Burma Spitfires Merged thread. Put all new info in here please.

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

uhmmm well you're looking for at least £800k for a "new from scratch" one, I doubt the checks and repairs to a "NOS" Spitfire would be anywhere near that amount (probably in the region of £150k tops), not to mention the historical value..

You could be right.

I guess it'd depend on the conditions it was stored in and how much cosmoline they were packed in.

Hmmmm! 800K ???? One Power Ball!!!!!!!

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger

You could be right.

I guess it'd depend on the conditions it was stored in and how much cosmoline they were packed in.

800K ???? One Power Ball!!!!!!!

yeah well the last info I saw was that they were crated and underground, so in theory, unless they had massive water infiltration or collapses of the crates themselves they shouldn't be too bad, the air in the boxes might be a bit stuffy for sure

800k is just a ballpark figure, but then again it's also maintenance costs.. just to give you an example, a single propeller blade might cost up to $40k, so you'd better know how to land the thing properly

so yes, you might need two powerballs

[ElAurens]

Thanks SternjaegerII, kind of what I expected to hear. It's the same story here in the US, as you intimated. A classic aircraft is found, then... silence. A few years later the plane emerges freshly restored with a new owner after much money changes hands.

The same is often true for very high end collector cars.


Ciao.

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

Thanks SternjaegerII, kind of what I expected to hear. It's the same story here in the US, as you intimated. A classic aircraft is found, then... silence. A few years later the plane emerges freshly restored with a new owner after much money changes hands.

The same is often true for very high end collector cars.


Ciao.

It's the good ol' "boys and their toys", although in the case of the Burma Spits there's a fair chance of a huge profit margin, those babies won't sell cheap, that's for sure.. yeah, high end collectors would do the dirtiest tricks to ensure the stuff they want ends in their possession.

The case of the 109 that I mentioned before though is an example of media attention as well: soon after the news were released, the specialised magazines and media went silent for a specific reason..
It sounds terribly conspiracy theory, but in some cases there is a will from the sector media to keep some news secret, and not just for promotional reasons, but because there's a distinct will to keep these planes in the west, where they're more likely to be restored/flown.

[pstyle]

Which government department in the UK is responsible for the current ownership of the Burma Spits?
Surely a concerted effort with some of the more conservative (jolly ol' Britain what!) press would keep this in the public sphere?

[pstyle]

This article is somewhat worrying:
http://news.discovery.com/history/wo...ne-120502.html

"2-year-old Cundall claims he was pressured into abandoning his claim to the 67-year-old fighters by Brooks, a British version of Donald Trump who presented him with a "memorandum of understanding" that took control of his overseas activities, the Vancouver Sun said."

Gad-damned tories and their big business brown nosing...

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by pstyle

This article is somewhat worrying:
http://news.discovery.com/history/wo...ne-120502.html

"2-year-old Cundall claims he was pressured into abandoning his claim to the 67-year-old fighters by Brooks, a British version of Donald Trump who presented him with a "memorandum of understanding" that took control of his overseas activities, the Vancouver Sun said."

Gad-damned tories and their big business brown nosing...

They were literally up for grabs, the Government was only involved because of the embargo on Burma.

Once Cundall's claims were proven true, Brooks stepped in and asked Cameron to sort that out for them, so that he could do whatever he wanted with the Spits. A couple of bribes here and there, and the Burmese government is happy for whoever wants to recover the Spits to proceed.
Cundall should have kept it quiet and asked for more funds, in this way he lost all the investment he made and is left with nothing. It's disgusting, but unfortunately there's nothing he can do about it.

As I said, the warbirds entourage is not all roses...