[simpits-tech] Salvage Yards....

[simpits-tech@simpits.org]

$1000 for a seat!  I bet they will end up in the skip with the rest of the airframe.....

Anyway, since I've got a few mintues, I'll tell you about my little trip to a Salvage Yard in the UK, last weekend.

My friend James and I, set off early Saturday morning, to drive 400 or so miles to this salvage yard ASI (Air Salvage International).  We arrived at the yard at 1500 and met the owner, Mark Gregory.

The last time I was here was in 2000, when I picked up my Bandeirante nose section.

As we entered the yard, the first thing you couldn't miss, was two BAe 146-300s being stripped for parts and scrapped.  We did ask if there were any parts for sale, but as 146 parts have really high re-sale prices, the prices were way out of reach for mere mortals like us.  In fact a 146 is worth more in parts that it is complete.

Mark took us into his stores, as James had pre-ordered some kit.  A complete set of instrument panels out of a BAe748 for £150, a bunch of control columns for £30 each and two complete, and very rare, instruments panels, with instruments, from a DH Comet for £75 each!

Part of the deal with the 748 panels, was that we could completely strip out a 748 cockpit that was in the yard, but more on that later.

Mark also showed us all the parts that he was willing to sell to people like us.  There were instrument panels, switch panels, instruments, pilot seats and control columns.  Mark did say he had to sort some of the stuff out, but is willing to give us a list as and when he gets round to it.

After the stores, Mark took us around the flightdecks he had for sale.  The first one, still a complete airframe, was a Shorts 330, which was in excellent condition.  Although some of the instruments were missing, Mark had them in stores, and for a price, could put this flightdeck back to its original condition.  The flightdeck itself was for sale for around £1000 but Mark wants to try and keep the airframe intact.  He had already sold a similar airframe for £9000 which became an internet cafe in Spain.  

The second flightdeck was from a BAC 1-11, which was in not too bad a state inside, but the outside of it needed a lot of work.

The third flightdeck, well airframe was an Embraer Bandeirante, which was in very good condition, apart from some mold that had caught on some of the furnishings.  Mark stated if he couldn't sell the flightdeck, they are going to restore it for their stand at the Farnborough airshow/trade show.  

The fourth flightdeck/airframe was another Shorts 330, which was in a poor condition.  This airframe is going to be scrapped in the very near future.

The fifth and final flightdeck was a 748.  This was in a very poor condition, and Mark said we could take it if we wanted it, or just strip it of parts.  As we didn't have a trailer, we just stripped out the parts.

As I needed some parts for my own Bandeirante, mainly panel lights, Mark let me loose on the Bandit in the yard.  At long last I managed to get hold of some MS25010 lenses for my overhead panel, at a very cheap price.  Unfortunately he didn't have a master caution switch, as he had sold every one he had.

However, Mark suggested I strip the Shorts 330 flightdeck, the one in poor condition, of its warning lights.  So off to the Shorts 330, and an hour later, all the warning lights, gear lights, two utility lights and a switch panel were removed.  All for a total of £20!  (This of course included the stuff I took out of the Bandit!).  To my surprise, although the airframe of the Shorts was in quite a bad condition, the panels in the flightdeck were in quite a good condition.

Once I had finished in the Bandit, I went over to the 748 to give James a hand.  Mark did say that some of the stuff in the cockpit wasn't 748 stuff, and lo and behold there was a very nice switch panel with korry lights and korry fire handles.  This we believe was out of a Shorts 360, but I am still checking the serial numbers on the panel.  Anyway James kindly gave it to me for my Bandit project, as he didn't have a use for it.

It was a very tough job stripping out the 748, as most of the panels were corroded.  But with a bit of brute force, we removed all the instruments, the avionics rack and some of the panels, that could be restored.

It was about 1800 by the time we finished and was very dark.  Not a good time to be in a salvage yard with bits of metal everywhere, but we got back and loaded the car ok.

So that ended the day and we headed to the hotel and on Sunday we headed back to Scotland.

Although Mark didn't have so much stuff as he had last time, he tends to keep a lot of it at another site, that we have been invited to visit, when we are down next.

Its great to see a salvage yard who is happy to deal with customers like us, and long may this relationship continue, especially if the prices stay as cheap!

The one and only downside of the trip, was that Mark wasn't happy for me to take some pictures of the yard.  In the end it didn't matter, because we were so busy stripping cockpits.

Hopefully this weekend I will get some pictures of the stuff I bought, and will upload them to the simpits site.  

Darren

> I have good news, I found a nose radome in Tulsa for
> my DC-8. 3 model 41 birds that have been sitting there
> for 30 years are about to be scrapped. It's sad
> really, the planes were hardly even used.  Last
> weekend they took me on the flightline and we walked
> around them. I hope to get in a cockpit to take
> pictures before they are scrapped. 
> 
> The crew seats are going for over a thousand each, one
> guy offered them three thousand a seat. No, I wont be
> buying one. 
> 
> Tonight will be fun, I have time booked in a Air Force
> C-17 full motion sim!
> 
> Justin
> 
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