And I thought it was hard to get information on the Fury.

I’ll ask around the campfire about anything on the Rawdon, as I’m sure some of the more “senior” members who hang out at the airport office will remember them.

Kittylitter, are you NEVER happy? Go back and look at your original post in this thread. You accuse warbird owners of stealing up all the good deals and then driving the prices up, all the while begging for handouts.

1. My Sea Fury was one of the Baghdad Furies recovered by Ed Jurist and Dave Tallichet after YEARS of negotiations with the Iraq government. When they finally got the planes out of Iraq it took many more years to get the certification paperwork through the FAA. Any accountant looking at the ROI (return on investment) for a warbird recovery operation would run with fear. You think anyone MADE money on the P-38 Glacier Girl? I can tell you that’s the world’s MOST expensive P-38. If you sold it for twice what the market price is you still would loose money. Not to mention the risk. Just ask Darryl Greenmeyer how much money he lost when the B-29 “Kee Bird” went up in flames in Greenland.

Of course, you haven’t asked them. Instead you just attacked them.

And sponsorship money? Now, there’s a laugh. You think corporations (others than those owned by the warbird pilots) spend ANY money on warbirds? Son, get real cause it just don’t happen. There is NO money in warbirds.

So, build your replica. Get yourself a white scarf, helmet and goggles and paint your name beneath the cockpit. I’m sure you’ll look just swell. After all, that’s what warbirds are all about.

Sorry everybody to rattle on, but this guy really crawled under my skin. No more posts by me on this thread (so go ahead and get your cheap shot, last word in kittylitter).

Don’t worry James, we’ll deck you out like a real fighter pilot. BTW, most airshows now want everyone flying in nomex (suit and gloves) as well as boots and helmet.

Costs of warbirds…let’s see. Buying a warbird is just the beginning. First, insurance.

Hull and Liability on the Sea Fury, is $18K/year for $500,000 coverage. That’s with a 10% deductible and $1 mil. liability (the most you can get). Liability only is about $5000. The L-39 and MiG-17F cost about the same for half the coverage. Too many civilian jet accidents. I self insure the jets, but you have to carry liability to attend airshows. Every year insurance goes up and coverage goes down. This will kill warbird flying soon if something isn’t done. In the US we are hopeful that the new Experimental Type Rating, Flight Reviews in type every 2 years, and the new emphasis on currency and training will help. The T-6 isn’t too bad, about like a complex 4 place retract (Bonanza or Cessna 210).

Maintenance isn’t too bad on the jets, which is why we fly them. Fuel burn is the issue, anywhere from 200 gph on average for the L-39 to twice that for the MiG (if you don’t get in the afterburner too much).

The Wright 3350 in the Sea Fury is now running about $80-$100K for overhaul, so you hope that doesn’t come up very often. There is always maintenance to do, kind of like an old car. Only, where an alternator might cost you $300 for a car, just add another zero at the end and you start to see what keeping a warbird in the air is going to run. I recently put new brakes on the L-39 for $3800.

Of course you are going to need a hanger, tools, and someone to work on the plane. I have some wonderful people who help me out and don’t charge nearly what they should (don’t tell, though).

Every warbird pilot I know does it because they love it. It is funny when we get together, because we’re all basically type A personalities. Mostly business owners, self made men. About 50% ex-military. More daughters than sons (I don’t know why, but it’s true). We all balance flying with family (I’ve got a hall pass to fly this weekend sort of thing). Of course, you do get the occasional screwball daredevil warbird pilot (I’ve met one). Mother nature has a cruel way of dealing with them. I’ve also lost friends for being sloppy and careless. You try to learn from those examples. That’s why we tend to fly with people we know (and trust).

When I bought my first warbird (a T-28) the guy told me I would make a hundred new friends. Just add another zero to that and you’ll come close.

Cheers, and thanks for the support…

Steve Patterson

The JSF on display at Hazy is the Marine version with the lift fan.

Angelina Jolie!

Who cares if British pilots are flying P-40’s against giant robots thru the streets of New York, at least the gals are hot.

Now, why couldn’t they have taken those actors and that budget and made a GOOD WW2 flying movie. Of course, after “Pearl Harbor” I am not sure I trust Hollywood with realism (unless Tom Hanks and Steven Spielburg are involved).

Plenty of “I love me” photos of various planes and formations. In a place of honor is a signed photo of Bob Stanford Tuck. His book was my “Treasure Island” when I was growing up and one of the big reasons why I fly warbirds today.