I found a plane... but it's not mine.

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Mtns2Skies

Final Approach
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Mtns2Skies
I found a plane sitting on the ramp here that I'm absolutely in love with. It has half-deflated tires but looks to be in amazing shape otherwise. I've asked around and no one knows the owner. I'd be interested in buying it, getting a ride in it or even just getting to sit in it.

Two weeks ago I sent a letter to the owner's address I found via the FAA N# registry with no response yet.

Is there anything else I can realistically do other than drool and wish he would contact me back?
 
I know the feeling. There is plane sitting in a hangar here that I would love to have. I won't say what or where, because it's a very desirable plane, and I don't want any of you other punks to come and take it. I will say it has a top wing, a tiny wheel on it's tail end, and a hunk of metal with six jugs on it's nose. ;) One of the guys on the airport thinks the old guy that owns it developed health problems.
 
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Planes like this are a tragedy in slow-motion.

Realistically, in most instances, your best bet is to get personal. Do your research - find out about the owner, what he or she did with the plane (are they alive?).

Meet the owner, if possible. Odds are, it is someone whose advancing age ended their flying days. Take 'em to breakfast, tell them about your passion for flight and your interest in their plane. Make them understand that this is about the passion for flight, not the plane as hardware or as an asset. Offer to take them flying and let them know that, if they will sell you their plane, before it is too late to save it, you'll fly them in that plane again.

If the owner is a widow or widower (too often the case), ask about the flying their mate did, and show respect for the traditions of flight and the responsibility for carrying forward the collective stories, the legends, we carry as pilots.

A letter is easy to discard; a personal appeal, less so.
 
SCCutler said:
Planes like this are a tragedy in slow-motion.

Realistically, in most instances, your best bet is to get personal. Do your research - find out about the owner, what he or she did with the plane (are they alive?).

Meet the owner, if possible. Odds are, it is someone whose advancing age ended their flying days. Take 'em to breakfast, tell them about your passion for flight and your interest in their plane. Make them understand that this is about the passion for flight, not the plane as hardware or as an asset. Offer to take them flying and let them know that, if they will sell you their plane, before it is too late to save it, you'll fly them in that plane again.

If the owner is a widow or widower (too often the case), ask about the flying their mate did, and show respect for the traditions of flight and the responsibility for carrying forward the collective stories, the legends, we carry as pilots.

A letter is easy to discard; a personal appeal, less so.
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Well said.
 
Years ago, there was a 177RG that my former flying club had sold to a student pilot. I spotted it about a year after the sale sitting on the ramp with flat tires. I called the new owner and offered pay for any increase in insurance, plus fuel, plus maintenance fee if he would let me fly it. He said he would get back to me. About a week later he says his CFI recommended that no one fly the plane except him (the CFI). Two years later that same plane was sitting in the same tiedown spot with rotted tires. That used to be a nice plane. Got my Comm ticket in it.

More recently, there was a Viking in a hangar behind me when I was in North Carolina. For the most part it looked like it was in okay shape, except for the flat tires and dated avionics. Also, the engine was exposed. Apparently the exhaust stack got a crack (it was sitting in a corner) and couldn't be repaired. From what I heard, the owner couldn't find a source for a new exhaust, so he let it sit. I was there for 7 or 8 years and that plane never had a visitor other than me. The FBO manager told me the story and says that the owner still pays his hangar fee on time each and every month.

If I won the lottery I'd love to take that thing off his hands and get it flying again. But just doing some mental math, it's going to be $60k minimum. And that's just for new engine and new avionics. Who knows what else could be going on that can't be seen in all those years.
 
Anymouse said:
More recently, there was a Viking in a hangar behind me when I was in North Carolina.
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That reminds me, there is a Super Viking sitting here too. Nice plane, just covered in dust. I think there was a problem with one of the main gear struts. Not sure if that's still the problem, but it has sat now for about 3 years. I think it wouldn't take much to make it whole again.


Maybe we should start a CAF type organization to save these old hangar queens. There ya go.....HQAF. Hangar Queen Air Force.

It hurts my soul to see so many decent flying machines rotting at airfields all over the place.
 
There is a nice Bo sitting on the ramp here. Owners from Texas were traveling through years ago and had engine trouble. Local shop put a new engine in it and waited......pushed it in and out of his hangar for a couple of years. Now it sits on the ramp without the propeller, with flat tires and with crazed Windows. It's basically junk today.
 
SCCutler said:
Planes like this are a tragedy in slow-motion.

Realistically, in most instances, your best bet is to get personal. Do your research - find out about the owner, what he or she did with the plane (are they alive?).

Meet the owner, if possible. Odds are, it is someone whose advancing age ended their flying days. Take 'em to breakfast, tell them about your passion for flight and your interest in their plane. Make them understand that this is about the passion for flight, not the plane as hardware or as an asset. Offer to take them flying and let them know that, if they will sell you their plane, before it is too late to save it, you'll fly them in that plane again.

If the owner is a widow or widower (too often the case), ask about the flying their mate did, and show respect for the traditions of flight and the responsibility for carrying forward the collective stories, the legends, we carry as pilots.

A letter is easy to discard; a personal appeal, less so.
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I like it.....if you can pull it off in the real world.....but I like it.
 
I assume the FBO is charging them a monthly fee, so they will have contact info, check with them, in person, they may not want to give out that information on the phone.
 
I was at an airport the other day and there was probably close to a dozen planes out on junk row. Some looked like they could be made airworthy with just a little effort, others would take a bunch, others are likely a lost cause. There was one old 172 that the airport guy said had been there since 2005 without flying. He said that the owner has been paying the tie down fees regularly. I think some folks just don't want to let go of the dream regardless of how economically futile an effort it becomes.
 
I felt the same way a couple of weeks ago, I was out walking the ramp and I saw a beautiful '63 cherokee 140. Good interior and paint. Googled the reg and found out it already has a registration pending on it. Just my luck right?
 
SkyDog58 said:
I think some folks just don't want to let go of the dream regardless of how economically futile an effort it becomes.
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My airport has a muli year hangar wait list. Got to know the mechanic at the FBO and we were talking about just that. There are literally dozens of planes rotting away in the hangars...and a few on the ramp...mostly from older pilots that lost their medical or other reasons no longer flying but selling the plane would admit to loosing and giving up on the dream so they keep paying even though every year that plane becomes a step closer to the scrap pile.

Luckily he has a few that asked him to sell for them because the other half of the pilots aren't necessarily financially strapped and don't wanna deal with the selling hassle and it is not worth dealing with.

I fell in the same trap a few years ago with a sailboat. Had a dream since college to have a boat down at the Harbor but due to the demand it was dang near impossible to get t a slip. Ultimately the stars aligned and I scored a boat with a slip. Used it quite a bit but slip fees were pretty high. Well, after a few seasons and getting into aviation I was lucky if I got it out twice a year but continued paying thousands a year to moor it...more than the boat was even worth...but I wanted to hang on to that "dream". It wasn't until I went down to the harbor one day and realized that my boat was "that boat" that needed a lot of TLC to bring it back to life and realized I needed to unload it. I didn't need the money and did not want to deal with the Craigslist hassle so had someone made me a low ball offer towards the end I would have probably taken it. So I get the sentiment.

Best thing the OP can do is see if the airport will give ya the owners number...or swing by their place to make a emotional connection because the financial motivation to sell is usually not there but the willingness may be.
 
We have a older Twinkie as the only plane of the ramp here, and it hurts to watch it go down hill fast. It used to be in a hanger until early this year, so I guess this is just one step closer to gone.

Then there is the Russian Jet in the open hanger. I do not know exactly what it is, but I bet it was a beauty in its day. I have some pics of it for my own collection, but I am betting that beyond a few hundred thousand dollars worth of rebuild that will never happen that this will never be wheels up again.

There are a couple of more planes in that open hanger that might be recoverable, and one I would may try to track down the owner on once I get my full ticket.
 
Update: I found the plane's A&P and got some news. The owner is a pilot for a cargo airline and is rarely home more than a week out of the month which explains why I haven't gotten a response. The plane is in annual and has been for the past several years but the plane only flies at most 2-3 hours/year. When the pilot comes back he often goes offroading in his lifted jeep, not flying. So the A&P told me "he ought to sell it"... I'm hoping I can either buy it for a good price or get on his insurance and fly it for him (and pay whatever it costs extra to put me on the insurance). I'll wait another couple weeks for a response to my original letter. Otherwise I'll talk to this A&P again for some more contact info. Sounds like things could go well for me... we'll see.
 
So at what point will you share make/model/year/details of this plane that you love?
 
asicer said:
So at what point will you share make/model/year/details of this plane that you love?
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1955 Cessna 180... But i'm not posting anything else because I don't want anyone else to steal it ;)
 
Interesting. I just got a great deal on a 1955 Cessna 180 from a friend of mine that flies cargo all the time.

:stirpot:
 
Anymouse said:
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I might be tightly wound as of late ;):crazy::loco::rollercoaster:
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@Mtns2Skies there's a ton of planes like the one you describe here at the KSRQ airport (Sarasota, FL). When I used to own I'd walk by Bonanza's, amphibious planes, 152/150's and even a few Pipers. Just rotting away. Same down in KVNC (Venice, FL).

In fact I saw a plane on the field at Venice and asked about it, turns out someone ditched it in the ocean, but they were able to recover it. The guy later passed away without fixing it and his family just pays the tie down fee every month, on time, because no one knows what to do with it. Thing is probably junk from the salt water, engine is likely shot too, but still. Graveyards are all over the place from owners that don't know how to let go.
 
Ever see that Mooney parked in front of Arapahoe Aero, when you lived here Mtns2Skies? Word in the rumor mill is that it was brought to AA for work and the owner never paid the bill, and it's been parked there for years and years.
 
Guy died and left 2 beautiful planes An Ercoupe and a Globe Swift. The kids (non-aviators, no interest in aviation) have been letting them rot because they think they are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are "antiques".
I shed a tear every time I walk past them.
 
check the obituaries... guy is probably dead and family forgot about it...or don't know what to do about it...
 
Shepherd said:
Guy died and left 2 beautiful planes An Ercoupe and a Globe Swift. The kids (non-aviators, no interest in aviation) have been letting them rot because they think they are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are "antiques".
I shed a tear every time I walk past them.
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On the flip side there are sellers out there that you might meet while TRYING to find a plane that feel the same. It's a 1946 XXXX that must mean it's worth 10X the value of a brand new version today because it's older right? Uhm...no. :)

That's exactly why a lot of these are probably sitting. Family owns them, owner lost medical, owner doesn't have time..etc.

Heck, there's a G36 Bonanza owned by a doctor here, flies very infrequently. Also a Brand new Cirrus GTS that a PPL student bought..same story..too busy to fly. Kinda wish I had 200-500K to buy a plane and actually USE it as opposed to watch it sit on the ramp.
 
Update: Guy called me back!!!!!

By his voice he sounds younger maybe late 30's. Doesn't sound like he's interested in selling it but he's going to spend some time with me Friday during lunch to show me the plane and chat about 180's.
 
denverpilot said:
Ever see that Mooney parked in front of Arapahoe Aero, when you lived here Mtns2Skies? Word in the rumor mill is that it was brought to AA for work and the owner never paid the bill, and it's been parked there for years and years.
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I know that one so well I could quote you the registration number! Sad to see it sit there. There's a decent Pitts S-1 just rotting away in an open shelter at APA, too. And that tan 150 that hasn't moved in 12-15 years... I would LIVE a little 150. Sure, grounded when it's hot outside, blah, blah... But I could fly it now and then, and it would be mine. :)
 
177 Cardinal, no struts on the wing.... I saw a few other Cardinals lined up in the grass rotting away a few months back. I don't remember which airport. We like stopping in at airports we have never been to so we can snoop around.
 
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