OH My... I would LOVE to have one of those. Sorry Ferrari, but you can't do roll in a car unless you want to get injured or pay a lot of money to fix it.
Sweet, i have always joked arounda bout buying a fighter jet instead of a Gulfstream, now i really can.
China used to be selling off it's old Mig 15/17s. There's a guy in Addison, Tx with one. I believe he'd bought it for somewhere around $150k. It came with everything sans guns. Still had the Chinese markings on it. This was back in the early 90s so I'd imagine there should be some others around the country.
There are so many ex military jets that you could buy for less, but, the question becomes one of maintenance. Who will maintain your Mig or Brand X military plane?
I remember them being a lot less than 150k. Something like 30k. Buyer beware. Also wonder if the post 9/11 era dampened the enthusiasm for privatly owned fighters. Also remember MIG 26s for 200k + or - These were true supersonic fighter/bombers. Be the first on your block.
a guy at the Danbury Airport in CT had a Mig, I think it was black w Red Stars, Sweet Parts & maintenance are definately the issue hear, Can you imagine finding some1 to fix your ejection seat ? If I had the $1.2 or $1.5 M I'd definately take a P51 over any Ferrari
The problem with the Mig-15/17 is landing it. It is a difficult plane to land. There are other jet warbirds, that are much easier to land. From what I have read, the initial classic jet warbird purchase, is about the least of your worries. You can jump into a ready-to-fly classic jet warbird, for as little as the price of a very nice Testarossa. The term buckets of money was described, for what it takes to properly own these kewwwwwl toys. Some parts will have to be fabricated. Parts are very expensive in many cases. The fuel bills are enormous. The FAA PIC requirements are very steep. You also have the insurance requirements. If any of this fazes you, it may be worthwhile to look into a T-28B/C. The T-28B/C is a genuine warbird, and is 20% the price of a P-51, with 80% of it's performance. It is an easy plane to land.
The older ones were very simple, especially Mig 15 and 17s. Pretty much bulletproof jet engines vs piston. Perhaps a better word than "bulletproof". Any A+P worth his salt can maintain and fabricate generic items including airframe components. Its the special castings and parts that are the bear. I have a friend who used to buy TOTALED P-51s just for the data plate and completly build a new aircraft around it.
L-39 Albatros are fairly easy to get and are a lot less expensive then most other warbirds. http://www.designworx.com/albatros-L39/jet-for-sale.html
I beleive Russia was also doing this for a short period of time. I seem to remember reading of a guy who had his own personal Mig-29 from them. That would be a much better buy IMO.
Mig 29 would be nice but maintenance costs would put it out of reach for all but an elite few. It cost several thousand an hour to operate.
One of my clients has 5 different L-39's now in addition to other jets.......they cost him about $350K USD completely refurbished and ready to go.....and he has a couple of full time ex-Bulgarian AF techs on his payroll to service them. He was looking at MiG-29's and Tornado's.....they are cheap to acquire, but too expensive to operate. This thing is neat....but $3MM is way to much for what you get IMHO. I am not saying it will not sell....there are people out there who will buy it I'd imagine.......I just don't think it has value at that price given the comparables. 2 seat MiG-29's were around $250K unrefurbished........spend another $1-2MM making it certifiable......... On the subject of ejection seats.......you won't see many with them........too hard to maintain and certify. A pilot is is basically sitting on a mortar round.
Wow, that Javelin is an awesome jet...about the closest thing you could get to a T-38 Talon. There's also this option which also looks like a great option: http://www.viper-aircraft.com
The L39C is about the most cost effective of the bunch. A little slower than the Javelin, but quite a bit cheaper to operate, and the factory still exists making parts available. Bob Lutz, former CEO, had one, but had to eject out of it, I think. These aren't for those without a lot of time. You can buy them cheap, but they cost quite a bit to operate, probably close to 1.5k per hour to operate. They look good, but you're better off with a citation, if you want to fly a jet. Art
Art Bob landed wheels up. His fighter was damaged but it's been fixed and he's still flying it. He wasn't CEO of C and he's still working at GM. Best
