Paging Mr. Higgins

[Jeff Higgins]

We have actually fixed worse. Must be an older airplane, old enough to where it was better to total it. Like with our cars, this is a decision made between the insurance company and the carrier.

A lot of the structural parts on that airplane are out of production. We do keep an inventory of spares but, like in the automotive world, as it gets older the only spares get to be the most commonly needed.

For the bigger structural parts, we would go to the junkyard, again, just like our cars. We have picked apart many an airframe in the Arizona desert to support repairs like this one. It must not be financially advantageous in this case.

[tabs]

So there is an airplane Pick a Part...good to know, next time I need a wing spar for a 747.

[Nate2046]

Flew into Marana for the first time a couple of months ago. Definitely lots of 747 spares to be had if you’re in the market.

Oh, and the 74 that overran in Halifax was a US airline flying under contract for a Chinese carrier.