London Banter - View Single Post

[email protected] · October 25th 16, 08:25 AM posted to uk.transport.london

On Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:49:35 -0500
wrote:
In article , d () wrote:

On Mon, 24 Oct 2016 06:13:04 -0500
wrote:
In article , d () wrote:
Also you might want to consider how aircraft manufacturers manage. You
think Boeing or Airbus are going to say to BA or Virgin "Sorry lads,
but we can't get the parts for the avionics or engine control system
any more, you're going to have to scrap that 20 year old $100million
747/A340". Of course not.

I can see the problem but not how they answered it. It won't be cheap,
that's for sure.

I'm pretty sure its all modular so you can unplug an old module and plug
in a new one with exactly the same I/O ports and protocols but whatever
is inside may be completely new. I find it hard to believe that something
isn't done on trains to allow them to be kept going after the original
electronics components are no longer available.

It might be done that way now but we're talking about technologies
implemented 30 years ago.

There are plenty of 30 year old planes still flying out of the UK and even
older elsewhere so clearly Boeing & Airbus have some repair plan since even
planes built in the 80s were essentially flying computers (glass cockpits
appeared around 1985 in the 757 and 767). I find the train manufacturers
excuse that they can't get the parts to be risible frankly since the parts
themselves arn't important, its the functionality that matters.

--
Spud