Bloomberg: The Glut of Private Jets Means ‘Insane’ Bargains for Buyers

OMG! Anyone have any guess how much this would cost to operate?

 

Only 1 ever made so probably a lot, lol...especially considering it's got 4 engines. Supposedly $800k to buy it in 2009, but wiki says it was being purchased for a private collection 2015. Not sure if it's still there.

 

She is still sitting in El Paso next to a CV-440 with no engines. Drove by it yesterday unfortunately there are no good vantage points to snap a photo outside the fence.

 

Where is it located?

Is the Super Guppy still parked there?

 

Operate? Forget it. Was the 220 even certified?

You'd need to make your own parts for everything, which would require making it either experimental or getting Boeing to give you the type certificate (if it has one) so you could be the manufacturer.

In many ways, it would probably be easier to use that one as a pattern to build an entirely new one, again if you had the type certificate. While you're at it, put some semi-modern engines on it.

 

The Guppy was not there this morning when I went over to FedEx to pick up some boxes. The 220 is sitting over by the hanger area if you look on a diagram for KELP it is marked "Military Ramp". you cannot see the 220 from Boeing ST. but if you look from the NASA ramp you can see it off in the distance.

 

Checked Google Maps... there it is, next to the Convair...
Google shows the Guppy in their pic... wonder when it was taken.

There are multiple exposures in the pic... it looks like planes stacked on top of each other on the ramp. Funny.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/El+Paso+International+Airport/@31.793937,-106.3869969,492m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x86e75a93bc660f7d:0x1f2f4f000097b549!8m2!3d31.8053354!4d-106.3824345

 

Interesting. Google Earth used to display the specific day the satellite photo was taken. It doesn't anymore.

 

NASA uses the Guppy quite regularly. I just am far to busy to see when they file a flight plan to get out there to see it fly. I talk to guys from NASA every now and then at work, and have been invited to come over and check it out up close but again that thing called "Work" gets in the way. I have seen the NASA T-38's buzzing around but have not gotten any photos as well El Paso is not the most photo friendly airport.

 

Hmmm, you sure that's a Convair 440?

Those look like turboprops... so a conversion?

 

I didn't see the picture, but a turboprop Convair is a 580.

 

It might be a 580 it is real hard to see from a distance without binoculars or a big telephoto lens. I know that there is a daily CV580 flight from Mexico running cargo, and you see CV440's as well in and out of there most of them with Mexican registrations.

 

In the pic, there is ground support equipment around the Convair, so maybe active.

We had 580's here (Aspen Airways) in the 70's or so. Allisons.

There was also the 540 with Elands and the 600 and 640 with Darts.

Pretty versatile aircraft. Designed as a newer, better DC-3.
My first commercial airline flight was in a Continental CV-340 (ABQ-ELP)

 

Flipping around there's a direct tv channel, 387 I think, that has a series of so called wealth shows. Been watching Selling Jets http://www.awetv.com/sellingjets/ it's somewhat interesting, as is buying yachts, islands, etc. Same channel.

 

I enjoy watching Selling Jets, but it is totally scripted and fake. Buying jets doesn't work like that in reality. The reality is hours of tweaking spreadsheets, compiling operational costs, scouring ads, and countless hours of phone calls with brokers. That is just to narrow in on the selection, don't get me started on the prebuy inspection and log book research. I always get a kick when the "buyer" goes in to buy a Citation Jet and ends up leaving with a G3. Ha!

 

definitely scripted with actors... they have wives whining about features and aircraft use... as if they have a clue about technical details of an aircraft, while featuring seat belts on the potty

 

I enjoy watching too but it is SOOOOOO cheesey! Like sigar said, I remember one episode where the "broker" suggested a Citation Mustang but then suggested a Citation X when the wife thought the Mustang was too small. Really?? Those two planes are in different universes.

 

If what they could afford was the Mustang then the Citation X will bankrupt them in operating costs.

 

Since it's reality TV, they probably couldn't afford a Ford Mustang, let alone a Cessna one.

 

It will be interesting to see if the current situation in Saudi Arabia dumps some high value aircraft into the marketplace. It may also lead to a string of order cancellations too.

Been talking with a close friend that runs a corporate flight department in Jeddah. Permits required to fly. Some aircraft have been decreed that they are not allowed to fly. Speculation that the Dubai Air Show next week is going to be thin on attendance since Saudis won't want to be seen there.

News reports this morning that 201 people are currently detained.

 

THIS JUST IN: unconfirmed reports of a 400' new build yacht becoming available for the (seriously unfinished) cost of construction so far......the yard has been told to stop the build and no back payments will be coming!!!
Serious panic in some quarters.......

 

Serious panic because there appear to be new standards imposed without any warning. What people are getting accused of is what had been the cultural norm for decades. The great irony is that one leading the corruption panel is from a group of brothers that are generally considered to be the worst offenders.

Reports of freezing personal bank accounts with the intent to grab back at least $100 bil.

Seemingly there is no idea on when the round up of suspects will stop so they are all nervous.

 

I don't understand...didn't this 32 years old guy/prince buy a $400+ million yacht with public money? Yacht name Serene. Seems hypocritical. Oh well...

 

I'm going to guess it's one of these: https://yachtharbour.com/news/at-least-six-100m+-megayachts-under-construction-at-lurssen-1374

My bet is on TIS or Redwood just based on how far along the projects are and how close to 400 it is compared to the others since you said "seriously unfinished." SHU looks close, too.

Lurssen isn't the only builder ME buyers like as there are a few, but I can't find a good fit from another shipyard at the moment.

 

Don't the big yacht guys require progress payments? I know Gulfstream does...