Eighteen Year Restoration - Then This

[Boris Badenov]

My penis is not small enough to own/fly an L-39.

Meh, I mean I get your complaint and I'm sure that if one has uh "slipped the surly bonds" *vomit* in a Strike Chicken going straight up in an Apocalyptic struggle of Good and Evil against the Commies, an L-39 seems lame as hell. But it's relatively cheap to run, hard to crash, goes whoosh, and there aren't like 10,000 little reciprocating parts they don't make anymore banging around waiting to fail. And, sure, there are the examples where they've put little fins in the tip-tanks to make them look like missiles, which, uhm, the less said the better about that. But as a grin-machine for us non-hackers (see what I did there?), I can think of worse ways to spend $400k.

It's the kind of thing where, uh, you know. I might own one. I wouldn't join the Club.

 

[///AMG]

To be fair, an L-39 might be the only thing that a strike eagle could beat in a dogfight

 

[knot4u]

Round engines are cool as hell, but for the cost to operate even a T-6/SNJ you could have an L-39 that doesn't require a Ground Crew to operate, just starts up and goes whoosh.

Why would you need a ground crew for a T-6?

 

[Boris Badenov]

To be fair, an L-39 might be the only thing that a strike eagle could beat in a dogfight

I think that counts as the gauntlet being thrown...

 

[Boris Badenov]

Why would you need a ground crew for a T-6?

Not sure you'd need one, but every one I've ever seen start up has had like 15 old guys standing around with fire extinguishers they probably don't know how to use...

My perspective/point was just that if I were to have a personal aircraft that wasn't just a transportation appliance, I wouldn't want for it to be a like party-piece. Obviously, it's different for the real warbirds. Full respek to the B-29 guys, etc. But for a dude who wants a plane that's just FUN, I maintain that an L-39 isn't a bad investment, however many Walter Mittys it may attract. *shrug*

FOX TWO, FOX TWO! Ahem, what?

 

[Hacker15e]

To be fair, an L-39 might be the only thing that a strike eagle could beat in a dogfight

False.

The Dark Gray has never met a knot it couldn't bleed.

 

[Hacker15e]

Yak-52 pushes a lot of buttons for me.

Please tell me you just forgot to type the "TW" at the end of "Yak-52".

 

[Adler]

Round engines are cool as hell, but for the cost to operate even a T-6/SNJ you could have an L-39 that doesn't require a Ground Crew to operate, just starts up and goes whoosh.

My penis is not small enough to own/fly an L-39.

 

[Boris Badenov]

View attachment 61451

Hardly surprising, you and the Hamster can't get on the step. Sorry, sorry, I know, low-hanging fruit? No, no, I mean...aw hell I've done it again.

 

[🦈💜]

I still want a Yak-55.
Someday.

 

[Skåning]

Yak-40 was the best Yak. You and 30 friends, any mud runway.

 

[ASpilot2be]

I want a boat. Boats are better. Right @mikecweb ?

 

[///AMG]

^ That dude has incredible hair. He better be rolling an el camino on the land

 

[ASpilot2be]

^ That dude has incredible hair. He better be rolling an el camino on the land

I am going with a Firebird.

 

[Boris Badenov]

I am going with a Firebird.

Never the wrong call.

 

[///AMG]

I am going with a Firebird.

Good call......the t-top is ready for him whenever he goes full Jesus

 

[Richman]

The only “warbird trainer” remotely maintainable like a Bo would be a T-34…because it essentially is a Bonanza.

But the wannabe crowd has scooped them up to a point where prices are a little nuts. And that was pre-apocalypse. If you and the missus (or mister) want to troll the 100 hamburger circuit with matching flight suits and mirrored sunglasses, you might need to find something with a lower entry price.

All airplanes of all varieties have been on a bizarre elevator ride up since March. VREF published their price guide update and everything was up in double digit percentages. People keep “testing the market” with insane prices….and people keep paying. It’s definitely a case of “what the everloving fluck

Even the piston twin market, which was left for dead a couple of years ago, is on fire (in the figurative sense). And that’s in the face of 80+/bbl oil.

Last time I saw prices like this was 2006…

 

[Nihon_Ni]

I have heard that the complexity and cost is similar to a Bo', which I have owned. Is that true?

This is a fair comparison but assumes a lot of factors. We rent our T-6 for about the same price a guy in the hangar next door rented his G-36, but the fuel consumption is more than double for the Six. On the other hand, I have rented an older model Bo from a friend for 1/5 of that price because he wanted it flown more. Older model T-6s have less system automation than later ones, so they're a bit more complex than a Bonanza.

I learned more from flying a T-6 than any airplane I've ever flown.

 

[ajm757]

Serious question for the brain trust:

say if you had around $2 million at age 30, would you be in a position to own a plane? What kind of a/c could you justify purchasing?

let’s also assume you have no debt.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

The only “warbird trainer” remotely maintainable like a Bo would be a T-34…because it essentially is a Bonanza.

But the wannabe crowd has scooped them up to a point where prices are a little nuts. And that was pre-apocalypse. If you and the missus (or mister) want to troll the 100 hamburger circuit with matching flight suits and mirrored sunglasses, you might need to find something with a lower entry price.

All airplanes of all varieties have been on a bizarre elevator ride up since March. VREF published their price guide update and everything was up in double digit percentages. People keep “testing the market” with insane prices….and people keep paying. It’s definitely a case of “what the everloving fluck

Even the piston twin market, which was left for dead a couple of years ago, is on fire (in the figurative sense). And that’s in the face of 80+/bbl oil.

Last time I saw prices like this was 2006…

Yak-52 has reasonable operating costs and the overhaul is surprisingly cheap for a radial. I can imagine crating and sending to an Eastern European sweat shop.