It flew no differently to the other 744's.
I agree. If you didn't look at the rego and therefore know where it had been, it was no different to any other 744 in the fleet.
rudderless, I hear the bizzo about self insurance from time to time. I'm not sure that's correct. I don't think QF would be allowed to operate were that the case. Certainly those who finance (and often own) the aeroplanes I suspect would require some sort of surety.
Breaking it up for parts? Bugger all. We're parking jumbos in perfect working order in the desert and getting virtually nothing in return. Sure we may have gotten a bit more back in '99 when 744s were more desired but only two engines were good, undercarriage no good, lots of work required, etc.
I don't recall the fix time. I have a friend that was one of the lead engineers on the project (and still has the nose gear door with JH on it in his garage) and he has mentioned it to me but I'd have to go back and check. He's doing the grey nomad thing around Australia at the moment so hard to get hold of.
Anyway, enough of OJH, back to this Network thing.