NASA B-377 SG lifespan

[LLeTronic]

Does anyone else realise this massive cargo plane is over 50 years old now? All other guppy aircraft have retired well before this one - NASA obviously keeps theirs in tip top condition. I'm surprised it hasn't received any sort of avionics upgrade, the B-377's manual/analog controls are ancient. So ancient that it still requires a crew of four. Oh well, it gets from A to B! But if it does encounter any sort of technical/fuselage problems in the near future I doubt NASA would spend any of its tight budget on an aircraft that was manufactured in the 60's with no guarantees that it could fly again.

 

Anyone want to have a wild stab or accurate guess as to how much longer we can expect this aircraft to remain operational for? I really have no idea.

 

P.S I'm NEW, so I'll say hello in this thread!

 

 

[facthunter]

The worst thing about the Strato cruiser was the engines. The Allison turboprops are much better than the radials although the props get a lot of cracks and have vibration monitors. I doubt they do high hours and don't appear to be pressurised, so if there is a use for them perhaps they can last for a long time. Some of those earlier airframes are quite strong and can accumulate a lot of hours without major structural problems. 60,000 wouldn't be impossible, if they are a sound basic airframe. Nev