Paul Allen's collection sold - new owner acknowledged now.

[GRNDP51]

I've see a lot of east & west coasters who are upset that the
collection would go to such a place as Arkansas.. I get being
upset at the prospect of losing such a wonderful collection to
your area.. But c'mon! The East & West Coasts have the best
aviation museums, vintage airshows and more. We're kind of
hard pressed for anything good in our neck of the woods.
I hope this means that maybe, just maybe I'll be able to catch
a glimpse of some of these wonders either at their new home or
if we're ever blessed enough to have another air show at Little Rock.

But I do wonder.. Is there a fairly complete list of what made up the FHC at
its height?

Their website is fairly complete enough if that's what you're looking for. There has been plenty of discussion on WIX of everything else that is in that collection.

[Jesse C.]

I've see a lot of east & west coasters who are upset that the
collection would go to such a place as Arkansas.. I get being
upset at the prospect of losing such a wonderful collection to
your area.. But c'mon! The East & West Coasts have the best
aviation museums, vintage airshows and more. We're kind of
hard pressed for anything good in our neck of the woods.
I hope this means that maybe, just maybe I'll be able to catch
a glimpse of some of these wonders either at their new home or
if we're ever blessed enough to have another air show at Little Rock.

But I do wonder.. Is there a fairly complete list of what made up the FHC at
its height?

Really? All I see is people speculating on what little information has been released on this deal, not to where it is going or not going.
As a Southern California Resident, I can tell you that I am glad it is not coming to California, as far as we know, because of all the Red Tape that is required to operate such a collection it would bring on.

My only hope is that it does not take forever to setup shop to display them, as I would like to go see the collection, wherever it ends up.

[mike furline]

An example of another Walton funded museum in Bentonville.

https://crystalbridges.org/

[airnutz]

An example of another Walton funded museum in Bentonville.

https://crystalbridges.org/

This morning on CBS News Sunday Morning they did a feature on Alice Walton and the Crystal Bridges Museum. Her first painting purchased to start the museum cost $38 million. A free museum, she has the credo that art and culture should be shared with the public who can appreciate it and deserve to have it available to them. In large neon letters on the exterior of one of their buildings in script is the museums mission statement, "You Belong Here". Hopefully, this portends well for the aviation collection...

[bdk]

As a Southern California Resident, I can tell you that I am glad it is not coming to California, as far as we know, because of all the Red Tape that is required to operate such a collection it would bring on.

Wow... You don't think FHC went through all that same stuff in Washington state?

I think that San Bernardino County gave both POF and Yanks incentives to maintain and expand their operations at Chino Airport.

[Jesse C.]

As a Southern California Resident, I can tell you that I am glad it is not coming to California, as far as we know, because of all the Red Tape that is required to operate such a collection it would bring on.

Wow... You don't think FHC went through all that same stuff in Washington state?

I think that San Bernardino County gave both POF and Yanks incentives to maintain and expand their operations at Chino Airport.

I am sure they went through some serious red tape up there and I am sure they would have to do the same in CA. As for San Bernardino doing what they did, that is great, but, they are not the State of California and can only do what they can do locally.

So no Wow, I knew it was probably not easy up there either. And I am sure they where some incentives for them as well.

[lmritger]

Not that I'm anything more than just another interested bystander, but my only concern right now is that Mr. Walton stay as far away from the morons in Evansville as humanly possible. #TarheelHal

Lynn

[stryper]

There seems to be a lot of hostility towards the alleged new owner.
Probably a remnant of the "Blame Wal-Mart for killing retail" from a dozen years ago...before Amazon really killed local retail.
You don't hear folks and the media complain about that.


I'm still convinced he is the new owner.....not as a single owner, I don't think he could afford to be, not without significant backing from his Dad who is the real money in the family (and is a pilot as well)
Steuart Walton is only worth about $300m according to Forbes and doesn't even make the Forbes rich list unlike about 5 or 6 other members of the Walton family, including father Jim, who is worth about $60bn and is one of the richest individuals in the world.

So, while Steuart Walton is the name being branded about because of his warbird ownership, I doubt it's him personally buying the collection, especially if the rumour's price was a 9 figure one....probably more likely he's just the front for the deal?

While there are a lot of speculations being made on this thread, and it's part of the fun, your claim makes sense. Looking up Steuart's worth when this story came out, I felt it wouldn't make sense for him to invest around a third of his fortune in this purchase. I would not be a bit surprised to hear a Walton foundation bought the collection, with Steuart at the helm.

Purchasing the entire collection makes great business sense. Obviously, Jody Allen didn't care about it, and it's less hassle for her to sell it to one entity. She might have gotten a lower price per piece for selling the collection this way, but time is money. Maybe, in some way, she realized the new owner could carry on her brother's legacy this way?

Fly or not to fly? There's great arguments from both sides on this topic, but for me, the best way for future generations to become involved with Warbirds is for them to fully experience (see, hear, smell) what these great machines are about. Until they got the Fw190 airworthy, very few people left on this earth at the time knew what a BMW801 sounded like, let alone see a greatly restored/rebuilt one fly. I believe the staff at FHCAM did a great job managing the flight-time of the planes they flew. Hopefully the new owner(s) follow their footsteps, except for the secret squirrel business during the aircraft's restoration.

[Mark Allen M]

While there are a lot of speculations being made on this thread, and it's part of the fun, your claim makes sense. Looking up Steuart's worth when this story came out, I felt it wouldn't make sense for him to invest around a third of his fortune in this purchase. I would not be a bit surprised to hear a Walton foundation bought the collection, with Steuart at the helm.

Purchasing the entire collection makes great business sense. Obviously, Jody Allen didn't care about it, and it's less hassle for her to sell it to one entity. She might have gotten a lower price per piece for selling the collection this way, but time is money. Maybe, in some way, she realized the new owner could carry on her brother's legacy this way?

Fly or not to fly? There's great arguments from both sides on this topic, but for me, the best way for future generations to become involved with Warbirds is for them to fully experience (see, hear, smell) what these great machines are about. Until they got the Fw190 airworthy, very few people left on this earth at the time knew what a BMW801 sounded like, let alone see a greatly restored/rebuilt one fly. I believe the staff at FHCAM did a great job managing the flight-time of the planes they flew. Hopefully the new owner(s) follow their footsteps, except for the secret squirrel business during the aircraft's restoration.

Great post.

[Zac Yates]

Hear hear, excellent post stryper.

For my part I'm making no assumptions, just waiting to see the answers to these questions.

[Warbirdnerd]

Officially official- and no need for moving trucks

Attachments

[bdk]

Officially official- and no need for moving trucks

https://flyingheritage.org/Read/News-Ra ... rX1SLD0OmQ

[kalamazookid]

I am glad to see that the collection will remain on public display. Selfishly, I was kind of hoping the museum would be relocated to Arkansas as that is an easier trip for me - but I'm sure we would all love to see such a collection nearby! I'm sure there will be a lot more news about reopening plans, restoration and flight plans, hosting events, etc. in the coming months and years. I'm looking forward to seeing how these plans evolve!

[Lightning]

Howdy all

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/b ... &fs=e&s=cl

https://warbirdsnews.com/aviation-museu ... &fs=e&s=cl

Lightning

[Lynn Allen]

While there are a lot of speculations being made on this thread, and it's part of the fun, your claim makes sense. Looking up Steuart's worth when this story came out, I felt it wouldn't make sense for him to invest around a third of his fortune in this purchase. I would not be a bit surprised to hear a Walton foundation bought the collection, with Steuart at the helm.

Purchasing the entire collection makes great business sense. Obviously, Jody Allen didn't care about it, and it's less hassle for her to sell it to one entity. She might have gotten a lower price per piece for selling the collection this way, but time is money. Maybe, in some way, she realized the new owner could carry on her brother's legacy this way?

Fly or not to fly? There's great arguments from both sides on this topic, but for me, the best way for future generations to become involved with Warbirds is for them to fully experience (see, hear, smell) what these great machines are about. Until they got the Fw190 airworthy, very few people left on this earth at the time knew what a BMW801 sounded like, let alone see a greatly restored/rebuilt one fly. I believe the staff at FHCAM did a great job managing the flight-time of the planes they flew. Hopefully the new owner(s) follow their footsteps, except for the secret squirrel business during the aircraft's restoration.

Great post.

Plus 1