Ford's answers to the NHTSA 6.7 Investigation
There was a request for a link to Ford's answer's to the NHTSA investigation posted on a previous thread, since closed. Here is the link: Ford's NHTSA Answers to the 6.7 investigation This PDF i...
Forum Discussion
Capt Skup wrote:
While in Japan I was astounded to see autos that looked in very good condition maybe 3-5 years old being driven/delivered to the junk yards for recycling. We found those junk yards great sources for parts for our rusted out but still running Guam bomb Toyotas. Seems that it cost quite a bit in Japan to keep a car in the condition required by Japanese vehicle inspection laws. About those airplanes, I maintained/flew in aircraft in my thirties in the Navy that were 5 years older than I was, still operating on the carrier.
One of the reasons I don't believe the Japanese will ever be successful in the US pickup market is that is a market where 20 year life is still expected (though changing). Their home market brands anything over 4 years old.... junk.. to be heaved off to the Siberians, etc.
It is nearly impossible to economically pass inspection once you hit 5 years in Japan.
Onto military craft... the older stuff, like the B 52, essentially will operate indefinitely with proper maintenance.
Bets are now out on who is going to be the first great grandchild to fly their great granddad's B-52.
The newer ones, are more limited in terms of hours, stress cycles.
Multi role fighters take quite a beating because they got to do air combat, evade missiles, and still truck around rack loads of ordinance.
B-52s took some beatings from things like low level penetration training, but that is now in the past.
Then there is the problem of weight growth, which on a modern jet is around 5% a year as it gradually gets heavier with mods, new updates, and repairs.
The real reason for trashing the current gen stuff fighter wise is that at a certain point, the maintenance burden gets so expensive in the field that it needs to go to depot, and that means years out of service as the airframe is disassembled and every part checked for cracks and stress and re-validated.
That, however, did not stop spectacular problems, like the entire front section falling off a few F-15s.
So if it is time to get new, why not at the same time, upgrade to the stealthier stuff?
