hurricane_yank wrote:
This begs a question - are they thinning the herd or are we going to see piece after piece sold off?
I don't have any inside information, but I would guess that it is perhaps just the Mig-29 that they are selling off. It is a completely unpractical aircraft for a multitude of reasons- not just because of the astronomical operating costs - but other reasons as well. For example, there are only a few people in the U.S. who are FAA authorized to fly the Mig-29. There are only 2 that I know of for sure, but there may be more now, as that info is about 7 to 8 years old. Also, I know the neighbors surrounding Paine field absolutely HATE the Mig-29 because of the tremendous noise the afterburner makes on takeoff. If I remember right, there have been numerous complaints lodged to the FAA about it and some serious attempts by local city and county officials to impose rules that would make it impossible to fly there.
At least, I hope that is the only aircraft they are selling off. I would be really disappointed if Paul Allen's dream comes crashing down just because of the non-support from one of his surviving aviation-hating family members who is running the show now.