Now, it may not be the most glamorous side of aircraft development but you have to admit that for every new aircraft rolling off the production lines, some old wreck has to be retired, and recycled in an environmentally expedient fashion.
The Mojave boneyard in the California desert is a case in point. This is where old aircraft go to die - a wasteland of decrepit planes, titanic heaps of titanium and aluminum waiting to be scrapped for metal in India or China. Alternatively, have a peek at this video from CNN if you feel the need to do your bit for Mother Earth by decking out your man-pad out in true Austin Powers-style kitsch.
Of course, there is an altogether more orthodox take on aircraft recycling as featured in Flight International magazine as well as an interesting new report from the UK aviation research initiative Omega which has studied the environmental aspects of fleet turnover, retirement and life cycle that have an actual influence on the rate of technology development.
The researchers conclude that stepping up that rate might be a useful policy lever for reducing emissions via fleet turnover, whereas increasing fuel-related costs though carbon trading, may have much more disappointing effect.
They also reckon that modifications over the course of an aircraft's life have historically had a minimal effect on global emissions with the net result of all historical re-engining of aircraft, a paltry carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 0.1 per cent.
A study of the rate of aircraft leaving the global fleet further suggests that high fuel prices and the availability of new aircraft programmes are far more influential factors than noise and local air quality regulations.
The reality of that could be enough to steal both Airbus and Boeing's mojo ...
