Pawn Stars L-39

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

So tongiht they almost bought an L-39. Blue camo with a BIG L-39 in white on the fin. N-number bleeped out. Anyone know which one it was? Owner wanted $200k, would take $150k, Rick offered $80k.... Had a guy named Mathew to look at it, former F-18/Top Gun/ Blue Angels pilot....

Mark H
PS: Looking at Controller.com, looks like NX50xx, but some slight differences in details on the paint... I'd say that was probably it... Seems like Chino is a long way to go to shoot some PAWN STARS...

RandolphB · **Posted:** Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:43 pm

They seem to have no intention in buying any of the aircraft they look at....why do they keep asking pilots what they think of the planes, instead of getting an A & P?

Perhaps they were actually at Chino a few months ago when the Son got arrested in Big Bear for a fight in a bar....? It's not that far away. They seem to travel a lot now- the last weekend we were in Vegas we dropped into the store to find all of them on the East Coast filming some sort of "Road Show" type deal.

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Yeah, their other ventures into aviation were interesting...

There was the wrecked helicopter that was magically rebullt in a month and a post on a site mentioned the pile of parts they bought was still in a hangar....

Then the was the Cherokee that was abandoned on the ramp at N Las Vegas airport. It was magically restored and a different site said it was still parked on the ramp unrestored....

Then they bought a 232 sailplane and ChumLee went for a ride in the front seat and someone pointed out the weight limit for that seat was WELL below his estimated weight....

Of course there was another (looked like a Beaver) on a trailer that they didn't want to pay anything for after the "pilot" they brought in was talking about corrosion that I doubt was there.... You had to see it...

For this one, we learned the "engine is good if it isn't leaking anything", so I have a substiute for TBO... Never mentioned times....

Been to their shop in Vegas a few times, the Old Man was signing autographs once and ChumLee was there another trip. I can ChumLee isn't as stupid as he is portayed on TV.....

Buy or not, they get footage for the show...

Mark H

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:43 am

Mark, thing is, with an L-39, if it's not leaking, then it's probably good. Major difference from US birds - you don't want anything leaking on a Soviet bloc aircraft. If it's leaking, then something is probably majorly broken. When I was at CWAM a few years ago, one of the Czech mechanics said that if the L-39 didn't hold hydraulic pressure for at least a couple of days they started looking to find out why. All the Soviet stuff is closed loop, "on demand", so it's way different than how most US warbirds are built. No prescribed drip rates here.

wapeach · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:40 am

Okay being buyers and sellers we watch "Pawn Stars" regularly. Tonight's episode was that a L-39 Albatross was brought to the shop. I couldn't believe neither of them wanted to go up for a ride! OMG! If you watch the show....Chum would do anything...usually incredibly bone-headed...I guess that was another bone-headed move....passing on the ride of his life! :spit

airnutz · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:48 am

P51Mstg wrote:

Of course there was another (looked like a Beaver) on a trailer that they didn't want to pay anything for after the "pilot" they brought in was talking about corrosion that I doubt was there.... You had to see it...

Stinson Reliant in RAF colors, IIRC.

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:48 am

1) he wouldn't fit in the seat. I've been in an L-39 cockpit, I'm smaller than him (but not by too much) and I could barely fit.
2) There's already a thread on this in the main forum. <--- I merged the threads - Scott

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:13 pm

Yep, I've wondered about things like the just re broadcast 427 COBRA build. They went to a 'noted COBRA expert' in town, why not go to THE COBRA experts in town? Wouldn't they let them in @ the SHELBY factory located @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway about 8 miles North up I-15 from CIRCUS-CIRCUS Where SHELBY Mustangs and 'continuation' COBRAS are built?
I've watched the program with the V-77 a couple of times and still wonder, 'just how badly does Grade A cotton have to be corroded?'

Speedy · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:41 pm

I remember several years ago Antiques Road Show came under fire because some of their 'experts' were actually setting up the evaluations ahead of time--essentially, loading the show to make THEIR finds stand out against the others on the broadcast.

It seems to me that many of the stuff on Pawn Stars is almost pre-set up to do something like that...a way to get free publicity, but never actually something 'serious' about being sold or pawned. After all, it's just a tv show.

wapeach · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:55 pm

Speedy wrote:

I remember several years ago Antiques Road Show came under fire because some of their 'experts' were actually setting up the evaluations ahead of time--essentially, loading the show to make THEIR finds stand out against the others on the broadcast.

It seems to me that many of the stuff on Pawn Stars is almost pre-set up to do something like that...a way to get free publicity, but never actually something 'serious' about being sold or pawned. After all, it's just a tv show.

Oh I'm sure it is.....Cory got his chops busted for buying a hot air balloon a while back. However the ultimate faux pas was when Chum just HAD to try out this extremely rare bowling arcade game and broke the back glass that was irreplacable.

wapeach · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:55 pm

CAPFlyer wrote:

1) he wouldn't fit in the seat. I've been in an L-39 cockpit, I'm smaller than him (but not by too much) and I could barely fit.
2) There's already a thread on this in the main forum. <--- I merged the threads - Scott

Okay, that's were it went.

Speedy · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 3:57 pm

Hey, maybe next we should get the History Channel to send the American Pickers guys to Connie's ranch in Texas. That'd be a hell of a pick.

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:51 pm

In line with the comments above...I trust that show about as far as I could throw Chumley.

No one serious about selling a jet would take it to a pawn shop.
The producers probably asked them to fly it to Vegas to be on the show...and probably paid for the fuel as well.
A large part of the show is them looking at weird/expensive stuff...it's what keeps people watching.

Speaking of which, I quit watching it because it's so contrived.
Don't watch it, it only encourages them...and other producers of set-up "reality" programs.

CAPFlyer · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:24 pm

There was a "behind the show" thing done after the first or second season. They said that some of the "big stuff" was on the show for publicity of the owner and the crew (not because there was any serious buy desire), but most of it was real and the only thing they would do was compress the timeframe on some of the finds when they'd bring in experts as it would usually be a day or two after the item was brought in. Now, I suspect people bringing in "odd" stuff contact the guys ahead of time and everything is setup so it doesn't take as much time to make a deal or pass (and thus not waste people's time), but don't discount the idea of being on TV as a driving factor for people to take things like an L-39 to these guys. Even if you don't sell it, a lot of these things will be sold later because now the owner can say "As Seen on Pawn Stars".

JohnB · **Posted:** Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:34 pm

CAPFlyer wrote:

... but don't discount the idea of being on TV as a driving factor for people to take things like an L-39 to these guys. Even if you don't sell it, a lot of these things will be sold later because now the owner can say "As Seen on Pawn Stars".

Agreed. That's the other half of what I was trying to say.

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