That Project Car and Parts Car Scenario that Spirals Out of Control?

"SBA Thanks You For All The Fish" (santabarbarianlsx)
05/13/2020 at 23:49 • Filed to: None

Apparently it happens in aircraft as well. These were lovely planes— a pity they are money pits.

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DISCUSSION (14)

For Sweden > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 00:08

Similar things happen with American fighters exported to the Netherlands

Kinja'd!!!

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/your-next-project-should-be-a-jet-1833788442

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > For Sweden
05/14/2020 at 00:13

My eyes popped out at $160 MILLION for a single aircraft restoration... with no jets.

ranwhenparked > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 00:19

They replaced so much of it, it was almost a brand-new plane. It was essentially $163 million to fabricate a one-off hand built aircraft.

ranwhenparked > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 00:21

It was an interesting project, would have loved to have had the chance to fly in it someday, but it does seem like this spiraled a bit out of control and Lufthansa wasn’t falling for the old sunk cost fallacy. Bet they wish they had the extra $163 million now, though.

For Sweden > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 00:23

It’s reasonable when you consider they have to hand-build every part.

Chariotoflove > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 00:43

I’m sad it didn’t work out. The romantic in me would have loved to see it fly.

Jayvincent > For Sweden
05/14/2020 at 03:46

they should have got a bunch of retirees to volunteer to do it for a free hat and unlimited coffee. That’ s how most of the US warbird restorations went until the last decade when billionaire playboys started funding the restoration projects

pip bip - choose Corrour > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 04:01

bizarre.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 09:41

By 1981, she was running marijuana between Colombia and Arizona.

During this period, the aircraft enjoyed its most profitable era.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
05/14/2020 at 09:54

Well, the airlines these days have reverted to “cargo flights” to return to profitability. Some things never get old.

Roadkilled > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 10:18

I always thought the Constellation was a beautiful aircraft. However, I’m not surprised that so few of them will ever be restored.

It was a remarkably short period between the end of WWII and when jets began to dominate the airline industry. Pan Am started flying the 707 in 1958 leading to the end of the long-haul piston- driven aircraft. It didn’t take long after that before turboprops took over much of the medium and short-haul market.

There aren’t many people left who flew during the 1940s and 1950s. There is nobody left who has the strong nostalgic pull to these old birds. You can still drum up enough patriotic fervor to raise money to restore old warbirds, but that doesn’t happen for commercial aircraft.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
05/14/2020 at 14:30

And the very first paying airplane passenger in the US had to sit on sacks of mail.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Jayvincent
05/14/2020 at 20:14

it would need a restoration, before it was finished.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Roadkilled
05/14/2020 at 22:05

not to mention a reason jets were adopted was due to longer maintence cycles, and reliability.