k5dh wrote:
Chris, sometimes it comes down to a matter of resources. Most museums operate on a shoestring budget with mainly volunteer labor, and we have to make the best use of our precious dollars and our limited talent pool. Sometimes that means we have to let some aircraft go so that the resources can be applied to more relevant aircraft. The cash generated from the scrapping can be put to good use restoring other airframes. In the end, we save the ones we can and try to do right by them.
I recall reading that YAM's DC-6 and Argosy were in pretty rough shape and the cost to restore and preserve them was more than YAM could justify, especially for the level of interest that they would generate. They didn't necessarily fit into the "theme" of the YAM collection, which is mainly aimed at combat types. I know they tried to find them a new home, but they did not succeed. YAM is fighting gallantly right now to save that historic hangar. They need every dollar they can scrape together for that. The scrap money from the DC-6 and Argosy will certainly help.
VFM went through a somewhat similar situation. We recently scrapped two Convair 640 freighters that were donated when their operator went under. These two classics had a long history of operations in the D/FW area, first with S-M-B Stage Line and then with Kitty Hawk Air Freight. One of them was so complete that it could probably have been flown out (when it was donated, it was literally flown in and parked). We tried for months and months to sell them and got no real interest other than some low-ball offers from scrap dealers. The longer they sat, the more they deteriorated, and the more of an eyesore and bird sanctuary they became. We finally worked a deal with an Australian Convair 640 freight operator who sent a crew to our facility to strip the pair for parts, and they left us the empty carcasses. The D/FW Airport Fire Department later bought the hulls for scrap metal price and hauled them away to their training center to be used as passenger extraction training aids, after which they will recover some of their costs by selling the remains to the scrap metal dealer. We hated to see these historic aircraft get broken up, but they didn't fit into our Museum's "theme", and we couldn't find anyone to take them home and give them love. Ultimately, the scrapping generated a lot of cash that we really needed, and the training the hulls will provide could end up saving lives. As much as it hurts, sometimes you have to let 'em go. We can't save 'em all. In the end, we save the ones we can and try to do right by them.
extremely well said