GovLiquidation Shreds a Thunderbird?

BHawthorne · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:51 am

I just saw this today when I got the listing email. It's listed as Aircraft Aluminum? Can someone explain why this didn't go to a museum? Even in current forum it has historical significance.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/v ... GLSPPS7580

Look specific at pictures 11, 14-16 and 21 in the listing to see what I'm talking about.

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:27 pm

I can think of several reasons:
1) You can't save them all
2) There will be plenty complete F-16's available in the future for museums, even Thunderbird ones.
3) This is a crashed wreck, there is hardly anything left that can be recognised as a Thunderbirds F-16

PS: How's your F-84 cockpit going?

BHawthorne · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:35 pm

So, there are Thunderbird aircraft idle just waiting for museums right now? I think they changed from Block-50 to Block-52 aircraft in the last few years? Sounds a bit odd any would just be waiting for a museum. Of aircraft to transport, it would seem to me that the F-16 could even be moved on it's on gear with the wings removed on a flatbed.

It's coming along slowly but surely. I'm still collecting some detail parts and have worked up a plan on the exterior panel restoration. The last year has mostly been focused on assisting the Kansas Aviation Museum as the crew chief of their F-84F and working on refinement of the surround projection visuals for flight sims. We cleaned up the cockpit on the KAM F-84F (52-9089). Pulled the ejection seat and had everything repainted in the cockpit. It helped the look of the cockpit significantly as the sun had baked the interior over time. It gave me a good dry run on what I need to do with mine.

Randy Haskin · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:43 pm

BHawthorne wrote:

Can someone explain why this didn't go to a museum? Even in current forum it has historical significance.

Really?

I think that's stretching things a bit...

TAdan · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:54 pm

I'd guess that this could be the F-16 that the pilot had to bail out of mid-airshow several years back.

Edit: Mountain home AFB 9/14/03.

PinecastleAAF · **Joined:** Fri May 25, 2007 4:50 pm **Posts:** 1027

If the cockpit was there and intact I could maybe see it as a musuem piece. I can't see a museum doing anything with it. My impression is these are tough times for musuems so I don't see them putting money into something like that. I doubt anyone wants to build a crashed T-bird display and that would be about all that could be done from the looks of it. Having said that it would make a good movie prop.

eagle21 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:40 pm

What seems to be the intact aft part of the fuselage is in reality just a shell. There really wasn't much of the airframe left after the crash. It truly isn't worth much more than just scrap, other than a "Cool Crashed Thunderbird" perspective.

My opinion,

JMC

DaveG · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:56 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alo_XWCqNUQ

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:58 pm

What WOULD the historical significance be? I agree that you can't save them all. As a former aviation museum historian I would rather have a combat veteran F-16 than a plane Jane T-Bird F-16.

whistlingdeath77 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:33 pm

when will they be able to be released to musuems?

BHawthorne · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:59 pm

Pogmusic wrote:

What WOULD the historical significance be? I agree that you can't save them all. As a former aviation museum historian I would rather have a combat veteran F-16 than a plane Jane T-Bird F-16.

Odd, so being designated a Thunderbird aircraft is commonplace in the fleet?

Just a bit of academic randomness, but my F-84F was also assigned to the 3600th at Luke. To the best of my knowledge it wasn't a demo team aircraft though.

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:27 pm

BHawthorne wrote:

Odd, so being designated a Thunderbird aircraft is commonplace in the fleet?

Didn't say it wasn't "Unique". However, that doesn't make it as significant historically as compared to an F-16 that has actually seen combat.

B17news · **Posted:** Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:22 pm

every time I see these auctions, I wonder why I bother recycling aluminum cans, lol.

Ztex · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:39 am

It may be a significant aircraft, or not....but I don't think it was museum material....
Tough to make this look shiny again....

http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/Guest/25/

agent86 · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 3:57 am **Posts:** 926

I heard Budweiser called, need more aluminium cans.

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