Boeing is hurting and they are demanding payback for staying mum on TWA#800. It's also the reason behind the proposed use of 747's as fire=fighting tankers for air-drops of water. There are a lot of older 747's which have completed first lease terms and Boeing still holds the title. There are some excellent deals out there in the used jumbo catagory. Leasing ramps full of 747's for fire-use means simple, old cockpit avionics of thirty years ago are just fine. Basically VFR 747's which sit on the ramps 363 days a year, leased by the US Forest Service.
Do you also see the black helicopters at night?