Hi Steve,
Thanks for the background story and scanned images of your clippings
from the early days of the Shuttle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kinetic
As a side thought, just on the shuttle program, it has been 30 years
long. That is a long time for a craft to be flying.
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Another example of a airframe with a remarkable longevity is the Boeing
B-52 Stratofortress.
There were eight different production versions, the H model being the only version
in service today. However, the last H model rolled off the production line in Wichita
in June 1962! There are 94 remaining and the USAF plans to keep them in service
to at least 2040, some 78 years after production ended and 85 years after the
first B-52 originally entered service.
There are stories of the grandchildren
of pilots that first flew them that are flying them
now. In the coming years, it may also transpire that the great-grandchildren of the
original pilots will be flying them.