Do we have any real planeheads here, any real runway freaks here who can tell me if 32 years (the crashed plane is 32 years old if search was right) is old for an airplane or airframe or whatever? were they flying a jalopy with wings? It’s a McDonnell Douglas airplane and they haven’t existed since the late 90s I think.
It’s old, but not egregiously old. It’s not uncommon for aircraft to be retired from passenger service and be used for freight. MD-11s were never really successful as a passenger plane because of their performance and handling. McDonnell Douglas eventually built them specifically for cargo in the mid-late 90s. I’m not sure if this specific plane was in service as a passenger plane or not though.
My first serious flying job was in a DC-3 for cargo ops (and I’m not 120 years old). This is a fairly normal age for cargo planes, and actually still within the possible range for passenger ops. If it’s a mechanical issue it probably has to do more with the fact that it’s a McDonnell Douglas than the fact that it’s 32 years old.
Do we have any real planeheads here, any real runway freaks here who can tell me if 32 years (the crashed plane is 32 years old if search was right) is old for an airplane or airframe or whatever? were they flying a jalopy with wings? It’s a McDonnell Douglas airplane and they haven’t existed since the late 90s I think.
It’s old, but not egregiously old. It’s not uncommon for aircraft to be retired from passenger service and be used for freight. MD-11s were never really successful as a passenger plane because of their performance and handling. McDonnell Douglas eventually built them specifically for cargo in the mid-late 90s. I’m not sure if this specific plane was in service as a passenger plane or not though.
Thx. I knew MD planes were pretty old but this isn’t Planely Speaking so I couldn’t give specifics.
No prob. Now are you going to apologize for calling me a runway freak???
::data-laugh::
absolutely not
slaay runway freak
Looks like it was a passenger plane with Thai Airways (registration HS-TME) before UPS acquired/converted it
i’m 32 and can confirm it’s the end of the line
My first serious flying job was in a DC-3 for cargo ops (and I’m not 120 years old). This is a fairly normal age for cargo planes, and actually still within the possible range for passenger ops. If it’s a mechanical issue it probably has to do more with the fact that it’s a McDonnell Douglas than the fact that it’s 32 years old.