Warbird Information Exchange

picked up my 1st trade a plane magazine in just over a year today, & i'm astounded at how the warbird advertising category has all but dryed up in the publication!!! can it be attributed to a tough economy? ebay / internet / barnstormers.com ?? uncle sam?? the warbird category had much more to offer a year to a year & a 1/2 ago. i hope i receive positive answers!!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I noticed the same thing. I also noticed a similar trend in the Military Vehicle magazines. The good stuff seems to be gone. I think many are holding on to this stuff, and treating it more like an investment than a hobby.

Perhaps it's a sign of a stronger US economy. Maybe there's less pressure to dispose of "luxury" assets.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

OK...When I looked in the mirror this morning, (leaving out the fat, ugly guy looking back) I didn't see an economist...but here goes anyway
My vote would be for the "Investment" theory. The prices for warbirds have gone up astronomically in the past few years. The problem I see with the "investment" theory, however, is that the "warbird community" is a very small slice of a pie in which there are many, many others vieing for the same $$$.
First of all, the "investor" has to find someone who wants what he's got. That's a kinda' large pool. OK, he's found a bunch of people who want what he has. (That pool would include the majority of the troops here.)Now he has to narrow that bunch down to those who can afford it. i.e. the "investee". That's a WAAYYY smaller pool. I think that's why you see a lot of planes going from one established collector to another established collestor. The pool containing the people who can afford the planes has gotten so small that it's become a "revolving door" so to speak.
IMHO of course

Mudge the envious

ps. PowerBall notwithstanding, I'm not sure I'd want to buy a warbird I couldn't fly.

Think the investment thing is right....available 'projects' are drying up very quickly and, L birds and PNG etc recoveries notwithstanding are snapped up when they appear...

TT

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Life's a Beech and an Armed T-6

Are you suggesting that airframes are sold/traded between collectors by word-of-mouth without appearing in publications like Trade-A-Plane? It would not surprise me.

Mike

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

You used to see many Sherman tanks and such for sale in the MV magazines. Those have almost dried up. Driving my tank is almost as fun as flying my O2!

Maybe instead of Trade-a-Plane ads given the cost of these warbirds nowadays, they are sold more through aircraft brokers like Courtesy Aircraft.

If trade a plane had a web presence that could be accessed without being a subscriber, it might be a little different. What you'll probably find is outlets with a free web presence, Controller, ASO, Mark C, have picked up a lot of that business. Your airplane will get a lot more exposure.

I do like TAP when I get a copy of it, rarely. But, paper is dead. I don't understand their business model, is seems pretty stupid and they are hanging on to the past. If only subscribers can log onto their website and see whats for sale,,,?????, wtf??? It would seem that it's mostly sellers looking at each others stuff, and they're missing out on at least ten plus times the amount of exposure.

If they made viewing their entire site free, their web traffic would go through the roof, and maybe more folks would see them as a good place to sell out of. I haven't even tried to hit their site in a over a year. I can only take the "Subscriber Login" thing when I've clicked on a refering link to see something interesting, so many times before I get p1ssed and never click on a TAP referral or link again.

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DEEP THOUGHTS BY KIDS:
"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started. Age 15 "


Deep Thoughts,
Jack Handy

Warbirds aren't drying up- IT'S THE START OF AIRSHOW SEASON!! Even a dumb gyrene like me can figure that one out. Also the weather is getting very nice around the country. WHo want's to sell when it's good flying weather?
For the record, there are more warbirds than ever in Trade a plane. I've been reading it for thirty years or more. Just not many excellent projects and unrestored flyer's in the WW II era. Check out the Vietnam era and the jet warbirds if you want to buy something cheap and as it left the military, stock original.
It is possible to buy a warbird type without going through Courtesy Aircraft; they just seem to be the best at what they do.
Trade a Plane has definitely lost a step. Their website bites. It should be paid for by the advertisers and free to the consumer. This would drive up "hits" and they could charge more for advertising. They were charging my checking acct. and credit card and I still couldn't get in and their customer service number has "bankers hours". Someone is giving them bad consulting advice.

all valid points with perspective. as to vintage memorabilia ( helmets, goggles, instruments, etc, ww 1 to korea) i wonder if the investing theory holds the same as what has been mentioned on this thread?? i would love to think so!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I was a long time Trade-A-Plane subscriber and when they offered an on-line version a few years back, I opted for that. They still throw in a paper copy once a month. One thing to consider is that lots of owners put their aircraft with brokers like Courtesy Aircraft. Courtesy then advertises on Trade-A-Plane with links to its website. This minimizes individual ads. I like the Barnstormers website as well. You will see Warbird ads here that you won't see in Trade-A-Plane, probably since Barnstormers listings are free. Just a thought. Being a Ryan PT-22 owner, we are at the low end scale as far as interest in warbirds, but I still like to follow whats going on with the more popular Fighters and Bombers. I can dream, can't I ??

Paul you already have one of the best out there ! All you can hope to aspire to now is an STA Special with a Super Pirate Menasco !

All valid points, however with the prices going up and investments high, I think that most sales are through guys like Clark, Jackson etc. Word of mouth is next. I think our number is first on everyones speed dial, as I get calls everyday or so, about warbirds before they go to the brokers.

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Blue Skies,
Doug

www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com

Hey Rick H. I keep the Ryan @ Clover/Pearland. I am in the hangers on
the grass strip side 14L/32R. Leaving tomorrow for the EAA Southwest Regional Fly-in at Hondo. I'll take lots of photos.

Paul