Originally Posted by
GlosMikeP
Aircraft are only metal and wires, so with the right attention can be kept flying for ever, in theory.....
...
Secondly, fatigue is only one element of lifing; simple age is another, leading to wear-out and corrosion, which also have to be factored in to maintenence and inspections.
...
Yes, given enough money you can keep on repairing things, but I dread to think what will happen if they discover something nasty on 558.
As someone who had the job of doing minors on Vulcans 1980-1982, I can recall just how many things there were that could be found wrong with them. Despite what you say, they could develop cracks in annoying places (Rib 162.5 outboard of the engines was a common one), and corrosion was another hazard.
Equally, there were always problems in operation - every week there was a Vulcan circling overhead to burn fuel before landing with an undercarriage problem. Then there were those airbrakes which often seemed to get themselves in the wrong position and could act as a guillotine on the upper wing.