Paul Allen B17 For Sale

[Kyleb]

Given the volatile economy we are experiencing there are only a couple people I know that are actively looking for a B-17...Yagen being one. The $9m price tag is nuts, but given the 'rumors' of how Paul Allen was bent over on a lot of projects I'm sure this is a play for a realistic ROI. I think $4 million is a realistic price point. It will take a solid $4-5m to get it flying from here for an owner that has deep enough pockets to foot the consumable bills...gas, oil, insurance, spares. I don't see a ride program in it's future, nor do I see an affordable prognosis for a long term ride program in general across the board. The fighters will get snapped up quick...there have been some recent moves that lead me to believe there will be some gap filling going on very soon. While it's sad and kind of tragic, they will go to good homes.

my .02

You may be right. On the other hand, there are a few people in the world who really want a B-17. There aren't many B-17's left, and they don't change hands very often. So, if someone has the money and really, really wants a B-17, this could be the chance and the price is what it is.

[CoastieJohn]

I wonder if any are headed to FoF?

[mike furline]

Also worth noting that the original Mosquito TV959 airframe is for sale too https://www.platinumfighters.com/invent ... -mosquito-

As is the FHCAM A6M Model 52 project:
https://www.platinumfighters.com/invent ... ro-or-zeke)

The Mossie is a valid link.

The Zero is a dead one.

is this the 2 rebuilt seaters? Or another project?

Also...anyone knows about the FW-189?

Cheers.

Does this link for the Zero work? https://www.platinumfighters.com/invent ... ro-or-zeke)

The Zero is mid way down the Fighters page, not Projects.
https://www.platinumfighters.com/warbirds-fighters

[ZRX61]

[ And if its anything like car restoration, the last 20% takes 80% of the money - LOL

Tom P.

& the last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time.

[JohnB]

Instead of being obsessed about the asking price (which I'll guess none of us here can afford), let's just hope it goes to a good home where it will fly (an important point given the number of B-17s lost or parked in recent years).

Remember, there are museums who want a B-17 (though whether they can afford this, or even a lower asking price is another question) and if it goes to some, it will never fly again.

[ErrolC]

The general economic and regulatory conditions for warbirds are why I am seriously considering a 2022 visit to the USA.

[Mike]

I wonder if any are headed to FoF?

At those prices? Unlikely

[tom roberts]

Is Fuddy Duddy still air worthy or parked ?

[marine air]

I looked Mr Allen up on wikipedia. He was a stellar businessman and really one of a kind. He leaves a huge unfillable hole in the warbird movement and no doubt other areas he had interests such as undersea exploration, art collecting, etc. He was the standard bearer for acquiring and restoring items to the highest level or restoration imaginable. (Other shops also are at that level.
All that to say, what is the ambition of the executors of his estate and the heirs? Sell the projects as they have no interest in pouring out more money ? Keep the most valuable and scarce items or just sell as people approach them with the interest and ability to buy some of the items. We don't know their strategy. I think it's okay for the them to trim the collection and get costs to a more palatable loss each year. A lot of the aircraft , like the IL-2 go really well with the exhibits and collection of tanks and artillery.
I wish them well. As an enthusiast I would like to see the FW-189 sold and restored in Germany to flying condition. It's a remarkable design. Most of the remaining aircraft are above my price range. It seems okay to sell some of the projects that were never going to be finished and free up some hangar space .

[bdk]

Is Fuddy Duddy still air worthy or parked ?

Not currently flying but safely stored and readily accessible at the museum.

[bdk]

I wonder if any are headed to FoF?

At those prices? Unlikely

Asking price does not necessarily equal the sale price, and I don't know that FoF has the bandwidth to start another project.

[hurricane_yank]

I'll never forget my last visit there, one of the most ironic conversations I ever heard took place.
A guy I overheard was on speaker phone talking with a family member. He told the other guy that he had to come see the place when he was coming through the area for some RV roadtrip in a couple of months. I clearly heard the voice at the other end say, "Nah, that's a few miles out of our way. That's Paul Allen's old collection; it'll be there when I'm retired to go check it out then."
In less than a year, the museum was closed for good. I'm sure the guy is kicking himself now.
Like a good pal of mine warned me when I was kid, "Go see/ride it while you can!"
Even the biggest of collections and museums can vanish overnight.

I was literally days from flying out there to view it when they shut down the museum...

[lucky52]

At the very least it could be assembled for a static display.

[OD/NG]

Is Fuddy Duddy still air worthy or parked ?

Not currently flying but safely stored and readily accessible at the museum.

From my conversations with personnel at Lyons, they fully intend to get Fuddy Duddy airworthy again, but there are some hurdles they have to contend with. One of the biggest ones is a Wing AD which still has to be completed. They don't have any timelines on when that will happen, but they've told me several times over the past few years that Fuddy Duddy will not remain static.

[OD/NG]

I looked Mr Allen up on wikipedia. He was a stellar businessman and really one of a kind. He leaves a huge unfillable hole in the warbird movement and no doubt other areas he had interests such as undersea exploration, art collecting, etc. He was the standard bearer for acquiring and restoring items to the highest level or restoration imaginable. (Other shops also are at that level.
All that to say, what is the ambition of the executors of his estate and the heirs? Sell the projects as they have no interest in pouring out more money ? Keep the most valuable and scarce items or just sell as people approach them with the interest and ability to buy some of the items. We don't know their strategy. I think it's okay for the them to trim the collection and get costs to a more palatable loss each year. A lot of the aircraft , like the IL-2 go really well with the exhibits and collection of tanks and artillery.
I wish them well. As an enthusiast I would like to see the FW-189 sold and restored in Germany to flying condition. It's a remarkable design. Most of the remaining aircraft are above my price range. It seems okay to sell some of the projects that were never going to be finished and free up some hangar space .

From published reports, Paul Allen's sole executor and trustee of his estate is his sister Jody Allen. Mr. Allen had no wife, no offspring and it appears that Jody was the sole remaining member of the Allen family. Jody has basically shut down every single endeavor that Allen owned, with the only exceptions being the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trailblazzers sports teams. Among the organizations under the Vulcan, Inc umbrella, included the following:

Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum

Living Computers: Museum + Labs

Museum of Pop Culture

Seattle Art Fair

Seattle Cinerama

Upstream Music Fest + Summit


All of these are now gone.

The ironic thing is that Jody Allen released a statement after her brother's death, indicating her intentions:

https://tinyurl.com/pbkhzsw

In the above link, Jody Allen states:

"I have been given the great responsibility to steward Paul’s wealth in service of his vision for the future. I will do all that I can to ensure that Paul’s vision is realized, not just for years, but for generations. Paul sought solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, to celebrate the range of human expression, and to implement programs that effect positive global and local outcomes. While the loss of Paul is overwhelming, I am dedicated to preserving and implementing Paul’s vision. Paul made the world a better place. Through Paul’s generosity, and with the help and support of Paul’s friends, partners and colleagues, the future will be even better. Paul’s light shall continue to shine."

So far, her actions are in complete contradiction to her published press release statement. She has shut down virtually everything except the Sports teams.

My interpretation and opinion of what we can expect in the future:

I have several friends who are former Vulcan employees, involved on the flying/Museum side of things. All of them have told me, without exception, it was their belief that all of Mr. Allen's aviation assets, including FHCAM, would be liquidated, sold, donated, or otherwise disposed of. Apparently Jody Allen is not a fan at all of her brother's museum work and is looking to dissolve everything on the museum front. She is an astute businesswoman and is all about numbers, profitability and financial viability. Even before Mr. Allen's death, FHCAM was a losing proposition economically. Mr. Allen had to infuse massive amounts of money just to keep the museum operations going. It was never a "standalone" self-sufficient, profitable operation. Now, with FHCAM closed, and the estate still paying rent to Paine airport, FHCAM is a bottomless money pit. It would make sense that she would offload that entire liability since it's not generating income and is not furthering the goals of how she envisions Vulcan, Inc. should be executed.

By the way, she has an interesting "reputation" among former Vulcan employees - I'll just leave it at that.

I believe all of Mr. Allen's former aviation endeavors, including FHCAM, are finished. With that being said, we have to look forward to one of the greatest aviation collection "sell-off's" in the history of the warbird movement. It will give other collectors/museums the possibility to finish some of the extremely rare restorations that were not completed and give many other opportunities for the former FHCAM aircraft to be enjoyed by people outside of Seattle.

It is my opinion that FHCAM will cease to exist and all of the aircraft will be disposed of. We are just now seeing the beginning of this with these first few aircraft being offered for sale. Expect a lot more in the future.