If You Don't Like Flying, Look Away Now.

This story made me chuckle today. Just like when your car heads to that big car garage in the sky and you reluctantly take it to the local scrapper (or used to until the European environmentalists got involved), it seems airlines do the same.


As the article says, most commercial airliners have a life span of circa 30 years, and so when that 30 years is up they get replaced as it's deemed not to be cost effective to keep maintaining them.
So what happens is that you end up with these 'aeroplane scrapyards' dotted on various parts of the globe. The BBC, obviously intrigued by such a phenomenon, decided to head to Chateauroux in France to investigate.

One line in the piece interests me though. This plane graveyard happens to be at a freight airport, hidden away from the public and according to airport manager Martin Fraissignes, this is a deliberate choice.

"it's good this is a freight airport which doesn't take passengers - the sight of these smashed up planes would do nothing for their nerves."

Presumably then, Mr Fraissignes hasn't flown from Perpignan Riversaltes airport in the South of the country?

Whilst there in March for the Leeds Rhinos game against Catalan Dragons, we got a Taxi on the Sunday morning to take us to the airport. Surrounding the airport is basically just one road which which goes from the motorway around the perimeter of the airport. As you approach, you are greated with the following sights:

(pictures from http://www.airliners.net)

Now, I'm not exactly the World's best flyer myself. I can manage it and in most cases the most uncomfortable part for me is the 10-year old brat behind me who's had one too many smarties, but the idea of travelling at 500mph at an altutude of 30,000ft in what is effectively an aluminium tube isn't really my idea of fun.

That taxi ride in Perpignan didn't really help.