Need contacts for Warbird Appraisers in US

[Ryan Keough]

Hi folks,

Other than Mark Clark at Courtesy Aircraft, do any of you have any contacts to aircraft/warbird appraisers that you would recommend?

Feel free to post here or contact me off board.

Thanks!

[bdk]

As far as I know, there is no such think as a "certified" aircraft appraiser since there is no dominent aircraft appraisal organization. There are only "qualified" appraisers, whatever those are.

What area of the country are you interested in? That might reduce the travel budget.

[Asterperious]

Call Bill Barbre of International Flight Resources

8080 E. Speedway Blvd., #509
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-990-4170
billbarbre@msn.com

[astixjr]

I highly recommend Bill Barbre for warbird and vintage aircraft appraisals. He is the only person we use at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum here at Creve Coeur Airport in St. Louis. I first used Mr. Barbre's services while I was working for Evergreen in the early 1990s. His work is as IRS "bullet proof" as any aircraft appraisals I have ever been involved with and his prices are very reasonable considering the amount of work he puts into them.

Mr. Barbre's depth of knowledge and experience in the aviation industry is quite remarkable. I once saw a list of aircraft types that he has flown and I must say, it was amazing.

[tora101]

Just to note, the IRS rules and regulations are getting tougher and tougher each year for anyone but a full time appraiser to do such.

For example, an appraiser who holds himself/herself out to be qualified (specific rules for this) can now be fined a civil penalty by the IRS if the IRS determines the value was incorrect (particulary if it is deemed high by them).

Unless it is just an informal analysis, after 28 years in the brokerage business I now suggest to my clients they use a full time appraiser (for example, Bill, for warbirds). Makes it clean, with no doubt with the IRS.

Doug Jackson
Jackson & Associates . . . during the week,
and on the weekends . . . flying TORA 101 at airshows!

[tulsaboy]

Another thing that you might want to check into... if the appraisal is for the purpose of a tax write-off due to the donation of an aircraft to a 501(c)(3) non-profit, there are new rules about how long the museum has to hang onto the aircraft. Whereas before someone could value an aircraft at $500,000, donate it to a museum, take the write-off and then the museum could immediately sell the aircraft for any price, now if the museum sells the aircraft for a price less than the declared value on the tax write-off, that amount has to be substituted instead of the initially declared value. Otherwise, an aircraft donated in such a situation has to be held by the museum for (I think) two years before being sold. At that point, it can be sold at any price with no tax consequences for the donor.

The whole point with these new regs was to keep people from donating a lousy aircraft to a museum, taking a large write off at the government's expense, and then having the museum sell the aircraft for a vastly reduced price just to capture the cash value of the aircraft.

At any rate, something you might want to look into if the situation applies.

kevin

[Asterperious]

Actually the regulation changes had more to do with the 'junk For Jesus' car donation type things than aircraft, it all just fell under the broad stroke of the category change. So few aircraft are donated as be hardly worth teh attention of the IRS at any amount.

[n5151ts]

Gordon Beeson is my main man as far as AC SURVEYS go, but then thats not an appraisal its a "what will it take to make this thing fly"