Murphy's Law: February 6, 2005

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Alarmed at finding discarded warplanes for sale on eBay, the U.S. Navy now uses contractors willing to take apart discarded fighters for free. How does this work? The contractor, after cutting up the aircraft, can sell the metal for scrap. The aluminum only brings about 50 cents a pound, but the titanium goes for several dollars a pounds. The navy has already stripped off all the most valuable parts (engines, electronics, ejection seats, Etc.), leaving mostly metal to be cut up, carted away and sold. The men who do this work dont get rich, but they make a profit, and it keeps the old aircraft off eBay. Currently, F-14s are being cut up for scrap, as 633 will be retired by next year. Already, 120 have been pulled out of service. Some will be given away, after valuable components are removed, as memorials. Some more will go into storage, just in case. But most will be stripped of parts, and then cut up for scrap metal. 

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