Warbird Information Exchange

I found these ads scotch-taped on a page the other day in a forgotten file. Somewhere I have dozens more. And lots of Merlin and Allison engine ads from the early seventies.

They aren't as amazing as what you can find in old 1950's Flying Magazines and other places but these 35-37 year old ads don't seem like that long ago.

I'll always remember the two-seat pressurized F-5G/P-38 (N517PA I think) ad running it seemed like for about 3 years steady in TAP (around 1971) for $18,500 before someone finally bought it.



Bill Ross offers four fighters in the 3rd July 1972 issue for a TOTAL under 250 grand.





Don Plumb's Griffon Spitfire in the 2nd September 1974 issue $75,000 firm.




Even I could have bought this one in 1974, a PB4Y fuselage for $1,000!
Trade-A-Plane 3rd August 1974 issue. Well maybe our backyard wasn't big enough at the time...

Bill Ross's fighters are

F6F is Bu41930

P-40 is AK827 with Yanks in Chino CA.

P-38 is 44-53095 Putt-Putt Maru

SpitFire is N8R SL721

Steve

I remember finding a 1974 TAP in a workroom in one of the hangars here while cleaning it out in the early '80s. While I don't remember all the details, I do remember an ad for a P-51D in Minter City(?), Ms. for the handsome price of $40K!

Wally Peterson also had ads in Flight International for N517PA at the same time. Funny though. I had an a/c Trader from 1977 where the same plane was for sale, at $250.000,- by that stage...

T J

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Make my day, punk!

That PB4Y was probably the one held by the "Planes of Fame/Cars of the Stars" collection at Buena Park (where The Air Museum displayed some of its collection and the first time "Planes of Fame" was attached to it). I recall they had a complete PB4Y fuselage on display and the time of the ad was about the time the facility was being closed down.

I remember at Oshkosh 1972? 73? seeing two Mustangs for sale at $49,000 apiece.

I think a B-25, N3161G, was purchased in 1969? for about $6,000.

I remember pumping gas at Dupage airport in 1968 - 1969 making $200 a week and had so much cash I didn't know what to buy first. I bought an XKE for $450 as a work car. Mustangs were coming out of Canada for $2500.00 on flatbed trailers. That was a pile of money for an old airplane back then.

Steve

Back then , there was the Oshkosh price and the regular price you could buy an aircraft any other time of the year. So those Mustangs for 49K could have been bouught for probably $40K. P-38's were always about 150% of the going rate for a nice Mustang. So his price for the P-38 sounds about right.
I knew Bill pretty well. He brokered a lot of airplanes. Later, in the 1980's he would run an ad a few times a year for the P-38 even though he had no intention of selling it. It would be about double what anyone would pay. the word was that his tax accountant told him he had to keep everything for sale or else register them and pay sales taxes, etc. My guess is that the Spitfire was priced not to sell although I think it did !
Back then, the prices of Mustangs and Corsairs, versus P-40's, Hellcats and Wildcats would leap french each other every few years. Performance would trump rarity and combat history, and then back again. It's hard to imagine a Wildcat being worth 50% more than a flyable Mustang. Wildcats were very rare for a while.

This is some photos I took in Bill Ross's hanger in 1970.

The P-40 is AK905 now with Rudy Frasca

Steve

So you can't even say the word Fr0g on here? I understand not being able to use porfanity, but this is just stupid.

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Brad

And leap frenching sounds pretty profane to me.

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Jeff

It offends the French when they are flying their Heckcats and Heckdivers.
Does this mean that squashed thing in my driveway is a Frenchie ??????? Would it be okay if it were just a toad ?????

Still remember working as a lineboy at the local grass strip circa 1963-66, reading ads for RCAF Mustangs at $2500. Trans Florida, maybe ?? Saved like crazy till Dad annonced he would not allow the crates to be stored in the garage, as he figured ( probably correctly ) that I would never be able to afford to move them out, much less assemble the critter !!!

I think Air Progress ran a piece by Bill comparing the Spit to the Mustang. Probably still have it buried somewhere !!

Then there was that $475 J3 ------------------------------

Not to mention you could chip a tooth!

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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)