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Ok lets take a look at how an origination would get an airplane form the gov.
At least the way it was done in the 90s. It may have changed by now. I did all the paper work at Air Heritage when we acquired the two Mohawks (getting two aircraft at the same time is unusual we acquired at operator level and these were the biggest pain in the butt to do the paper work), Huey again operator level, Cessna 401 from ARMC Ex DEA airplane that they took off some drug runners, they used the airplane till the engines ran out then it ended up at ARMC cause DEA is federal, but the Air Force Museum had nothing to do with this airplane. And a T28C that was a ex Cal Fire Fighter that somehow ended up down in Texas.
OK we’ll used the Mohawks as to how this all went down.
First every state has a State Surplus Program and attached is the Federal Surplus Property Program. There is a central warehouse and central office. In the case of PA the central office/warehouse is in Harrisburg with smaller ones in Philly area and one in Western PA in Harmony, these two are only opened once a month for 1 to 3 days.
So this is a state run federal program.
And being a state run thing each state is run a little different. In MD anyone can buy state surplus but there is a federal side that’s roped off and your not allowed to even walk in there unless you have the paper work. In Pa you need the paper work to purchase anything, no money changes hands they bill the organization, but you can take as many people in there you want but only a few can sign.
Now what originations can access this program, first in Air Heritage case our organization got us a 501-3C, the 3C is the kicker. This 501 means not for profit, the 3C means educational like a college and all colleges are 3Cs and have access if they do the paper work. Any Mil unit, any police org, FBI, DEA, church’s and so on an so on. Cites, local towns. And there is a pecking order at least in PA, FBI, DEA, Mil, being at the top and colleges Air Heritage local towns church’s at the bottom.
There can be anything surplus in the warehouses and I mean anything. Mil Trucks, armor cars (just for police), boots, socks, parts of all kinds, hand tools of all kinds, power tools, food, lathes milling machine, flight line stuff of all kinds. When you went in it was like being a kid on Xmas morn.
It is not free there is a price on everything but what a price and they do sale’s.
Where does all the stuff come from, each mil base (even overseas) and federal unit like FBI building in DC and so on, has a surplus area forget what’s is called. The operator unit declares something surplus by doing paper work and it goes to the storage area. Federal Surplus is part of the GSA, they send a fax to every state as to what is in the system at all of these different locations. Then each state would request this or that and then moved to that state.
When the Navy yard in philly closed you should have seen what came into the warehouse’s. I got 3 55 gallon drums full to the top with tools all kinds of tools for 50 a drum. But anyway.
Well were up at the warehouse in Harmony and the second in charge is there and me with the paper work for Air Heritage (its called a screener) he says to me you all never filled out your dream list I say What. Well you put down on this list the MAJOR stuff your really looking for and of course Airplane is on the top. That means Air Heritage will get a Fax from the main office of Federal Surplus in DC. So any airplane or parts like engines will be on the list. Then if you see something you fill out this form and fax it in to Harrisburg, then they do the rest of the paper work. This does not mean your going to be AWARDED the stuff that’s up to the DC Office and oh yea the price is on the first fax.
Now there’s two class’s of surplus, all the small stuff and you pay for it and walk out. That pretty much the end of it. On MAJOR stuff you enter into a contract that can run a number of years. And you get inspected by the boys from Harrisburg to see your living up to the contract. Like taking parts off the award and selling them or using them for something else.
WARNING you do not want to get caught abusing the system even with the small stuff.
I member this woman city official up near Erie that had a generator moved to her house and got caught. She didn’t go to jail which she could have but lost her job and a fine. So.
Well over the next few months we start getting fax’s from the main office in DC. Stuff like worn out mil 172s, engines piston and gas turbine, O-2s at Cal firefighting they were getting OV-10s, Gulf Stream that belonged to NASA, F100, F105, F102 but these had to be demiled cause there considered tack. Sometimes these fax’s were 10 ft long.
So I’m doing all this paper work on this stuff and nothing.
Well this one day this fax comes in with 7 or 8 OV-1Ds on it. And their all marked flyable.
There is condition box on the fax also a location which was Hunter Army Airfield in GA.
Price is $3,500 each. So I do the paper work on all of them. There is a phone number and contact for all this stuff, this person is in charge of disposing of this stuff. So I call him up, and I get this warrant officer. I ask about the condition of the airplanes, he says they were flown for a fly over at the closing ceremonies of the unit. When that was over we walked away from the airplanes and that was that. Then I ask why 7 at one time, well they were to go to South America. But some senator found out that country never paid for the first 7 they got a few years ago. So that was that.
Bout six weeks later I get a call from Harrisburg and we got the airplanes. Now starts a real battle both people and paper. They send me the contracts by mail no fax’s on this stuff. Now this goes before Air Heritage board, first question you mean OV-10s, me being an ex huey guy with the 1st Cav the only one who knew the airplane. So I get a mil airplane picture book out and show them the airplane. Then it’s the money thing, I say listen I know our guy in Harrisburg pretty good I’ll call him and see if I can get the price down. Then its how are we going to move them and what’s that going to cost. You get this stuff where is and how is you have to move the stuff and there’s a time limit and if you go over that you can lose the award.
Now here’s the kicker in Air Heritage by-laws the board can spend so much money. Over that figure it goes before the members at the next general meeting. So now I got to come with a bottom line by next weeks meeting. So the board approves the thing that was on a Thursday. So now I’m in the office figure this figure that now I come up with guess bottom line and the phone rings, this is Tuesday. Its our man in Harrisburg where’s the contracts we need to get going on this the clock running. Yea Yea I tell him and about meeting coming and the board can’t approve this, he’s like ok well call and let me know right away. Ok ok oh yea this price 3500 each and I start crying no money and we got pay all this to move and all this and that. He’s all like OK ok I’ll see what I can do. He calls me back the next day and says they came down to $1500 each, like Elvis AH WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. And I take 4000 off the bottom line. The contracts are signed noted up and mailed back.
Now starts the really hard part moving them to Beaver. And Mohawks being mil only it prove to be big problem, big problem. Which I said about the time thing, which ended up with me having to call the main office in DC and explain all the problems and beg for more time. And they say you know your way over your time and we can end this and put the airplanes back in the system. So I’m begging this begging that. Then its like ok ok get them moved soon as you can.
So all this the Warrant officer is calling me and I’m calling him down at Hunter. I’m telling all the delays and he says hey don’t worry what’s going down here. I’m the last one here and I’m here till these last two airplanes get moved. Its great no one is around I got an office coffee pot microwave things are great take all the time you need.
Moving the airplanes would take about six months but that’s a whole other story.
So with the Mohawks not being tact the demil was almost nothing, but no VHF radios.
So this is what you go through, with the AF it’s a little more of a pain. If its at ARMC it might belong to the AF Museum which means you get their approval then it goes to ARMC then the Federal Surplus system. If its not you just deal with ARMC.
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