Warbird Information Exchange

If you compare the cost of a P-51 with an F-86, for the same amount of money you could fly the F-86 for many years despite the fuel burn of the 86.

You might catch up a little faster in cost with an F-102 I guess!

Dear Warbirdkid...A B-58?
You're having us on, aren't you? Let me be as succinct as I can.
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Mudge the realist

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Land of the free because of the brave

Nathan,

There's actually NINE MiG-23s - 2 in Delaware, one in Florida, and six in Oklahoma!

As for the MiG-29s, two are owned by Air Assets in Quincy, IL, and one by M-Cubed in Snohomish, WA.

_________________
Bob

Mudge I know it seems impossible but im too much of a dreamer.

When I actually do enter the working world my dreams and hopes will probably be smashed.

Hey, stranger things have happened.

Actually, there's 10 MiG-23s. The Cold War Air Museum in Lancaster, TX received a MiG-23UB just after Christmas. It's still in parts so it's not on the register yet, but it was flying before it was disassembled for shipment.

CWAM right now has - 3 Mi-24Ds (1 airworthy, 1 to be returned to airworthiness, & 1 static due to damage incurred during shipment), 4 airworthy Mi-2s, a MiG-21UM (to be re-assembled and flown), and a MiG-23UB (same). Also at the museum but owned by private parties are 3 L-39ZAs, 1 L-39C, 3 L-29s, a Fouga Magister, and 2 Nanchang CJ-6s. I know there's desire to expand the museum some more, but there hasn't been anything firm yet.

Lancaster has the largest concentration of Russian Trainers in the United States with 26 L-29s and almost a dozen L-39s on the field. It seems like every other hangar you open has one of them inside.

There is also an A-7 Corsair II (model unknown at this point) that is somewhere on the field at Lancaster, but last I heard, it's not going to be a flyable example, although that can always change.

CAPflyer the A-7 situation probably won't ever change.

If title is still held by the Navy (which it probably does) then it is on loan from the NMNA Pensacola, Like the AF Museum their stuff isn't allowed top fly,...ever.

Having said that, there is one other very important reason that no A-7s are flying. You may remember that the A-7 retirement after Desert Storm was rather abrupt. The reason was that major cracks were found in the wings of many of the A-7s, both Navy and Air Force.

It's in the possesion of an individual, so I doubt it's on loan from any museum, especially in the state it arrived in as it came straight from AMARC to Lancaster. I'm not sure if it was brought the whole distance on truck or not though, I only saw it get delivered via low-boy.

That would be nice to see A-7's and more F-100's get into civilian hands.

Do the MiG-23s and MiG-29s get flown much?

There was a good video showing the one Mig-23 in Delaware taking off. Man, that thing sure made the earth shake! Can anyone find the video?

found this for you gents


http://www.controller.com/listings/fors ... 729086A9D8

Now that the Navy has retired its entire fleet of F-14 Tomcats, I don't anticipate any private owners getting their hands on one of these anytime soon. The main reason is our governement is afraid parts from these aircraft could make there way to Iran, who still has some F-14's that they had purchased back when the Shaw of Iran was still in power! I do know of a couple F-14 contractors that got into big trouble with our government when they tried to ship parts to Iran. The government confiscated what they tried to ship.

Jim

They shoud try and save a good amount of F-4s from the drone project and store them for civillian purchase. (Yeah when pigs fly) but who knows?

Anyway the F-14's should now be used for the Drone project.

What benefit would that possibly have for the current owners of the Rhinos?

The F-4s are all ready serving in a vital capacity as drones.

A lot of the civvy jet warbirds aren't really up and going. Several of the T-33's and F-86's are owned by people that later decided they didn't want to afford keeping them annualed and airworthy and are really static displays. In many cases the owners would sell immediately if they got an offer in the ballpark of what they paid for them.
Most of the imported jets like the Migs, L-29's , Iskra, Fougas. Hispano Saetta's, Saabs, Jet Provosts,Strikemasters, etc. were imported based on someone speculating in the market of jet warbirds. They were bought as investment units to be resold for a profit and if the market hasn't fulfilled their expectations, then they quit having them uncrated, assembled and gotten licensed and flying. They're just sitting around the country and the owners would kiss you on the lips if you made them an offer to help them recoup a little of their capital.
Lastly, there have been a few aircraft in civilian hands specifically to fill some govt. contract like radar penetration exercises, Test Pilot's School, etc. A few I remember include the English Electric Canberra(B-57), and the Fairey Gannet in the U.S. And NO, no one can afford to operate a B-57 just for fun. They didn't get rich, by being stupid with their millions. millions.