Poked around a retired 737 in the Mojave boneyard last month saw something wild

I was out in Victorville visiting a buddy who does storage work, and we walked through a row of old 737s waiting for parts or scrap. I climbed up into one that had its cockpit gutted, and noticed all the wiring bundles were held together with these ancient cloth zip ties, not the plastic ones we use today. Some of them were frayed but still holding strong after 20+ years in the desert heat. Really made me think about how much stuff we swap out vs what actually lasts. The aluminum skin on those old birds had some corrosion around the rivets too, nothing crazy but you could tell it was from age not neglect. Has anyone else seen old school materials out in the field that just refuse to die?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbararamirez18d ago

Cloth zip ties in the desert heat for 20 years?" That just blows my mind right there. I would have bet money those things would turn to dust, but I guess the old school stuff really was built different. Makes you wonder what other hardwearing secrets are hiding in those gutted planes.

gracecarr18d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, that's honestly wild to think about.