Two C-54s under threat...and for sale

[JohnB]

Two C-54s were flown to the UK some time ago for a Berlin Airlift film that was never produced.
They were airworthy and in fine shape at the time,.

Now, they have to be sold...or scrapped.
The price: $75,000 each.

Photos here:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showth ... p?t=111967

[Pat Carry]

Dang, I wish I had the money.

[Fearless Tower]

Two C-54s were flown to the UK some time ago for a Berlin Airlift film that was never produced.
They were airworthy and in fine shape at the time,.

Now, they have to be sold...or scrapped.
The price: $75,000 each.

Photos here:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showth ... p?t=111967

They have actually been for sale for at least a year, if not longer.
The sad thing is that I suspect they are worth considerably more as scrap than they are asking. Unless they are fully airworthy right now, it will probably take more than 75K to get either of them across the pond.

As much as I love the DC-4, I'd be suprised if they survive.

[WallyB]

Unless they are fully airworthy right now...

They are not; far from it.

[carlisle1926]

With the price of scrap aluminum being about .60 cents/ lb here for CLEAN pure aluminum and it being about .11cents/pound for dirty aluminum- which is what most aircraft aluminum is considered, I don't think that they will fetch $75,000 in scrap prices. The engines of course will bring a bit. If the people that are selling the planes realize just how little they will fetch in scrap, they will probably come off of the price substantially.
I have purchased a lot of airframes from salvage yards after the owner hauled the planes in for scrapping only to find out that what they had was often worth less than scrap iron prices.

[Fearless Tower]

With the price of scrap aluminum being about .60 cents/ lb here for CLEAN pure aluminum and it being about .11cents/pound for dirty aluminum- which is what most aircraft aluminum is considered, I don't think that they will fetch $75,000 in scrap prices. The engines of course will bring a bit. If the people that are selling the planes realize just how little they will fetch in scrap, they will probably come off of the price substantially.
I have purchased a lot of airframes from salvage yards after the owner hauled the planes in for scrapping only to find out that what they had was often worth less than scrap iron prices.

I'm not referring to scrap aluminum....I'm referring to everything else.....the engines - even at TBO the cores are worth a fair amount.....fuel pumps, generators, avionics...that will all easily add up to at least 75k.....the only problem is that it will take time (years) before you are able to realize a worthy return on the initial investment.

The other problem is that you need to have a suitable location/facility to break it up and store the stuff while you try to sell it. I imagine whoever is trying to sell the planes wants them removed ASAP.

I'm kind of suprised that an outfit like Buffalo Airways or the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation hasn't bought them yet just to keep their birds flying, but they may not have the cash up front to deal with the movement/storage problem.

[WallyB]

I'm kind of suprised that an outfit like Buffalo Airways or the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation hasn't bought them yet just to keep their birds flying, but they may not have the cash up front to deal with the movement/storage problem.

Yes, whole different logistics than just popping down to Tucson.

[Invader26]

Put one at RAF Museum @ Cosford. The RAF operated one or some!

[jdvoss]

I agree with Invader26 that the RAF needs to preserve the type as they operated 23 C-54's. The USAAF provided one to Winston Churchill as his personal aircraft and he used it to attend the Yalta Conference (RAF S/N EW999). The balance of the aircraft were operated by 232 and 246 sqnds and were eventually returned to the US were they were absorbed into USN and USMC units. One was also assigned to Charles De Gaulle as his personal transport (French markings?).

[Andy Marden]

The RAF Museum needs to get hold of N3054V from Everts at Fairbanks. It is the only surviving ex RAF machine (KL977).
Andy

[baldursveins]

Just to illustrate these Skymasters, here are some photos from their stopover in Reykjavík in 2002 and what they looked like at Northweald, England on July 14, 2009. They have obviously not improved since.
Photo 1. On the transient apron in front of the Lofleidir Hotel at Reykjavík Airport. Taken from the 3rd floor of the hotel. N44914/45-6498 on front. It was the better looking and in better condition.


Photo 2. N44914/45-6498 taking of on September 24, 2002


Photo 3. 45-6498 at North Weald in 2009.


Photo 4. N31356/44-2914 at North Weald in 2009


I completely agree with the sentiments that these should not be allowed to disappear, but then like most others I do not have any means to do anything about it. But to see two working C-54s in front of the Loftleidir Hotel in 2002, in the excact place that the Lofleidir DC-4s parked over 50 years earlier was exciting to say the least. It was sad to revisit them in 2009.

Enjoy the reminisences.

Edit: Serial of N44914 was BuNo 56498 see photo in a later post.
BS.

Last edited by baldursveins on Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Tom H]

I'm kind of suprised that an outfit like Buffalo Airways or the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation hasn't bought them yet just to keep their birds flying, but they may not have the cash up front to deal with the movement/storage problem.

Yes, whole different logistics than just popping down to Tucson.

I deal with the Buffalo team reasonably regularly and as I understand it their biggest problem is becoming fuel.

While we complain about the lack of AVGAS and it being under threat up North it is becoming scarce. Jet A is now king and the day of the Piston engine is coming to a close so demand for the big piston birds is closing.

As I understand it that is why Buffalo now has the Electras...fuel.

BTW 1-2 of the Buffalo Electras came out of England as I recall so the location wouldn't be an issue if they could make the 4's work.

I wish our museum could afford to go after (1) of these birds. They have a huge history here both military and commercial but we just can't afford the cost right now.

But lord I would almost kill for one while we still have a runway.

Tom

[Robbie Roberts]

Just a simple, d.a. question, but if they were airworthy in 2002, what has happened to them in 9 years to make them so horribly un-airworthy?

Scott

[jdvoss]

Attached is a photo of 56498 when it was operational with the USN and based at NAS Agana, Guam. I took the photo when it passed thru NAS Kwajalein in 1964. It's interesting that the restored C-54 displays the USN BuNo as opposed to the correct USAAF S/N of 42-72525 (re: Joe Baughers website).

[gary1954]

Great Photos guys. I have been trying to become a mege-multi-millionaire so I could collect old airplanes, but all of my great ideas get snatched up before I can immplement them, gone from my grasp was my invention of the computer, the world wide web, the cell phone, ebay and google. Gawd....now I just gotta start over