances there are of the word “sad”. I just don’t think aircraft, like any other machine, can have this much emotion attached to them.

I enjoy driving my car, and in a couple of years when I replace it I might be sorry to see it go, but it’s a machine. It doesn’t have a soul, and many of it’s parts will be reused in some capacity (either in their original form, or melted down and recycled).

I can’t really buy into this notion that an aircraft being broken up is “sad”.

Let’s not forget this aircraft was 33 years old and will have flown an incomprehensible number of cycles. It’s a feat of engineering considering my TV will do well to last 5 years!

As a small child going to Manchester airport up on top of the piers I did see her a lot, then in the 80’s flew on her to Palma, so to reference the word sad is fair in my head.

Regardless of 33 years of service and possible incidents, I wasn’t refereing to that, just a sad sight being dismantled.

You took the words out of my mouth…Aloha Flt 243 comes to mind

Well, they could have converted it to a flat-bed lorry and then it would still be in use today:

I can’t really buy into this notion that an aircraft being broken up is “sad”.

Let’s not forget this aircraft was 33 years old and will have flown an incomprehensible number of cycles. It’s a feat of engineering considering my TV will do well to last 5 years!

You took the words out of my mouth…Aloha Flt 243 comes to mind

I can’t really buy into this notion that an aircraft being broken up is “sad”.

Let’s not forget this aircraft was 33 years old and will have flown an incomprehensible number of cycles. It’s a feat of engineering considering my TV will do well to last 5 years!

My retirement project one day will be to acquire a carcass and turn it into a restaurant/pub such as some people have done with railway carriages. The cockpit would be restored as close as possible to reality. There is a Shackleton in South Africa that has been retired to the roof of a Service Station, which is quite a well known landmark. Used to be a Viking, but the SAA museum traded the Shack for it. At least the plane can rest in dignity.

You could hook up a PC flight simulator to the controls and left folks have a wee “flight”. he he he

I flew from Glasgow to Girona on G-BECH on 9th Setember 1982. The first of many great flights with Britannia which in many ways influenced my decision to become Cabin Crew.

1L.

My retirement project one day will be to acquire a carcass and turn it into a restaurant/pub such as some people have done with railway carriages. The cockpit would be restored as close as possible to reality. There is a Shackleton in South Africa that has been retired to the roof of a Service Station, which is quite a well known landmark. Used to be a Viking, but the SAA museum traded the Shack for it. At least the plane can rest in dignity.

It is indeed sad.
However, this 737 looks to have been WFU in 2003/4

Confirmed as G-BECH, ex Britannia, GB Leisure, Sobelair, Easyjet and Virgin Express.:(