If you had the means, is there a way?

[Cam]

OKOOOKOKOKOKOKO, Listen up. Is it possible to buy an old WWII fighter for personal use, if you can find one? And what is the market like for them?

What about jet figherts? Could you buy an old fighter or a russian jet? Is it legal to fly them if you get the training?


Thats all for now.

[Tanner_J]

Isn't there a civilian version of the F-16?

[Greg]

Is it possible to buy an old WWII fighter for personal use, if you can find one? And what is the market like for them?

What about jet figherts? Could you buy an old fighter or a russian jet? Is it legal to fly them if you get the training?

You could buy a WWII fighter but they are rare so they are quite expensive. The U.S. military is very paranoid about the disposal of military equipment so you have to get a foreign model. Russian aircraft are the most accessible, with the L-39 the most acquired.

[KUMPflyer]

Start saving now and you might be able to afford one by the time you're, oh, 125 or so. You could always try and find a plane that's been buried under the ice for 50 years, but even that's incredibly expensive. I read an article about someone from Kentucky doing that and it cost him several million dollars and about a decade of his life.

[Cam]

what about the legality of it? Are you allowed to fly in US or Canadian airspace with a fighter?

If I give $250k to the Republicans do I get to bomb a small city?

[KUMPflyer]

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to. I've read of someone that bought an old Starfighter and he flies it in airshows. I think he get it in Isreal.

[srbmod]

On the low end of the warbird price range is the PT-12 Stearman trainer, which can be had for somewhere in the neighborhood of $75,000-$100,000. The AT-6 Texan anywhere between $150,000-$300,000; most fighters from the WWII era will be in the neighborhood of $500,000-$1 million+; the P-51 (especially the P-51D) will set you back anywhere between $1.5-$3 million. Bombers from this same era in many cases are so rare that they are priceless, a B-17 is probably the most likely for anyone to really buy if they're going to buy a WWII bomber.

So in short, you better start buying lottery tickets if you want a WWII warbird. The costs of ownership and operation are tremendous, which is why at many displays of WWII warbirds they have donation boxes and why joyrides in them cost as much as they do. Some of the bombers cost several thousand dollars an hour to fly.

[Airbus_A320]

[FlyingPhotog]

I knew a kid in High school whose dad bought a Mig-29. It was shipped over here with missiles still attached. Fed's not too happy 'bout that one.

[avro_arrow_25206]

I knew a kid in High school whose dad bought a Mig-29. It was shipped over here with missiles still attached. Fed's not too happy 'bout that one.

They didn't find out until it was shipped to its final destination? How did that go undetected?

[uy707]

I am not surprised in reading the price tags of some WWII fighters. Even though some are ready to spend a lot in getting a P51. Recently one has been re-importated from France at a premium ... Another French collector accepted parting with a beloved F8 Bearcat restored in french airforce colors. The lucky buyer, also a US fellow collector, paid a good price for this one too. The Mustang are so much sought after that some may switch to less expensive Bearcats and possibly Corsairs.
As for jet fighters, here it is almost impossible to have one airworthy. Some people managed to buy and import a Mig 21B, which has been even re-registered as F-A + 3 letters, the A standing for a collector/vintage. This bird still flies with the flight-test center at Istres.
Alain

[LRJet Guy]

Go find a copy of a Trade A Plane. You will find listings for all sorts of warbirds. Anything from WWII aircraft to T-38's. You see several adds for old Migs, T-34s, T-28s, L-29 and L-39s.

You also find the occasional P-51. Going price seems to be around 1.5 mil for a Mustang.

You also see at times F-100s, 104s, a 105 and a few F-86s. The 86s are usually flyable, but the Korean War Era American jets are usually in boxes waiting on someone to put them back together.

The jets generally don't have a high price tag on them, almost always less then a million, many in the 100K range. The expense comes from flying them and keeping them airworthy.

Until recently, the FAA required you to have an LOA (Letter of Authorization) to fly these jets. To get one, you had to learn the systems, then learn formation flying, in addition to learning to fly the aircraft. The LOA has been dropped to the same type rating system used for jet, and aircraft over 12,500 lb that has been in place for years.

Also, you will find retired airliners for sale in a Trade A Plane.

[Genessee]

Doesn't Tom Cruise have three or so ww2 american fighters?

[FlyingPhotog]

They didn't find out until it was shipped to its final destination? How did that go undetected?

It was the missiles they didn't know about. The sale of the jet was legal. The missiles were of course confiscated.

[uy707]

In France, we haven't publications as elaborate as Trade-A-Plane, wish we had off course. The most advanced is "Argus-Avions" thanks to the variety of offerings. Once they also advertised the former Saudia/Royal Flight/Medicalized DC.8-72. About DC.8 and other retired airliners, they regularly post LeBourget based AeroStock's ad featuring a former french airforce flyable DC.8-F54. The sortation of ads is made according to manufacturers'names by alphabetical order. So when they advertise either a Mustang or a T6, check North-American's entry. Next time, I will check the asking prices ....
Otherwise the most regulars which do not look like your neighbour's Cessna 172 or your former boss' Piper Commanche mosly include trainers such as T34 Mentors, CM170 Magisters, Russian stuff, Stampe and Tiger Moths biplanes, Chipmunks...
Alain