Different operators have various level of interference paranoia. Regarding mobile phones, there have been several tests in my part of the world that all have come to the conclusion that they do not interfear, but airlines ban them anyway since they use different frequencies. Different types of aircraft have different makes and types of electronics in the A&E compartments, so what doesn’t interfear on a 737 might very well create havoc with the electronics on a Fokker 100 for example.

I’ve witnessed an “empirical” test in the cockpit of an ATR72 on cruise, where the captain purposely held a mobile phone turned on in front of the panel for half a minute. Nothing happened. That time…

Don’t know about this particular storage, but it might be that US Airways have stored them in anticipation of better times.

My own company (SAS) has several MD-80s and 737s stored here and there (mainly Dinard and Riga). Some of them have returned to service, some have been leased out. The most recent is the lease of a few MD-80s to the new low-cost startup airline JetX, although in this case the aircraft came out of the active fleet.

Lufthansa has also returned several aircraft into service from storage, so it might just be that US Airways have put them in storage for the time being, awaiting an increasing traffic demand.

Hmmm.. it seems I hijacked this thread with my retorical BMW/Mercedes question…

Sandy,
part of the reason why Airbus havent sold as many A320’s or whatever is because Boeing made a good name for themselves with the older “classic” 737’s. Besides a single A320 costs twice as much as a 737-800

Few airlines pay the list price for aircraft. There are always various types of discounts involved, and to both Airbus and Boeing it’s worth very much just to get an airline under their umbrella. Worth so much that they can afford to give discounts of up to 50% on large orders for first-time customers, or potential customers who the other manufacturer wants to have.

B737 and A320 cost roughly the same, they are very similar aircraft in most ways except for the type of flight controls. Just a matter of two schools; like with cars – do you prefer BMW or Mercedes?

Speaking of models… is anybody planning to go to the Luchtvaart Hobby Shop summer festival on Friday 21 May? Looks like there might be a few bargains to be had there.

Speaking of Australian carriers; one slogan that is permanently etched in my mind is [i]TAA – The Nation’s Jetline[/i]. Too bad airlines stopped such practises, it’s a bit boring with just the airline name sometimes…

the 727’s quiet cabin? lol…

I remember the ads for the New McDonnell Douglas Super 80 in 1979-1980… “very silent”, it said. Today the ground still rumbles when one takes off, even with hushkits…

Very, very nice topic, mr Rowell! More of that, please!

If I’m not mistaken most 757’s registered in the UK are maintained under -236 configuration, to save costs and reduce paperwork when importing aircraft. If they can use or convert it to the already certified -236 model, there isn’t any need for certification under the UK CAA regulations. I think I read it in an ancient issue of Aircraft Illustrated.