Warbird Information Exchange

I received this e-mail today and had not seen it posted on WIX....it's a shame this ole warhorse can't be saved....

"Former NY ANG F-102A 57-0788, is currently available to bidders as lot 5151 in Government Liquidation event 9112. Unfortunately, the listing includes the phrase "COMPLETELY DESTROYED". Further details and pictures can be viewed at the following URL."

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=6670723&convertTo=USD

"This aircraft has been a “Gate Guardian” for perhaps 20 years or more in a salt-air environment. Even for aluminum, the corrosion must be extensive enough to render it un-flyable within reason. It points up the insanity of the US Governments policy of “Total Destruction”. How many F-102’s are left on display? Another piece of history in the shredder."

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Civis Aerius Sum

I am a citizen of the Air

Did the NMUSAF sign off on this? There's at least one other outdoor display F-102 (somebody chime in and remind me which) that was supposed to suffer the same fate soon.
Looking at the way the landing gear collapsed sideways, I wonder if this was a victim of Sandy?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

The 102 at the Evergreen museum has holes in it. It can't be too far behind this one. Also, IIRC, there was one in Iceland, that too, rotted away and had to be scrapped.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here:

Let's play devil's advocate. Suppose the plane was left intact. What government on this planet would want to purchase a gate guardian F-102, restore it to flight status and then use it as an implement of war? Even our country's worst enemies would take a pass on it. Or, what parts could be useful to any other country. If the plane still had all of its equipment, it is all incredibly obsolete to the point that it would have no usefulness to anyone except a collector.

Suppose the plane was turned over intact for civilian restoration. What group would have the kind of resources to restore the plane back to flight status and use it for illicit means? At best, it's going to be a stretch to fix it up for static display.

This seems like some pencil pusher going REALLY overboard with the destruction of military assets to prevent reuse.

That's the nature of any bureaucracy...a "one size fits all" mentaility.
The worker who wrote the salvage bid thinks...."the book says destroy old military aircraft so they can't be used by bad guys...so that's what I do".
Even if it's an impossibility.

In other words, the rule/law doesn't differentiate between a F-14 and a F-102. Probably because the people who wrote the rules don't know the difference, and the person enforcing them doesn't know either. Just doing what the book says. They can't be expected to think critically or know about the subject they're enforcing. They're drones, counting the days until retirement and keeping a eye on their Thrift Savings Plan (a sort of govt 401K) account

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.
Note political free signature.
I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

The real bottom line here (and anyone who's ever worked for any government knows I'm right about this) is nobody wants to be the person who sells said shell of a plane and then that buyer does something bad with it. Nobody's going to risk having their names associated with anything bad, so they turn everything into a fine powder before selling it, just so that doesn't happen.
"When in doubt, provide no way but the absolute"...

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

Unfortunatly, like I myself was told here on wix, we just can't save them all. But we can sure as heck try!

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" I am a nobody in aviation, but somebody to my family."