Extending the maximum life for aircrafts

[Alpha]

Dear Sami,

Under the current rules, an aircraft can only flies for circa 35 years before it will be automatically scrapped. With the implementation of aircraft conversions / mods, this has significantly lengthened the usable life of certain aircrafts (mostly those in the early jet ages, such as dc-8, cv-240/340/440, 727) beyond the current hard limit set by the game.

Even without the said mods, certain planes have been able to fly in 1st tier airlines well into their 40s (most notably Northwest with their DC-9-30s) or at least late 30s (example: 757s / MD-80s at Delta). This is even more true for cargo airlines (e.g. UPS kept their DC-8-70s well into 2009, when the last DC-8 was produced over 37 years ago, Fedex has a fleet of MD-10s aged over 40 years old, etc)

I therefore wonder if it is possible for the game engine to cope with unlimited aircraft age, so as to better reflect the reality that old planes may still have economic life left in them that may be exploited?

Thanks 

[Cardinal]

I would like to see the game switch to airframe cycles as the hard limit instead of age. Age and hours still need to affect maintenance costs and possibly make it uneconomical to continue to operate a 55-year-old DC-8 but if it hasn't cycled out yet and you can make money hauling fish... 

[schro]

I made this request nearly 7 years ago and it was shot down - https://www.airwaysim.com/forum/index.php/topic,30738.msg158847.html

Even if the useful life was extended, as of now, the planes will not have an economic life left in them as maintenance will be through the roof. Perhaps the scale MX scaling for cargo would need to follow a less severe curve than passenger planes. Pax planes a this point are basically unprofitable by the time they are 27.....

You're also overestimating the age of DL's 757s and MD88's - the 757s are now mostly at 20 years or younger, and the MD88's are 31 at the most (they were delivered '87-'93).