It’s been some time since the Wright brothers first took to the skies, inspiring generations of air travel after them – but did they realise quite how big it would become? The Spruce Goose used to be the biggest thing in the sky but it was quickly overtaken by a […]
China’s first giant passenger jet makes successful takeoff and landing in maiden flight
The maiden test flight of the C919 airliner made a successful takeoff, and landing, after a 90-minute flight from Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Friday, according to a livestream via Twitter carried on China’s official news agency Xinhua. The plane’s flight was watched by a large crowd gathered at the […]
How Are Planes Decommissioned, and How Much Value Can Be Salvaged From Their Parts?
On average, an aircraft is operable for about 30 years before it has to be retired. A Boeing 747 can endure about 35,000 pressurization cycles and flights—roughly 135,000 to 165,000 flight hours—before metal fatigue sets in. 747s are retired after approximately 27 years of service. Early wide-body planes, like the […]