Maybe we should contact TOTALL Metal Recycling Inc and help them recycle a few of those 540's.
 
One of the stories says they cut up the engines with a plasma cutter. Our federal government in action! Such a worthy cause to donate to each month.

Seriously, I didn't think anyone could sue the federal gub'ment without their permission. They sell cars and all kinds of other surplus equipment every day!! Why not the engines and instruments. Just easier for them to say destroy and trash 100% than go to the trouble of arranging a salvage operation for recouping some of MY $43MILLION!
 
I hate to say this but we (Americans) are sue happy. More than likely the reason EVERYTHING was destroyed is because of the liability of someone installing a part and then crashing and burning. By totally destroying everything there is no chance of this ever happening.
 
Since a contributing factor in all 3 crashes was "uncommanded engine stoppages" I doubt engine resale was real high on their list. This may also explain why they went to the extra effort of "torching" them also. Seems as if liability was definitely a concern.
 
FlyerJumper said:
Since a contributing factor in all 3 crashes was "uncommanded engine stoppages" I doubt engine resale was real high on their list. This may also explain why they went to the extra effort of "torching" them also. Seems as if liability was definitely a concern.
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I was a T-3 IP at the Academy at the time of the first two accidents. The first one had no engine problem, it was an unrecovered intentional spin.

On this particular aircraft, the 540 was not original equip. Many beleive the cowl was just too tight. The subsequent accidents/engine failures were rumored ( I say "rumored" because I left the Academy before the 3rd accident, and before the accidents investigations were copleted) to be due to vapor lock after prolonged operation at idle, followed by a quick demand for power. I seem to remember #2 was a simulated forced landing, and when the go-around was initiated, the engine did not respond and the aircraft was manuevered into a stall a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

I agree about the litigation concerns, that is probably the reason for the destruction.

Joe
 
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It still makes you want to throw up. I'm sure they have their reasons and I'm sure there will be those that disagree with any reason but it does seem like a waste.
 
dougs filter

well i tried to post my thoughts about this but dougs fliter deleted all of it :D
i was just keeeeding how *** **** rediculous ******* stupid could have donatted it to schools . you know how bad it sucks to have to work on 1945 beechcraft for training..go figure
 
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One of the stories I read said that the vendor (manufacturer?) had specified in the purchace contract that the planes would be destroyed upon retirement, not sold. I think I read it on aero-news.net.

Karl
 
government waste

The real sham (or is that shame?) is not in the final hours of the destruction of this expensive equipment that had little return on investment. The real problem was on the other end of the spending spectrum.

1) If these planes were such a problem why could those problems have not been ironed out before purchase?

2) Why are we spending 43 million dollars (or whatever the ridiculous figure was) on a handful of planes that end up not passing muster?

Lets face it, our government wastes billions and billions of dollars because of incompetence. This looks like another incompentent decision made years ago that cost way more money than it should have.

It was interesting to read the article posted by flyerjumper.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...0911-afpn05.htm

Officials talk about the cost to destroy this equipment and sell it as scrap as being the cheapest way out. That is not disputable. The real waste came years ago at the time of the original purchase.
 
RVbySDI said:
The real sham (or is that shame?) is not in the final hours of the destruction of this expensive equipment that had little return on investment. The real problem was on the other end of the spending spectrum.

1) If these planes were such a problem why could those problems have not been ironed out before purchase?

2) Why are we spending 43 million dollars (or whatever the ridiculous figure was) on a handful of planes that end up not passing muster?

Lets face it, our government wastes billions and billions of dollars because of incompetence. This looks like another incompentent decision made years ago that cost way more money than it should have.

It was interesting to read the article posted by flyerjumper.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...0911-afpn05.htm

Officials talk about the cost to destroy this equipment and sell it as scrap as being the cheapest way out. That is not disputable. The real waste came years ago at the time of the original purchase.
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Pork.

that is the answer.

<climbing on soap box>

I heard [don't know if it is true or a urban myth] that when they were developing the A-10 that a wealthy WWII P-51 pilot [who owned several for recreation] modified one of his and it out flew / out performed the A-10 but some congressman wanted the A-10 production in his district.

This stuff happens ALL the time.

Control is now is special interests and those who...

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess of the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship." ~ Sir Alexander Fraser Tytler

T. Jefferson's only concern after the constitution was finished was that the Gov't could borrow and therefore burden future generations with their consumption.

Wise men.

No culture has survived prosperity. Regrettably, we won't either.

Represenatives don't represent what is best for the country anymore. Only what will get them elected.

... Self sacrifice is SO NOT in vogue anymore...

Shame,

<climbing off my soap box>

John
 
Deuskid said:
... Self sacrifice is SO NOT in vogue anymore...

Shame,

<climbing off my soap box>

John
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Lot's of good points here, John. Congress is rotten. Even many of the former soldiers. John "Abscam" Murtha - when offered a bribe by an FBI agent said, "I'm not interested... at this time". Not to mention how he stabbed his Marine buddies in the back recently calling them murderers, before they even went to trial.

And John "Keeting Five" McCain. Who knows how much $$ he really got from Charles Keating. Not to mention his cozy mob ties (Joe Bonano).....
 
Boy! This sounds like round two.

Do you really want to get into how this relates to aviation, the original functions of our government, as designed by our founding fathers, and how power corrupts or do you just want to gripe about how those engines would have powered a bunch of really nice RV-10s?
 
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