Warbird Information Exchange

There are people out there that will bid on something like this just so they can hang it on their "I love me" wall, then rub it in everybody's nose that they got it neener neener!

Aircraft restorers and museums really need stuff like this. For someone, who doesn't need it, selfishly keeps a museum or restorer from obtaining it is pretty low IMHO. Even worse, some artsy fartsy type gets a hold of it and destroys it.

Yes, it's an open and free market, highest bidder wins. Them are the breaks.

Hope whomever got it needs it or will see that it goes where it's needed.

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Rob

Trust me I understand your position, but I fail to see why someone would be considered 'low' or 'selfish' if they were to outbid everyone else including restorers and museums. Anyone has just as much a right to bid on anything listed on eBay. I'm sure the owner who posted it would more than agree. The owner is more than likely only interested in $$$ and not so interested as to who ends up with it. Can't blame him either. Why would he post it on eBay if it were any other way. It wouldn't have been too difficult to tract down all the B-17 owners / groups to offer it up for sale to those folks first. There's lots of people who are just as deserving of this item as the B-17 people. It's business plain and simple. The owner wants to make as much money as he can for it. As you stated "them are the breaks". But just so we are perfectly clear, if it belonged to me, I would have donated it to one of the listed B-17's above if they wanted it. No question about that, especially since it's really not that highly valuable in dollar signs, or so it appears. Perhaps whomever wins the bid, who is not involved with a B-17, may just have thoughts of donating the thing to one of the listed B-17's, or perhaps they know and understand it's value and who's in need of it and want to re-sell it at a higher price. Is this low or selfish? No! It's called smart business. May not be what we warbird nuts want to hear or see happen, but in reality it happens every day.

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America ... explain how you are NOT Racist, you'll except tyranny from a white man, but you won't take health care from a black man.
... Foolish, foolish foolish!!!.

Well, I guess thats me cause I got several airplane parts I have in my home that I have bid on and won off ebay. Thanks.

To each their own I guess.

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Shop the Airplane Bunker At
www.warbirdbunker.com

Let me be very clear, Nathan absolutely did the right thing by posting the eBay link on this forum. One of the best things about this wonderful forum that Scott has created is that it allows us to exchange information about warbirds. I suspect that is why Scott named it WARBIRDS INFORMATION EXCHANGE!

That "position" being a bidding war for a much needed or at least much desired part on eBay. If you think a Sperry Ball Turret End Bell Cap is rare, try searching for WWI Liberty V-12 engine parts that can be used for an engine that is intended to make a DH-4 fly to Oshkosh and back. So "I've been there, it sucks" means exactly what it appears to mean.

Having said that I should also say that I did contact the seller and explain what the part actually was. I also told him it was very rare and that there was a very small but determined market for it. Since I saw it come up on the WIX Facebook page, I more or less figured that the information would get out there to a wider audience. For whatever reason, based on the sale price, that's not what happened. Yesterday, the market price for that part was $364.00 and that's how our system works. In my opinion, somebody got a great deal.

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Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"

There are enough B-17 people who regularly participate on WIX that it is fair to say the part got a fair price, and the seller did well to get the exposure.

Kudos to Nathan. What would really have sucked would be if the part went up on eBay and no B-17 people found out about it.

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Rob C

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. “

– Michael Crichton

But there is a difference between a J-3 prop, Convair C-131 control wheel or a Bell 47 fin and a piece of unobtanium needed for an operational warbird.

I'd sell at the price I bought it for..or even give away...anything in my collection if someone or a museum needed it badly enough. It's the right thing to do if you really care about warbirds and history. Anything else is opportunistic profit taking.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

I am sure that at some point in the future, we will have Warbird Police, who will arbitrate the "highest and best use" of each and every part that comes up for sale. But for now, we just have to live with the wretched free market.

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Rob C

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. “

– Michael Crichton

If I had a rare airplane part some museum needed, a deal would probably get worked out pretty quickly, mostly likely in the form of a donation.

But if it involved a fin off a Bell 47, you'll get it when you pry my cold dead fingers off it. It's just how I am.

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Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway

If anyone wants a fin off of a H-13/Bell-47 PM me I think I have a few stashed away somewhere LOL To stay on topic, I was stunned this window didn't fetch quite a bit more. I think everyone around here must have been holding back. Hopefully it wont become a custom aquarium face for someone.

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Andrew King
Air Museum Director with no Museum to Direct
Open to Suggestions

There are folks out there who find these parts and have no clue as to what they are. Someone tells them it is an airplane part and they put it on ebay to get rid of it. They have no emotional attachment or interest in this other than to get rid of it and make some money off it. Nothing wrong with that.

There are folks out there who need these parts and to get them, they need to keep and eye out for them on places like ebay. And even then, they will have to go bidding up against other bidders who are collectors or just looking for a cool piece to hang in the garage or man cave. Some bidders have no clue as to what is going on in the aircraft world to know that this part is valuable to a restorer.

This is a free market and the highest bidder wins. There are no rules that the parts must be sold only to those who truly need them or could use them.

Posting it on WIX is no big deal. It alerted some folks about it and hopefully it will end up in the right hands. And if not, that is the way the cookie crumbles.

So, will the new owner please stand up (if you're here)?
(And O/T to Jesse: Did you ever go to the Chicano Park fiesta in '82-'85? You may have seen me there...)

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

I am the seller you all would be happy to know that the new owner is close to a B-17 resto. there were over 500 visits and some 50 watchers to the auction thank to the unselfish act of the person who posted it on wix because prior to his post it had hardley been veiwed he never ask me to make deal with me on it which he probably could have because I am in it for the money and the the thrill of the chase I even thought of just ending the auction and relisting it later with a very high buy it know price but i did not do this because of the integrity of this person and that his only concern was that it had the oprotunity to go to the right place the price I got for this peice was fair and honest everybody on this sight had the chance to go to matt on this and they chose to let it go for what it went for know there at least there is something to guage what something this rare is truely worth thank god for our awsome free market system allowing people to decide what we should pay for something instead of being told hopefully the buyer will be able to get more money for it and at the same time puting it were it belongs.I have had some vintage aircraft items before and no way to find out what they were to or what they were for instance I had a box full of arc 5 radios so know I have a place to reference these things and get them were they belong.
Thank you albert.

Soooo much this. ^

After all the handwringing, it looks like the piece not only wound up where the market dictated, but probably in the hands of where the WIX illuminati would have had it go in their infinite wisdom. All's well that ends well!

Not sure why I'm commenting on this whole "tempest in a teacup", but...

I'm guilty of having bought various warbird-related items off eBay, and I've often outbid other interested parties in the process. A lot of the stuff was bought for my (small) personal collection. In many cases, however, I've bought the items with the intention of donating them to a museum or warbird project, or at least placing them on loan to a museum for public display (always WITHOUT any personal fanfare or "loaned by" placards). And as someone else above commented with regard to their personal collection, I will add that, likewise, anything I have in my possession will be made available to a warbird restoration if the need were brought to my attention. I recently offered some radio gear to the B-29 "Doc" restoration team (and it appears they didn't need it). I guess my point is that not everyone who buys warbird parts off eBay is doing it to stroke their own egos. Some of us do have a heart.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Here Here! My father and I buy all sorts of WWII related stuff off of eBay (Mostly pertaining to CT aviation) and share it with the CASC. We do however sometimes have a small "On Loan from the Soltis Collection" on the placards for said artifact. This is there more to just keep track of whats what. We do have some stuff at home but it's always flying back and forth from the museum. Either way…

A. Glad the word got out about this piece on Ebay.
B. I hope more success stories like this get out.
C. I'm glad to hear this piece will be involved with a group that has a B-17

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Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
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