AirSkinz 

Virgin Atlantic

B747 PURPLE Skin Tilez


 G-VBIG “Tinker Belle”

 

 AirSkinz was a small-scale producer of aviation memorabilia based in the UK

Despite its relatively short lifespan, the AirSkinz legacy is an incredible array of repurposed artefacts of aviation introduced to what has become a burgeoning market which gained leverage off back of a pandemic which decimated the aviation travel industry

Ironically, the pandemic which inspired this market almost exclusively bought forward the retirement of the B747 passenger aircraft

This material would have otherwise been destined for scrap

The proprietor sent a firm message to his competitors that no one entity was entitled to a monopoly

This statement and the AirSkinz ethic is evident in the Tilez range

These tiles of aircraft skin were cut larger than plane tag keychain keepsakes and as such have a far greater presence

Virgin retired their Jumbo’s in May 2020

The skin from Virgin Atlantic Jumbo’s reflects a luxurious, deep finish which absolutely ‘pops’ in direct daylight

The unique pearlescent finish provides a shimmering sparkle and while difficult to capture in photograph remains a sight to behold, especially to the naked eye

 

This PURPLE tile measures 10 x 8cm


It features a brief description of the aircrafts’ service to the airline engraved into a highly characteristic zinc chromate internal surface


Certificate of Authenticity included

 

 AirSkinz is no more

The Queen is dead

Reward yourself with this near-impossible to acquire artefact today!

 

G-VBIG

“Tinker Belle”

B747-4Q8

x4 GE CF6-80C2B1F

MSN: 26255 / LN: 1081

First flight 28th May 1996

Delivered to Virgin Atlantic 10th June 1996

Withdrawn 10th November 2019

Stored at St Athan 22nd November 2019

Recorded as scrapped May 2020

 

Price in $AUD

Combined postage encouraged

 

Virgin Atlantic had operated thirty B747’s between 1984 and 2020

Seventeen were Classic variants sourced 2nd and 3rd hand from various sources while thirteen were the upgraded -400 model some of which were delivered new to the airline from Boeing

On the 9th April 2019 Virgin announced that it would retire the last of its eight B744’s by 2021 to make way for more efficient twin jets

However, consistent with every other remaining Jumbo PAX operator, Virgin Atlantic made a further announcement that it would retire its entire remaining B747 fleet with immediate effect on the 5th May 2020

At this time five of the airline’s seven Jumbos were already listed as stored at MAN, G-VROY was at LHR and G-VXLG at GLA

Manchester became a staging point where the fleet awaited its fate

 

VS B744 Fleet Status

G-VBIG  10th Jun 1996  Tinker Belle  SCRAPPED

G-VAST  17th Jun 1997  Ladybird  SCRAPPED

G-VXLG  30th Sep 1998  Ruby Tuesday  VQ-BZV Longtail Aviation

G-VGAL  26th Apr 2001  Jersey Girl  Stored

G-VLIP  5th May 2001  Hot Lips  Stored

G-VROS  22nd Mar 2001  English Rose  N583BC Boeing Capital Corp

G-VROY  18th Jun 2001  Pretty Woman  N482MC Atlas

G-VROM  29th Mar 2012  Barbarella  N481MC Atlas

 

You know what Richard would do next

 

The 744 Dilemma

The Boeing 747-400 is an advanced variant of the B747 series. The 'Advanced Series 300' was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow. The -400 is a larger, more efficient and longer-range Jumbo variant which enabled the over-flight of traditional tech-stops. It introduced a glass cockpit and reduced the number of dials, gauges and knobs from 971 to 365 via enhanced avionics eliminating the role of the third knob – the flight engineer. It retained the original airframe with the -300 EUD and introduced 1.8m drag reducing winglets. The -400 also featured tail fuel tanks, revised engines, and a new interior. Powerplants included the Pratt & Whitney PW4062, General Electric CF6-80C2, and Rolls-Royce RB211-524, equivalent and interchangeable with those utilised in the parallel production of the B767’s

Northwest Airlines were the launch customer and ordered ten aircraft on the 22nd October 1985. The first-400 rolled out on January 26th 1988 with a maiden flight on the 29th April. Type certification was received on the 9th January 1989, the first commercial flight occurred on the 9th February between Minneapolis and Phoenix

An extended range freighter (ERF) entered service in October 2002 followed by a passenger version (ER) in November. Qantas were the only airline to order the -400ER initially for the MEL to LAX and DFW to SYD routes allowing a commercially viable service with full passenger and cargo payloads. Prior to introducing the -400ER, Qantas blocked out E zone to weight limit passenger numbers and associated baggage. The -400ER featured the Boeing Signature Interior, which was later offered as a retro-fit on previous models

The -400ER also introduced flight deck enhancements, including the replacement of CRT displays with LCD’s and the three standby instruments were amalgamated into a single combined integrated standby flight display LCD, both of which became standard across the series in late 2003

In March 2007, Boeing announced that it had no plans to produce further passenger versions of the -400, the final delivery occurring in April 2005 for China Airlines. However, orders for 36 -400F and -400ERF freighters were already in place. The -400 was superseded by the stretched and improved Boeing 747-8, introduced in October 2011 to an albeit mild reception

With 694 -400’s delivered between 1989 and 2009, it was by far Boeing's best-selling 747 variant. The largest operators of the jet included Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines and British Airways

The -400's leasing, resale and salvage value has dropped steeply due to relatively expensive operating costs above more efficient twin-jets. Age is also not on the -400’s side as most airframe exceed twenty years. Airlines are beginning to replace them with more fuel efficient aircraft such as Boeing 777/787’s and Airbus A350’s. The change in emphasis from hub and spoke operations to point-to-point flights has also reduced the need for large, multi-engine jets

Moreover, economic weakness in air cargo markets has slowed demand for cargo conversions. Since the cost of replacement is high, most appear to be operating the -400's to the full extent of their accepted useful lifespan prior to scrapping. The current parts resale value for the type has been reduced to its engines and Planetags 


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