End of the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11!

 Is this the final demise of the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11?

These aircraft operated by United Parcels Services (UPS) and FedEx have now been stood down, but is this really the end of them or will they be scrapped, after ten years of the last incident called for their retirement in the freight business for postal services or other unknown or not disclosed loads!

The history of this type has been successful, but the earlier version the DC-10-30 had a engine tail flaring problem, which lead to disaster and great loss of life?

The MD-11 was to be more, but safety concerns drove into its current role, but these aircraft are old and no match for say the Boeing 777-300/X or the earlier 747-300/400. It is not clear what other operators may do in Europe and other parts of the world!

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Wasteful Carbon Emissions!

Moving Scrap?

Here in Wales one lives in the view of the massive sprawling TATA-Europe steel works and yet two miles away ships are taking filed down scrap metals to Northern Spain for recycling? To me this is just complete madness, despite companies making a profit from it!

Out government recently cancelled the M4 relief road or Motorway from Newport, Gwent to Cardiff in SE-Wales for some tag poles, while a plethora of new road links are popping up around the city to spoil the countryside and relieve the terrible congestion with most of this being planned for the westside, when it is really needed on the east side and connection to the new Severn crossing to and from England?

Much is claimed by the Europeans about what they want done, but when you see bottled water being moved by train and all the above you have to wonder who is telling the truth or just having a laugh with the naïve?

Re-Cycling.

Machines die Too.

Technology is always moving on and it leaves behind the old, some of the old go to museums and collectors, while the rest goes to scrap. The price of metals has slumped world wide, apart from a few precious ones, along with gold and diamonds. Most commercial aircraft contain many high value materials, along with nuclear powered naval vessels and bomber/fighter jets.

But generally most cars, ships and trains are made of steel and this can be re-cycled! Currently the United Kingdom is facing the end of its groaning steel industry, because of the Chinese glut of steel. One way to save these old plants would be to update them to re-cycle steel. Much is being said that we need to keep these plants, because of the arms industry? 

But what the general public do not realise, that much of Britain's arms industry is now based with BAE system in the Republic of South-Africa. Appledore Devon last year built three frigate's for the Irish navy, Falmouth continues to build a line of small composite-material fast attack craft for the Persian Gulf states. 

While Flint-Wrexham has the Airbus wings production facility. But Britain has no major shipyards, aircraft manufacturing or owns any part any longer in any mass production car plants. Now the E.U is warning that Brexit may see the loss of Airbus and several other European owned businesses.