Final resting place ?

[FullyFlapped]

At a small airfield today I saw a battered, beaten up wreck of a light aircraft, slumped up against a hedge like a badly beaten old boxer on the ropes.

It's fairly obviously reached the end of the road, and that got me thinking ...

What happens to light aircraft when they're no longer wanted ? Not only wrecks, but also ones which are just too tired and worn to be kept going - how do you get rid of them?

If I had an old car I wanted rid of, I'd know what to do - but are there equivalent "aero scrapyards" ? If so, where are they - it would be interesting to look round one !

FF :ok:

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Dumped on your driveway with the wings off.

(Seen in Skagway, 1989. But that's a slightly unusual place, not just because the runway appears to be just another street on the town's grid pattern but also because of the three wind socks - the wind direction in the middle of the runway can be quite different to what it is at each end.)

[IO540]

They get sold to the local flying school :O

[J.A.F.O.]

When I see those poor old aircraft I think that I'd love to have the space to create a museum of general aviation and give these old aircraft somewhere decent to spend their last years (that is when I don't actually buy the aircraft and try to make it fly again - but that's another story).

There are museums dedicated to big, shiny aeroplanes, there are museums dedicated to the history of the RAF or FAA and even museums for helicopters but there isn't anywhere that I know of that lets the general public see what most aviation is and has been committed in.

Ah, it's good to dream. A little grass airfield, still used by interesting types and a museum of general aviation. I wouldn't mind seeing out my days there, either.

[foxmoth]

but there isn't anywhere that I know of that lets the general public see what most aviation is and has been committed in.

Old Warden fits the bill pretty well IMHO, AND it keeps them flying where it can which makes it my favourite museum.:ok:

[Lister Noble]

There is an aviation museum near us that has an incredible collection of old military and civilain aircraft parked outside behind a pub and recently they have erected some new covered areas with vintage aircraft etc on display.
Based at Flixton ,near Bungay,on the Sufolk/Norfolk border.
Well worth a visit,and the pub is not too bad either.
Lister

[stiknruda]

Lister,

Several times a year they have breathtaking aerobatic displays over the field between the pub and 143!

Stik

(stuck on the ground because of this dreadful weather!)

[treadigraph]

There's also the UK's version of Davis Monthan not far from Croydon - can't remember the chap's name, but he has a farm where he breaks light aircraft for spare parts - I believe several hundred have passed though his hands, and there are quite a few Cherokees, Cessnas, Robbos, and the like dotted around the orchard, lawn, etc! You can see a PA-22 and a Beagle Terrier from a nearby footpath... :(

He also supplies "accident" airframes for programmes such as Casualty etc.

[Mike Cross]

They get cannibalised.

I saw a wonderful example of cannibalisation some years ago in Lagos, Nigeria. The Nigerian Navy had bought some new helicopters from Westland to replace some Bolkows. One of these was sitting in the hangar covered in dust and missing various parts that had been "borrowed" to repair others. I believe the TTAF was in the region of seven hours!

[stiknruda]

Treaders,

That sounds like Paul Nalson!

Stik

[J.A.F.O.]

I was just dreaming, it was late.

Old Warden is great but does tend to go for the much older machines (very beautiful they are too).

It's been several years since I visited Flixton but I'll try to get up there in the next week or two.

Now, must look into lottery grants, they'll give money to anything.

[Lister Noble]

Stik,
I have seen some of these breathtaking aerobatic displays,amazing stuff and I wonder who the pilots are ?
Horrible today so no flying but better over the weekend so
could be my big one!
Lister
:D

[muffin]

Many years ago we had a Rallye Club that had a hard landing and broke the front oleo bracket. We went to Nalson's yard one hot Sunday morning and spent a couple of hours getting the bit we needed off a wrecked Rallye. Back to the "office" we went and dumped the manky old chunk of ally on the table.
"How much"? says I.
"One thousand two hundred and seventy pounds plus VAT"sez he.
"Strewth" says I.
"Well" says he, "if you don't want it just leave it over there and thanks for taking it off. It's the bit that always breaks."

We paid in cash and left with the part. And that was at least 20 years ago when things were cheaper and you could rent a 152 for £50 an hour.

[Crashed&Burned]

A couple of ex RAF Shackletons are slowly rotting away at Paphos, Cyprus airport.

Sad to see.......... Wish someone would take them to maybe repair a live one.

C&B

[foxmoth]

Old Warden is great but does tend to go for the much older machines (very beautiful they are too)

But if you want to see more modern machines you can either look at the ones that fly in to watch the displays or you can just go to any small airfield and see these machines.:hmm:

[J.A.F.O.]

Fox - I never said it was a good idea.

[ozplane]

I'm with you J.A.F.O. I've got a British-assembled light 2-seater which is perfectly airworthy (it's just passed it's annual) but if the EASA rules on engine life come in to effect then it won't be worth replacing it. The cost of a new engine would exceed the value of the airframe. It would be nice to think it would find a home in your "Museum of Light Aviation" along with early Cessnas, Prentices, Pups, Austers and so on. 2 lottery tickets tonight methinks.

[A and C]

You can still rent one of my Cessna 152's for about £50/hour ( well almost it's £55)

[foxmoth]

You can still rent one of my Cessna 152's for about £50/hour ( well almost it's £55)

From where?

[A and C]

Check your PM's

[J.A.F.O.]

You can still rent one of my Cessna 152's for about £50/hour ( well almost it's £55)
That won't be in the UK, then?

[A and C]

Unless Oxfordshire is now part of the United States of Europe this is in the UK.