Helicopter question?

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Many years ago I read about a (US) man that made a deal with the Chinese for a couple MIG 15's.

When the new owner went on the ship to look over and offload his planes he freaked out.
The planes still had the cannon and MG installed and the ammo boxes were full.

The Chinese didn't understand what all the fuss was about.:D
 
I can't see McDonnell Douglas letting one "slip" out the door, given their contract history with the government. According to a Jane's exerpt from '96, there were 811 production models (all models) (104 exported to allies), 17 A-models grounded for tech instruction, 7 A-models designated for special testing with 1 being reverted to standard, and a few miscelanous test models.

One could get out of the system any number of ways, whether it's a stripped test model or a de-milled production model. Cost on the things were pretty low, only $18 million (D-model) as of the writing. A pocket change 9.96 million for a flyable A-model.

It's not impossible to believe that someone has one, but it'd have to be one that was fixed up to fly again. I wonder who'd insure that.
 
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I can't see McDonnell Douglas letting one "slip" out the door, given their contract history with the government. According to a Jane's exerpt from '96, there were 811 production models (all models) (104 exported to allies), 17 A-models grounded for tech instruction, 7 A-models designated for special testing with 1 being reverted to standard, and a few miscelanous test models.

One could get out of the system any number of ways, whether it's a stripped test model or a de-milled production model. Cost on the things were pretty low, only $18 million (D-model) as of the writing. A pocket change 9.96 million for a flyable A-model.

It's not impossible to believe that someone has one, but it'd have to be one that was fixed up to fly again. I wonder who'd insure that.
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If you're talking about the privately owned F-4D, here's the background (and the foundation that owns it):

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tx_f-4dphantom.htm
 
A few years ago I knew a guy that imported a Polish Mig 17 with a few friends. The idea was to get it US flight ready and sell it. It ended up that it would cost over 100k to get it legal, and it was in flyable condition when it was purchased. He offered to sell it to me for 30k, but I had no cash at the time.:( The ultimate Bug Out Vehicle???
 
There WAS a privately owned MiG-21 in the States a few years ago, rumor had it that EVERYTHING was in place, including all the combat systems. Apparently the FAA didn't like the non-compliant radar, lack of weather radar, the presence of an afterburner, and the ejection seat.

There was a screen crawl during the History Channel show "Boneyards" the other night about how quickly the F-14 Tomcat is being scrapped out. The planes are actually bypassing AMARC in order to be shredded ASAP, in an effort to keep the Iranians from possibly getting parts to return their F-14As to operational use.
 
What is your definition of privately owned, or reader's digest's?

Private security firms? International security contractors that do work with the government?

Our own government is not using the Apache in Iraq as often as the old Cobra from the vietnam area with modern upgrades (and designations) because it is less costly to maintain in the harsh desert environment.
In fact they are often used by the marines, which is the frontline fighters in this kind of an occupation, and most likely to require air support.

So if the government is finding them to be a maintenance problem even when they are more advanced than the AH Cobra type aircraft, then I can only imagine one in private hands.

For every hour in the air they require 3.5 hours of ground service by trained professionals (read longer for average joe) to stay functional. So taking it for a few several hour spins would get very pricey, or book your weekends up in maintenance, and that is when nothing goes wrong.

Now for the armaments, just like some corporations can get Mp5's for thier security if they play a long never ending legal juggle to stay compliant with state and federal regulations and have increased liability problems, then I don't see why it would not be possible to get an otherwise legal aircraft equiped with some armaments in similar fashion.
Lets also not forget that many government contractors that create and make the equipment for many governments to begin with are in private hands. They didn't just one day magicly become a part of the government, they are still private contractors that attempt to stay in business making military and commercial products.

It cracks me up that people think that governments are these all powerful entities that creates all the tools they use. They just tax everyone and use that tax money to buy things and make contracts with private individuals to supply them. This applies for most aircraft, and for most arms. So most things in government hands start out in private hands to begin with. Our military, just like our economy is built and based on things primarily created by the private sector. New technology and inovations usualy come from the private sector. The people motivated by profit to create new products, not the government that is funded by taxes and makes due with what is available. Profit is the motivator in the creation of most tools of war, just as it is the motivator in the creation of drugs to cure or fight disease. That is one of the reasons our nation has been on the cutting edge of technology for so long, or at least corporations based in America (now often relocating for tax reasons as our nation becomes more socialist and more spiteful of those who are successful or have money, including corporate officials and companies they want a bigger slice from) have been, we are the biggest profit driven society on earth.
 
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Zoogster hit it on the nose.


Many people think that the US Military and our Defense Contractors are one and the same, they are not.

For example: GE makes chain guns, how do you think they are tested before they are pitched to the DoD?
 
For example: GE makes chain guns, how do you think they are tested before they are pitched to the DoD?
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(I don't think GE currently makes them anymore) But they are not considered privately owned reguardless. When their manufacturing license is gone they have to be destroyed or sold as post samples. Nothing full automatic registered after May of '86 is privately owned. Now that doesn't mean someone can't be in possession, but its a far cry from being considered personal property.
 
“What he pays just for parts is positively staggering.”

100% x-ray inspection of major fasteners gets pricey very quickly.
Even lot accepted screws are serial numbered on the box.
Aircraft grade stuff has more QC than you can shake a stick at.

For satellites we have 100% x-ray of chip capacitors, resistors, and a number of other components. When you purchase reliability grade the 'S' and now even 'T' prices go through the roof.
About 4 years ago an S grade chip cap I used was running about $25 each.
R grade was about $10, and the 'commercial' part was about $0.08.
For a part that measures 0.12 long by 0.08 wide.
I have the remains of a 100 pack of S around somewhere. Probably 60 parts left.
A 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch deck that has $1500 worth of parts.
I have some radiation test targets (used) of an Actel FPGA chip that cost over $10,000 each.
 
There is also a T-38 trainer in private hands that was not correctly demilled after it was "written off" following an accident. It is the only flyable T-38 in private hands.
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There are several T-38s and F-5s owned by civilians in the US. The limitation is for the resale of US military aircraft....NOT military aircraft of foreign countries.

Numerous overseas operators flew T-38s, and that has been the source of several of the airframes.

Here is the guy who builds and sells all of them that are currently flying in the US:

http://www.thorntonaircraft.com/body/body.cfm?page_name=mil
 
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