Warbird Information Exchange

I know that there are lots of L-29, L-39, Mig-15,21, Strikemasters, Hunters bouncing around, but what about Mig-19, Sabre F-100, Vought F-8 Crusader or Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, Aermacchi MB 326 or even Fiat G91?
Are those models not interesting to the american market because of their lack of the maintenance facilities in North America or does it have to do with the federal regulations?
Some of those models are still available for restoration projects around the globe, yet haven't seen any in a flying condition.

Thanks...

$$$

Just bring cubic $$$. Wheel-barrows full won't cut it in the jet world.

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"Remember....it's always better to overshoot and have people think you can't land than to crash and prove it!"

There are at least two privately-owned F-100 Super Sabres flying in the USA, a couple of A-37s and T-37s (more flyable soon), and about a dozen flyable MB-326s (most, if not all, at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA).

There was one airworthy F-8 Crusader in the US -- it's still on the Civil Register, but hasn't flown in at least 5 years, and probably won't again due to the huge maintenance/spares difficulties.

No MiG-19s have been restored to airworthy condition, to my knowledge.

Last year, I heard of a single G-91 under restoration. Haven't heard any further updates since then.

Stay tuned. There are some restoration projects coming that you won't believe. (Is that cryptic enough for you?)

Money is simply no obstacle for some folks, if they want something bad enough.

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Buck Wyndham
Editor, WarbirdAlley.com
Warbird Instructor Pilot

Britain seems to do a decent job of keeping older jets in the air, like the Lightning, Buccaneer, Hunter and a taxiable Vulcan.

Our Heritage flight has a Phantom and Canadair made Sabre but nothing else? Too bad we can't get a government sponsored flyable preservation movement going to put more significant jets back in the air.

F-18 project:

http://www.blueangels.org/Aircraft/Stick/FA18/973/973.htm

http://www.landings.com/_landings/pacflyer/mar9-2004/Mn-116-f-18-for-sale.html

And this company is brokering an F-16 project:

http://www.airwarbirds.com/flymarket.html

Air Capitol's offering of the F-18 and other transactions is somewhat murky at best. The F-18 was actually owned by Rich Kilby of Saturn Aviation at Mojave. According to Rich he was very surprised to see it for sale. According to the group in Canada refereced by the website they are no longer affiliated with the folks who were at Newton/Wichita. The website for Air Capitol Warbirds in Wichita now directs you to the Canadian site.

The F-18 was acquired when it showed up in a DRMO sale at Warner Robins, the airframe was essentially undemilled. But it was gutted of all boxes/systems. The Navy went nutso when it showed up on Ebay, but they found the paperwork in order so it was untouchable for seizure.

No Lightnings or Buccaneers I'm afraid, you'll have to go to South Africa for them.

The UK Classic Jet population consists of a few Hunters, a couple of Gnats, some Vampires and Venoms (a dwindling number from the airworthy population of 10-15 years ago, sadly), a single Canberra, 3 Meteors (including a couple still earning their keep as ejection seat testbeds for Martin-Baker) and a lovely F-86 Sabre. Plenty of Jet Provosts / Strikemasters, the Royal Navy Historic Flight's superb Hawker Sea Hawk, but alas no T-33 these days (the last airworthy one in Europe was crashed at Duxford last September)

There may be a Vulcan in due course (if they don't run out of money again first) and there is the possibility of a Bucanneer in the future. The last airworthy Sea Vixen was grounded last month when the insurance (funded by Red Bull) ran out - future currently uncertain.

It just pisses me off when things like that happen to this almost superb T-33 project that was flying and now it rots in EGSX because the owner is a flake as well.
The plane is rotting away since 2003 and meanwhile had a lot of mishaps. The wings are corroded with actual holes in the spars, meaning the whole wing will need to be exchanged , engine is shot down needing major overhaul, the tail suffered the damage during the storm with the huge gusts and as we speak it would take the owner to spend £150.000 to take it back to get her airworthy.
£150.000 equals $320.000 CDN so do you think It is feasible to do a project?
I think unless you are a millionare, don't do it. But still my heart tells me ;"I wanna see this plane fly" for some weird aviatic reason

I have to admit, I am a cheerleader for these guys:

Classic Jet Aircraft Association

A large group of folks who own most of the aircraft you mentions with the MIG-19 being an exception. There is even a MIG-23 owner!

Go to the galleries for a small sample of the planes owned by group members.

Tom P.

There is a Fiat G.91 restoration project going on in Germany:

http://www.avi-ex.com/GINA.htm

http://www.classic-jets.com/american/restoration.php

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Warbird Videos:
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F-18 project
And this company is brokering an F-16 project[/quote]



F-16s and F/A-18s will be flying operationally for a LONG time. I don't know about others, but as for me, I have zero interest in seeing a civilian owned flying example of one of these.

Classic jets that have not been in military service for a long time are what I want to see - jets from the 50s and 60s primarily.

Just my humble opinion and 2 cents worth.

While in Alabama on the way home from Florida I stopped at the Battleship Alabama. I was inormed that the F-8 they have is a flyable aircraft. Granted, there is no runway there but it is flyable. I don't think it ever will because of the historical signifigance of this particular jet.

Herkeng

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“At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats.” - P.J. O’Rourke

Yuo want to know about which jets are flying, visit the guys that fly them at: http://www.classicjets.org/ Click on the galleries link tosee some.

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Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.

playing with jets takes dump trucks full of money....not for all of them of course ...the a-37 being a good example but any century series or newer fighter has a huge gas bill and a huge maintenance per hour bill as well. IE 20 hrs of ground maintenance for every hour flown (example---i said example) the gubmint is about the only one with enough of MY money to afford that pleasure!

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EVERYTHING that CAN fly should be ALLOWED to FLY!
IWO JIMA'S best narative..."GOD ISN'T HERE"
http://www.amazon.com/God-Isnt-Here-Ame ... 0976154706


P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.