T-28mike wrote:
When I looked at the aircraft last year it was determined to be in far better condition than what was expected. It was a very restorable aircraft, both physically, and fiscally. The main issue was that all the iron components were attacked (by bacteria IIRC) and were, in our opinion, mandatory replacement items. The aluminum that was above the silt is in excellent condition. This was the case with the other recovered lake Michigan aircraft also. Fresh water (cold fresh water) is a pretty good preservative.
The wings were actually in better condition than we anticipated. They would still require disassembly, cleaning, steel replacement and localized corrosion control (dissimilar metal corrosion) but were high percentage reusable. The only thing that kept my customer from completing the purchase last year was that the he was diagnosed with cancer and chose to realign his priorities. The big difference between then and now is the acquisition price. The current asking price would have made restoring this aircraft a financial loss for us when comparing the cost of restoration to what the aircraft would bring on the market when completed and airworthy. But that does not mean that it would not be feasible for someone else, or in a different situation.
Intersting, am assuming some preservation/cleaning was done after raising. Most important thing is the condition of all the castings, wing attach, engine mount points, landing gear etc. Still sounds on the high side to me personally though.
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