Lockheed L-188 Electra.
Posted on 09/18/2022 12:42:03 PM PDT by DFG
Would you feel uneasy flying on a plane built in 1974? Harold Wilson was enjoying his second stint in Number 10, the band Queen was in its pomp, man’s first small step on the surface of the moon was still relatively fresh in the memory. And 1974 was also the year that a Boeing 737-200, with the serial number 20836, made its maiden flight for Transavia Airlines, based in the Netherlands.
Forty-eight years on, Harold Wilson has shuffled off this mortal coil, as has Freddie, while Nasa is hoping to start a colony on Mars. But 20836 is still going strong in the services of Nolinor Aviation, a Canadian charter airline, under the registration C-GNLK.
Its journey from Holland to Quebec has been a circuitous one, covering five continents. After leaving the low-cost Dutch airline in 1977 it went to Saudia, then Aerolineas Argentinas. Next up was the now-defunct Australian Airlines, followed by Air Florida, another former carrier. MarkAir, based in Alaska (also deceased), came next, before a stint as a cargo plane. In 2004, it went to Peru. In 2006, it was bought by the short-lived Italian airline Voliamo. In 2008, CityLine Hungary – which ceased trading in 2015 – snapped up the well travelled 737.
Since 2014, however, it has been in the services of little Nolinor Aviation, based in Mirabel, a suburb of Montreal, which serves a handful of domestic destinations using a fleet of 18 aircraft. At 48 years, it is, according to the database of Airfleets.net, the world’s oldest passenger plane still in service.
So would you feel safe on board? The reliability of elderly aircraft is occasionally raised, such as in 2017 when a 31-year-old Jet2 plane, also a 737, made two emergency landings in as many weeks.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
An old airframe is safe if properly maintained. A newer airframe not properly maintained is not safe.
Oliver Smith wasn’t even alive in 1974.
Queen was not yet in their pomp until the late 70s. In 1974, Bohemian Rhapsody hadn’t yet come out, and Queen had one big hit, Killer Queen, which was good, but we hadn’t yet heard the rest.
The JT8Ds in these are now complete Garbage, with the parts repaired with 3rd world “migrant” labor.
If you don’t believe me, wait for the NTSB report of the 732 cargo plane that ditched off Honolulu.
If a 732 rolls up to your gate, tell them you’ll wait for the next one.
I’ll be never getting on one again.
Doc or FiFi. The only two operational B-29s left.
I got a great tour of FiFi. I had just graduated college and swore in to my Commission and our city had an airshow with FiFi attending. The head guy for our AFROTC detachment called me and asked if I would lead a few ROTC Cadets for an Honor Guard for FiFi and I said yes. When we were done the FiFi crew gave us a free tour. All the others at the show paid ten dollars just to peek into the aircraft from the lower hatch.
I’d fly it as long as it didn’t do duty in Hawaii. The short hauls really stack up the pressure cycles on the skin. It was about 1984, I think when the roof blew off Aloha (I think) airlines and they lost an attendant in the Pacific. Turns out the pressure cycles are more controlling than the T/O’s, landings and air time. As I recall the plane had only something like 10,000 hours but had 30,000 take offs?
Why does it have "BOEING 737-700" painted on it?
Years ago, a DC-3 used to overfly our neighborhood enroute to Mitchell Field. You could hear it thundering along from miles away.
When it finally came into view, it would appear to be just hanging there in the air. I have thought “how could something making so much noise go so slow?”
I expect they’re talking about scheduled air carrier passenger service, which rules out DC-3s & J3 Cubs. They’re still flying but in charter operations and milk runs.
However, the Norks are still flying Tupolev Tu-154s and Ilyushin Il-62s in scheduled air carrier passenger service, and both of them first flew in the 1960s.
They don’t make planes like they used to. This brings back memories when I saw Transavia Airlines. My Dad flew for them as a Captain for a couple of years after he left Eastern. He flew the B-757 though
How much of the Original Plane is still part of it today?
If there is still a two-seat Jenny flying somewhere, the title on this article is inaccurate.
With diligent maintenance and close attention to stress cracks and whatnot, there is no retirement age for good aircraft. Don’t worry about the lousy aircraft, however.
(737-200)
I never wanted to take a ride in a 737-200 nor 737-100 ever again.
I’m surprised a 737-200 is still flying.
Other older planes not so much.
There ya go
It was flying to the Millington Air Show
I used to to take fly in fishing trips in Canada. The planes were either beavers(DHC2) or otters(DHC3). The beavers went into production in the late 40's and the otters a few years later. Both were built until 1967. Our fishing group settled in with a particular operator for quite a while. The otter he was flying was an upgraded otter with a 1K HP radial engine. With that engine; if it fits, it flies.
I remember as a kid reading an article called "The Last Gasp of the Tin Goose" about the recreation of the TWA transcontinental flights using the Trimotor.
Lockheed L-188 Electra.
-200 didn’t have those engines anyways.
:)
(those engines are -300 or later except Max - hence the 700)
(I see somebody already pointed that out)
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