At Simple Flying, we love a piece of an upcycled airplane. Whether it a keyring or an aircraft seat, owning parts of retired aircraft has really taken off in the past years. Now, upcycled pieces of a former Olympic Air Boeing 747 are on sale.The appetite for pieces of aircraft is growing around the world, with an increasing number of individuals and companies looking to help unite avgeeks and collectors with a little memento of their favorite aircraft. Now it's possible to get a hold of an ex-Olympic Airlines Boeing 747 thanks to Tailfins.
Selling part of a Boeing 747
Tailfins have sold parts of various 747s, 777s, and even military aircraft. However, so far, the focus has been very much on UK registered aircraft. The company is branching further afield with its latest product, made from parts of SX-OAD. The keyrings, shaped like an aircraft's tail, are made from cut pieces of the fuselage.
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Once cut, they are engraved with the aircraft's registration and a serial number to indicate the limited edition nature. One hundred seventy-five pieces of SX-OAD have been made into keyrings, each reading ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ ΦΛΟΓΑ which means Olympic Flame in Greek. In addition, the company has also created 40 fridge magnets made from the fuselage. The parts are being sold through Partofaplane.com.
About SX-OAD
SX-OAD is a Boeing 747-200. According to Planespotters.net, the aircraft took its first flight from Boeing's Everett plant in early August 1979. It went on to be delivered to Singapore Airlines a week later with the line number 391.
The aircraft only flew with Singapore Airlines, registered as 9V-SQI, for five and a half years. On April 1st, 1985, the aircraft was delivered to Greek carrier Olympic Airways, where it was named Olympic Flame (hence the keyring's engraving). The aircraft flew with the airline until it was retired to Buntingthorpe in summer 2002.
In Bruntingthorpe, the aircraft initially kept is Olympic Airways livery. However, in 2006, the aircraft was repainted in the fictional livery of British supermarket ASDA. Given the fake registration of G-ASDA, the aircraft was reportedly repainted to provide a backdrop for the company's driver of the year event.
While the aircraft's tail remained slightly green, the rest of the aircraft's new livery was then removed. According to the BBC, the band Kasabian played a secret gig inside the aircraft back in September 2011.
However, it's now the end of the line for the aircraft, as the airport scrapped it in December 2020 at the age of 41.3 years. Last month Simple Flying reported that another of Bruntingthorpe's aircraft, the historic Airbus Super Guppy, experienced a similar fate, also becoming keyrings.
Did you ever fly with Olympic Airways? Let us know what you thought and why in the comments below!