Cats toy with aircraft

New Mexico, USA, based Custom Construction & Roofing is using two Cat 345C L tracked excavators to break up aircraft that have reached the end of their useful life on behalf of AerSale Aircraft & Engine Operations at the latter’s centre in Roswell. Custom has agreed a five year contract to dismantle, scrap and recycle the aircraft, up to and including Boeing 747s, and normally takes four days to turn each into scrap 0.3 m (1 ft) or smaller ready for shipping.

Custom’s owner Brandon Arnold said: “It just looked cool,” describing how he got into the business. “We were doing construction work on the site and watched another company smash up the planes. I pestered the owner for years, telling him we’d love to do the work, and finally he said, ‘Can you start Monday?’

In addition to the two excavators, Custom is also using a TH560 telehandler and a 252B skid steer on the site.