Abandoned Top Secret U.S. SPY PLANES At Auction CHEAP... Did I Bid Too Much?

[@Caroline-pl4of]

Probably did dodge a bad deal at the final cost. I worked in AFG on both of those aircraft and to add to your story on GZ. It was blown up by a mortar that hit just under the left wing tip. Which sent shrapnel through the wing, the skin on the tail section (hell hole) and the vertical and horizontal stabilizer. One person was wounded who was standing on the steps at the time, pre-launch. We rebuilt that aircraft back to flying status in just 2 months. That included completing a full cockpit modification for LED lighting for NVG capability. Re-skinning the unpressurized tail section, repaired all damaged wiring and installing a new L/H wing along with a new vertical and horizontal stabilizer. So that aircraft can be called a proper war bird. Excellent work by the team.

[@GeorgeRuffner-iy7bm]

Great story. Thanks. 🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇲

[@dean4823]

I think you dodged a bullet. I use to fly these planes for years in the Middle East. Yes, they all had many hours because they flew 24/7 if they weren’t in maintenance. The problem with them returning to a normal service is, for one, they have a lot of holes from all the sensors/antennas. Trying to get the holes repaired structurally, pass a pressurization test and not to mention an FAA approval, would be in its self a lot of work. The guys that were bidding on these planes probably worked for a company that would use them as surveillance planes. To make them passenger or even cargo under FAA parts would of been very expensive.

[@nodaklojack]

King airs are actually quite good to work on structurally. Good access when stripped to the skin. Hell I might have even worked on one of them. We did some heavy mods on king airs headed to Pakistan mounting radars and cameras as "submarine hunters", lol yeah right. 😆

[@jjsifo1]

I also used to fly one of those but it was a B200T with tip tanks and reinforced airframe and high flotation tires. Certified to 15000 lbs but with the PT6-42, 850SHP was a handful, rarely flew it at that weight, 13,500lbs including 2 Pilots and a sensor operator,(radar and infrared) was a compromise in weight.This was back in 1988 so guess the 350 was used after that.

[@jjhead431]

I had a friend that flew King Airs similar to these (or these, who knows) in Afghanistan. Yeah, huge flight time on them. It's the cycles that really matter though. These missions aren't demanding airframe-wise. Sitting for years could be problematic though.

[@kdrapertrucker]

Leave the he sensors and antennas on it and just remove and sell the consoles to military contractors for parts.

[@olikat8]

If I was a cartel head...I would buy them for spying on ICE, LEO, et cetera. AZ probably got them for the same basic usage

[@antonyh37]

I served as a PowerPlant tech in the Navy on the F/A-18C and A and yes the maintenance is very meticulous. The military doesn't penny pinch on maintenance. If the manufacturer recommends it, it will be done.

[@JRAviation]

Thank you for confirming

[@antonyh37]

@@Vrefplus10 yup, that's what is required when you are considered the greatest nation on earth. Wouldn't want to show up to a fight with less than optimal maintenance.

[@gregoryknight7986]

Those ISR mods cost around 18 million each. The program they were built on was called Java man at L3 in Greenville TX. They got the Collier award for completing them in 18 months. There were 10 of those aircraft. And then another 36 new ones the Air Force bought.

[@JRAviation]

Wow thank you for the insightful comment. You’re spot on, the logs kept showing L3 over and over.

[@joshcox8785]

These airplanes predate Javaman by quite a bit

[@DHRINC07]

@@joshcox8785 those are former JM aircraft

[@gertv6777]

Lol i built those planes, you definitely dont want them, they are heavily modified and hi time aircraft

[@bbrut3332]

@@gertv6777 I also work on a lot of the many wiring harnesses for the surveillance mods while working at L3.

[@lancasternational2949]

To put things into perspective....A new B360ER base prices at $8.9MM. When you see a price like the one you saw listed it is an answer for a turn-key tender of the completed surveillance a/c x (3) and usually includes (x) years of MRO and spares where a gov't fit-out may exceed the a/c value by 10x or more. When we put those deals together, whether for governments or airlines, that's what the package looks like and why the price bears no resemblance to the list price of the a/c. We deal with parked (stored) a/c all the time. Mostly airliners many of which have not been stored in the desert SW and the cost of RTS (Return to Service) can make the selling price look like like a small latte. Regardless of the green-time on the engines, by the time a borescope and a look at the MORE-like program has revealed what you might be looking at, if it has to go to the shop, the shop won't know what they are looking at until tear-down. At which point we often see a bill with more zeros to the right than Bayer has aspirin. AND, once in their shop....they are not permitted to release the engine back to the customer for service unless it is brought into compliance since many operators on a budget would try to fudge it. For you, a complete crap-shoot. So, unless the LLP's and boroscope and parked time are all excellent, we never take an engine that may have to go to the shop for inspection and you would have had 4 of them. And, as I'm sure you know, parts for PT6-60A are not low-cost like the Garrett/Honeywells. (and they are not FADEC either). Next - without you getting into the tiny corners, you have no idea about the amount of remedial work needed for corrosion mitigation. They may have gone from desert ops to AZ but you still don't know the risk since these a/c should have been completely mothballed and the engines pickled before parking and I don't see any evidence of that taking place. Even if stored according to the engine OEM specs, it requires mandatory periodic maintenance BY THE BOOK to avoid a shop visit: possibly including periodic motoring of the engine to keep the seals limber, compressor washes, etc. And I think you know what the LG overhauls would have cost. Maybe the auction buyers are extremely knowledgeable or own their own MRO but if they are amateurs and looked at the current blue-book and thought they'd make a killing, they may be unpleasantly surprised. In a year do a search for the MSN's and see what happened. I would not have bid on those although I have clients begging for B350's and I could not have brought a 25,000 hour King Air to a client unless they were willing to throw it away when it was time to sell 'cause no one but a drug runner would buy a 35,000 hour King Air. Oh, yes.....new PT60-60A's are $1MM each if they can't be rebuilt. If you had an expert, the real money would likely be in the resale of the surveillance gear, if it was all 100% functional. The a/c? Not so much.

[@jamescostello6529]

Retired USCG Aircraft Commander (LCDR) with 15k+ hours in rotatory wing and C-130's. Military maintenance is the best of the best of the best to quote MIB. Our aircraft don't have the creature comforts but you could almost put your lips on most parts of the aircraft I was involved with and come back clean. If the chief said it ain't right and it ain't gonna fly, we didn't fly till it was. I'm old, 67, and I come from the pre-GPS and circular slide rule days. I still pray daily for the guys that kept me and my crews safe and rescuing people. This goes for all the branches of the military!

[@richardkunkle9924]

Well said, Sir.

[@braveworld2707]

The _Children of the Magenta Line_ don't know how good they have it eh.

[@tomjubell5749]

As a retired Air Force member, I can tell you, we maintain our aircraft at a very high level. We had a saying, " There is no parking at thirty thousand feet ". And the one thing you didn't ever want, was to be involved in was a crash investigation. So, if we had even the slightest question when we did our inspections, the part got replaced. Of course, we didn't give the slightest damn how much it cost, we just replaced it.

[@Victordamus98]

I trust Air Force planes more than any planes. I'm retired Air Force. We are the best when it comes to maintenance and pilots.

[@todd-617]

I flew RC-12's in the Army back in the mid 90's. I can vouch for the maintenance. Everything was well documented and inspected in several layers. You're exactly right about the high time versus great cycles. We flew long missions. The air frames were modified to fly well over factory max gross weight.

[@lebusraconte3040]

16:04 The map shows aerial surveys above the city of Kasserine, Tunisia, poor industrial city, where there are raw material quarries.

[@pcgenie-la]

Your story is more about the nature of auctions than it is about the planes. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen a really cheap listing and thought, Wow!!" only to find trhat the auction had just begun. Inevitably, the price gets bid up superquick in the last minutes of the auction. And that's why it's important to have a budget and stick to it.

[@pulsarpilot7501]

I'm reminded of the Rebuilt Rescue channel. Rebuilding the free 401 At a cost far beyond what it'll be worth when finished.

[@motor2of7]

But he’s making bank on the KZbin story about it.

[@pulsarpilot7501]

@@motor2of7 There's no doubt that. I enjoy Rebuild Rescue. The 401 is a great story and I look forward to seeing it finished.

[@tommyknucklesgarage6326]

Well I've been working on aircraft since 1991! Worked on a huge variety of them also! Started on US Navy F/A-18'S. I used to work on King Air's also! I could gut an interior in an hour on one of those birds. Then every in between! Let me know if you ever need help on maintenance!

[@pwpt6]

I worked these birds in AFG. They could be configured back to corporate interior pretty easily. The camera, and equipment on them would more than pay for the airplane and interior.

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

No one that uses them buys used.

[@pwpt6]

@@krotchlickmeugh627 You obviously aren't in aviation. The used market for aircraft is on fire right now. People buy them faster than they come on the market.

[@martinp1544]

They are NOT new. 25,000 TT hrs but not too many pressurization cycles, no data plates, mx logbooks? FAA certificated for civilian flight? register for Restricted or Experimental category? If you plan to fly them, Jet A, 100 hrs mx checks, Type ratings, hangar space, landing fees Insurance etc. $$$. It sounds like another country, parts supplier or "shady" character wanted those airplanes. It would make a great drug or arms smuggler plane to fly in South America or Africa..... Just saying....

[@JRAviation]

You make some good points

[@jbranche8024]

@JR Aviation As a financial investor you buy stocks, etfs, bonds, that you understand and have done due diligence on. Your valuation needs a margin of safety or discount. Your analysis had to include a considerable discount on costs that were not defined. Your thought process, analysis and psychology is solid. Experience and knowledge are some short term limitations

[@AC-jk8wq]

This sale makes sense for a person with King Air experience, that is a turbine mechanic… If you don’t have this experience, renting the experience is also very expensive… Being the only bidder at a government auction is the way to get something for nothing… Getting that something to a usable state is going to take huge sums of time and/or money… soooo…. The planes sold for near a million each… and still need another million to get into their airworthy condition…. Be careful of boats and planes that are free… fixing them up makes a great KZbin career…. 😀 Very interesting video either way!

[@jeffreybunke5722]

I’m not sure how you would operate the cameras without the software. Did the planes come with the mx15 controller?

[@MrMopar413]

It would make a good smuggling plane. The plane would pay for itself in one run😂😂😂😂😂👍

[@remb9614]

This was actually a really cool video. You’re a good storyteller. Sitting and talking is the hardest way to make a successful video but you kill it!

[@jimmccoy1000]

I love your stories! I'm thinking my grandsons would love the stories too but they would really love your cars! Anyway this old man is hooked on your stories. I'm a retired CHP and enjoying retirement now that I'm in my 70's! We live in So Cal not too far from AZ.

[@Ender.wigginn]

I think as an investor, you made the right choice. You didn't really have sufficient lead time to thoroughly assess the aircraft values in their surveillance configuration or assess the value of the tools and equipment that came along with them. You had some solid ballpark figures and set a reasonable limit, and stuck to that limit when the bids went above it. That more than anything is what matters most in evaluating risk. That being said, there probably was money to be made at the price they sold for. $80M new probably means they still held quite a bit of value in their surveillance configuration, assuming the buyer can professionally restore and refit the aircraft. Not every nation, state, government, or entity that could benefit from the capabilities offered by such a tool have the money to purchase one new at an $80M price tag, but some may be willing to pay $3M-$5M for a high hours airframe that's well maintained and turnkey. For instance, I could see a small Caribbean nation finding use for one in shore interdiction and search and rescue, especially with that IR camera on board. Flying at 15,000 feet and being able to scan vast swaths of water for heat signatures could be a game changer for a small island nation. The biggest barrier to most of the entities Arizona attempted to give the aircraft to, and to Arizona too, was the complexities of refreshing and refitting the aircraft. It isn't just the cost, but the risk and complexity involved. Not everybody with the resources to own and run such an aircraft has the expertise, tools, experience, and risk tolerance to undertake the project themselves. You see this a lot with classic cars, there's a big market for turn key classics, with individuals willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a restored mustang or road runner or other classic, but far fewer people willing to undertake the project of restoring one which needs a lot of work. Might seem counter intuitive, but free + $1M of work and many man hours of time, hoops to jump through to transport it, etc., is a bigger price tag to many entities, organizations, and individuals than a $3M price tag for something turn key with no mysteries, risks, or work required to use it.

[@joshcox8785]

The issue is that nobody wants used parts from an unknown source. Having worked for multiple of the companies makes parts (avionics and mission equipment) for the C-12, nobody that has a use for the equipment would ever buy used. Plus the restrictions on some of the equipment makes it pretty likely you weren't actually going to get the full system

[@JRAviation]

This is a very very good point. I don’t know if it was complete or not.

[@nomebear]

The instrument technology is rare, ageing, and technicians who can work on it may be retired or somewhere else. So, who is going to perform the work on them? As for the KingAir, I personally know this model to be an incredibly reliable plane provided it's had the proper maintenance.

[@julianmills9908]

Even if you ended up with some of the sensors and I'm thinking of the cameras specifically, a lot of that military tech has restrictions / embargoes on selling it i.e. you can only sell to someone who has an end users certificate issued by the DoD or Department of Commerce. Essentially we don't want the tech getting into the wrong hands. Do we want our enemy with the same kit we have?

[@Comm0ut]

ITAR is a very major deal and woe betide anyone who ignores it.

[@Corey-pd3mi]

There’s no way the important stuff was still in the planes to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, all the crap still installed would have been inoperable and/or of no value without the missing bits

[@1hornet1]

So funny this video popped up. I worked on converting these to surveillance planes in 2009-10 at the location in Fort Worth. Not sure which one's I worked on but they were painted grey. It was the Liberty Project that work was done under I believe. I did not enjoy working on Kjng Airs but would definitely love to fly one. LOL

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Wonder how many gold bars you can carry in a King Air.... Great Story. Really makes the point that you need a lot of experience, knowledge, and a sharp mind to get involved in auctions.

[@AnthonyRBlacker]

I'm trying to understand how you only have 78.9k (as of 3.1.23) subs.. I followed you after seeing the jet you and bro and friends bought together!! Hope you blow up here and get that million subs this year! Best of luck to you, great video, you speak very well!

[@moparluvrsgagarage2898]

JR since you originally posted this and I had commented below on it, a year later I have had thoughts about them and put some notes down in my "book" from the maintenance time on them in MS prior to them flying overseas. WE had the job in MS of totally debugging these planes, from mechanical gripes to avionics gripes ( my specialty) and everything in between. I know for a fact, at 1M + for parts, you would have gotten your money back and then some but over time. The engines alone, are standard pain in the butt replacement jobs, we had to replace 2 while I was in MS, both had metal in the SOAP samples of engine oil. Turning them into short haul cargo, might have been a good deal, maybe could have contracted with UPS or FED EX, but the removal of the "racks" and other equipment and the outside mounts like the anti missile warning lens pods would have meant patch work to smooth the lines. Not counting the real maintenance to get it ready to fly the conversion would have likely equaled about the same. Scrap or parts would have been the best options, avionics in them alone could have brought a Million plus, the gear maybe 50K for all 3, best guess you could parted it out and regained 3 to 5 million. but lots of work and Mechanics DON'T come cheap ( most of us have a rate of $45 to100 and hr) you made out NOT buying them. be glad to assist in the future on your purchases.

[@bobrewer202]

I can’t believe I was dumb enough to sit through this yap trap in his hangar, only not to buy a plane or show anything worthy of our time. What a sleeper!

[@tristanismyboy]

I have 20+ years of military aviation maintenance experience and yes things are maintained at a very high level. Compared to civilian aviation, who could never maintain and fly such high time or old aircraft so reliable as the Air Force is able to. The camera is what is called a FLIR ball

[@MrMopar413]

I used to drive trucks in the airfreight business in Portland, Oregon. One of my stops was FLiR in Wilsonville, Oregon. I’d pull up with a 32ft trailer and completely fill it with specialty designed containers full of FLIR equipment. I’d wonder how much money in equipment I was hauling ????, probably millions in one load.

[@moparluvrsgagarage2898]

Back in 2010 I was building the center avionics rack for this program at the Company facility in Crestview Fl. Then the racks etc were loaded up and shipped for installation in Greenville, TX. Once a plane was completed there it was off to Meridian MS for debugging. The luggage area on the 350 was turned into ER Tanks for added range.Once debugged a crew was selected to fly this bugger ALL the way over to "THE ZONE" They'd leave MS and head to Newfounndland, then the long flight to Azores. I never understood it but some sort of rule(s) that prevented the MC-12 flying over certain areas. They HAD to stop in Qatar for 24 hrs then transit into Afghanistan. The original or initial batch of 350's came as "demos" or owned and bought from the owner. I'd like to know the nose number on those 2 and I could tell ya if my hands were on them at Meridian.

[@JRAviation]

Wow thank you for the comment. Great information! You are spot on with what I saw in the logs 👍

[@stevemagnuson7051]

Back in 2008 when the economy tanked, I was flying B350’s for a local charter company. Many of our B350 were sold to the defense contractor L3 for conversion into these camera ships. A few pilots and mechanics I knew went to work for L3 in Afghanistan during the gulf war. If you could get the data plates and logs, and a good price, they would be totally rebuildable. I am also an A&P and worked on King Airs. As far as inspections your would need a complete 1-4 phase inspection, and all chapter 5 items complied with. Totally doable.

[@thomasheepke3821]

Keep that right hand on the throttle when not at cruise when you're piloting hahah. I'm at about 20 hours into my private pilot lessons, but that's something I seem to not be capable of doing consistently still, despite driving a stick. In fact, that was a recent realization that essentially, I keep my right hand on the shifter til I'm at cruise for a given road. Stay safe bro. Looks like y'all have fun.

[@stephenreese5921]

The C-12 (Kingair) is one of the intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. I have many hours in them.

[@stephenreese5921]

The program your outlining is DRMO, the defense related materials organization. It is a cascading level of government organizations that can receive these items for free, then if not needed, can be released/sold to civilians.

[@pops55650]

Yes the 1033 program is run through DRMO ( Now DLADS) DLA Disposition Services

[@GeorgeRuffner-iy7bm]

Interesting background information. Any reasonable rebuild of damaged or old storage recondition and recertification as necessary is fine. Thanks for the great videos. I do wish for longer videos. One, to say, ummm, three hours, instead of 3 to 5 separate videos. Thanks for all you all's skills and talents. lol 🙈🙉🙊 😎 🇺🇲

[@davidd6635]

Great story and good choice. All aircraft have calendar and hour limits on vital parts like wing spars, etc. I have seen many Beech King Airs rebuilt and updated at Mexia, TX. If I had bought them that is where I would have Transported them for inspection and rebuild, IRAN. Anxious to hear about the CII.

[@harrykane329]

King Air's are great skydiving planes, I've jumped out of many! No interior required.

[@wunkus]

I know those airplanes well, as I have been part of the team maintaining those specific aircraft since 2010. It was an interesting experience watching a YT video from the perspective of an absolute expert on the subject. Anyway, if the capital was available, I definitely would have purchased those aircraft for over $1mil.

[@DIYDaveT]

For what economic reason? What someone spends on something has nothing to do with its economic value. Government wastes money like crazy without any economic return simply because they don't have to work to earn it. If you don't pay up, men with guns come for you. Great system, this American "freedom".

[@grizzlygrizzle]

@@DIYDaveT I think it depends on what you want the plane FOR.

[@larryweitzman5163]

You made the correct decision. Buying a drum, not a can, of worms like those could have been a huge mistake. When you get into something like that a good back up plan is to have a real use for them. You already bought one high time airframe (over 15,000 hours) and engine in 62JR and spent a lot of money on it, hopefully somewhat subsidized. Nearly 50 years ago, I bought three executive Vickers Viscounts real cheap (150K apiece), but not to flip, but to use in a startup business which turned out successful. But my aviation background which was and still is quite extensive told me it was a good business decision. Small Citations, like a 550sp can make some money in chartering, but if chartered you might still have to fly with two pilots. By the way, I did a BFR recently in a similar Lufthansa trainer and it flew great. Beechcraft builds a great airplane. I've owned three and still fly a V35B. I help a buddy of mine recently buy a a '62 P35 with 7,000 hours and it flies great as well. It had good logs and maintenance. Are you working on your PPL?

[@mouser485]

Larry, what do you think these King Airs would bring parting them out ? When I saw this story, it never crossed my mind this guy would buy these planes to get them back in the air. That’d be ungodly expensive. The electronics and cameras inside must be worth something? This looks like a straight “part out” situation.

[@larryweitzman5163]

@@mouser485 I have no idea what the parts market is for King Airs, the engines had some time left, maybe 500 hours, but were apparently devoid of engine oil, hard to say the condition of the impellors inside, the hot sections, etc. As a core they might be worth 100K apiece and $350-$400K for overhaul including the props. Then there are the hydraulic systems, Gear is electro-hydraulic. It would cost a min of say $2 mil to make airworthy and then you have a 25,000 hour airframe to deal with. But the Proline 21 has good value, as do the wings, empennage, landing gear, etc, you might get a million or more on a part out. Depending on the life limit of the fuselage or cycles, if you could use them for charter, $3 mil might be a good investment, but that's a pig in a poke. In charter you might get $7.00 a mile, $2,000 an hour. You can work the costs say fuel 100-110 gph ($600/hour), pilots $200/hour, maint/$200, 100 hour inspect $100-200/hr, insurance $50/hour depending on hull value, hangar, management, etc. Might make $500-700 hour at 500 hours a year that's $250-350K a year or a 10% ROI. I have not researched these numbers but its an idea of costs and values.

[@mouser485]

@@larryweitzman5163 Thanks for all of that info.

[@MJ-fh8fw]

Used to kill mosquitoes in FL 250K, be glad you did pursue that one. It wasn't pressurized, I used to drop sterile fruit flies from the same King Airs and spray for mosquitoes. Some of their fleet served in Vietnam. Company is Dynamic Aviation.

[@jamespskowski432]

You buzz the treetops dropping them fruitflies!

[@moseskelly2886]

I think these Beechcraft KingAir 350's are well worth looking into Jeffrey. I have some awesome facts on these amazing aircraft. I think you should make videos on those cool stories.

[@christopherpratt4455]

Wondering what the tail numbers are. I might have flown them. These planes were very well taken care of. As much time as they had, I never felt nervous about flying them as far as maintenance was concerned.

[@wunkus]

I'm one of the maintainers, and I'm happy to hear the crew felt that way.

[@flynbike]

40GZ bought by "Airtrex Aircraft Alpha Inc." in Delaware (of course). 83KE now registered to someone in Jupiter Florida. Both flown to Carrolton GA; probably a shop that specializes in King Air refits. Super interesting backstory and vid!

[@umarb3422]

I moded a pc 12s like this model for the gov. . You needed a clearance just to be around them. I'm surprised most of the equipment is still in it. Good luck trying to get all the holes filled from the mods that were put into it.

[@Bimmerguy88]

Gold bars and machine guns?!?!!!?!? Duuuuuude!!! We gotta hear about this one!!!! Oh! Btw, congrats to you guys on the Citation!!!!!!! What an incredible little machine! Cannot wait to see where you guys go with it! 😊 that view inside the citation from the back seat looking towards the front, right @ Sunset? SO BEAUTIFUL!!

[@artistsherobbi487]

Yea That’s All Me..I was Jet Engine Mechanic..CHANUTE AFB/Rantoul,ILL/1979 Grad..Prat and Whitney and I Love Beech 350’s..Congrats!!!!!!

[@md11b777]

Had you won, you would have had a very expensive "hunting license" with an uncertain result. I'm guessing it would cost 1.5 million per aircraft to restore to a part 135 duty. In this case, you won by losing! Thanks for the step-by-step on the process you went through.

[@patricksmith3135]

Great story. You did well to pursue a goal, albeit you lost out; however, life is a pursuit of wisdom as well , and you did not outrun that - - good for you. Can't wait for the Citation story. Keep these videos coming. Thanks

[@Jutilaje]

The c-12 is the standard military version (generally VIP transport). These would be called either UC-12's or MC-12's I believe.

[@fredeb67]

RC-12 or Guradrail.

[@Jutilaje]

@@fredeb67 this definitely isn't an RC-12 guardrail. Guardrails are SIGINT platforms. They don't have that massive camera on them. This is more of an ISR aircraft based on the camera, comms equipment, etc. most likely an MC-12 Liberty imo. The interior looks like an MC-12W.

[@fredeb67]

@@Jutilaje Looking at the exterior antennas, you are correct.

[@Jutilaje]

@@fredeb67 yeah good point, RC-12 Guardrails look kinda like that doll your weird witchy ex-gf made of you when you broke up, with all the pins in it. 😂

[@fredeb67]

@@Jutilaje True

[@streptokokke1003]

I really enjoyed the video and the story. There is no need for a click bait title as „Did I Bid Too Much?“.

[@Nightmarehc130]

I was in charge of the program....Project Liberty....sad to see them go...

[@cavsh00ter]

these were our eyes in the sky, thanks wing nuts, you air force guy saved our bacon many times.

[@andrewcosta86]

Former mission manager in ISR ops, here. My time with PL, GS, and BD were the best in the AF. Working to keep you guys informed and alive was well worth doing.

[@jamesgraham6122]

Great ro see someone wandering through the aircraft videoing! I was flying these in Afghanistan for a government contractor, there was no way we were going to be allowed near the aircraft with a camera ! Typically a mission would be circa 4 hours so in spite of the hours racked up, these a/c would have suffered negligible stress, compared to the KA200s I was operating for the UN in the Congo.. 14 sectors each day into short dirt strips ? A joke !.. Plugging the holes on the other hand... :

[@computeraisle]

I've flown right seat in King Airs, and got some left seat time in a Citation V sim (at Flight Safety). All awesome experiences!

[@saldun2603]

Agree absolutely this wouldn't even wash out. I enjoy your enthusiasm and gotta see your bro w you. On stories n go buddy. Onward 🌈 w prosperity

[@HobbitHomes263]

I was in the USAF in the 1970s. The King Air 200 was used for hauling generals around but lots of them were modified for all kinds of military missions with radar or cameras or total spectrum radio coverage. National Guard units got the cast offs and used them for all kinds of things including training for navigators, pilots and specialized crew. It was cheaper for AIR gUARD units to log multi engine time than a C130

[@grizzlygrizzle]

Cheaper to log multi-engine than a C-130. I would hope so.

[@tomh.6261]

I was an A&P mech / NDI tech for L3 on the JM program. We had a couple birds over 30K hours. I can tell you these aircraft are ragged out. Long hours in the worst possible environment. We were doing 200 hr phases every 2 weeks. Every 12 hours we'd launch one, then recover one.

[@wmffmw]

Set up a Geologic Survey Business and use the A/C as is. Get two in the air use one for parts.

[@shawnschneider2842]

You should look up the progress of actual repairs after the auctions on both the G3 and and king airs. It will help you too.

[@papat7435]

Why would I care to watch a video about you NEARLY doing something as mundane as buying a used plane?

[@brettmaloney5788]

I ran the mx dept on these ac and was with them in the middle east from the beginning. I also sent them back home. They had unbelievable capabilities. It was a company owned company operated contract. Flown by and worked on by civilians. They were bought on the open market. Anything you want to know about them let me know.

[@aircraftlinemtcliving6392]

it's a good a/c to part out. The avionics package is nice, those will be easy to sell off but the major issue is that there is too much time on the engines, props and airframes. Not worth the money you will have to spend on overhauling all of those items. The surveillance stuff is not usable. If you look at all the racks most of the computors are missing. Good luck on the government selling you those! lol!

[@msteele3199]

If you're serious about a King Air look at the F90. Short wing with a very high roll rate. A lot of fun to fly.

[@madpainter69]

Got to watch for ghost biding . I watch car auctions and the spooky stuff that goes on ( i know it's not the same but people are) good videos thanks for sharing thumbs up...

[@billcarrier9622]

You definitely made the right decision. This had BAD DEAL written all over it.

[@julianmills9908]

Without a data plate run a mile. That means the manufacturer does not think that these are airworthy aircraft, will not support them and has washed their hands of them. They have been modified beyond what the manufacturer originally designed, tested and certified the aircraft for. To undo those mods would be essentially rebuilding the aircraft, a nut and bolt restoration. The bidders who won them were either blind to the status / requirements needed to rebuild or absolute specialists who had either a known market for the aircraft or could use / rebuild specific parts within them. An overhaul shop would be able to utilise engine parts over the course of several years and or parting out the avionics. When listed as scrap, that's exactly what they are.

[@TheFlyboy0751]

I’d like hear those stories about those other planes!

[@maverickflint1991]

Enjoyed the video. Be safe and careful.😊👍🙏

[@michael2782]

I was watching your video (left monitor) when the Falcon 9, carrying the Lunar Lander, was on the right monitor taking off. I paused your video for the launch and this got me to thinking - with the stage one rocket landing on Bob (really) that seems like your kind of risk - I mean buying a used rocket - just think of the resale possibilities. Launch was successful and stage two ready for second engine startup in a few minutes. Now thats out of the box.

[@fatesandmyths]

Great storytelling! I'm waiting for the reveal of the Jet.

[@JRAviation]

Working on it! Coming next video :)

[@vinceocratic]

3000 hour king air pilot here. I’ll fly them back for u. Give me a holler

[@ELjuan-hm3zx]

make a video of a gulfstream g450 please I love the 450 I am a fanatic of him I would love for you to make the video explaining how the ear works when I say everything is everything from the turbines to the avionics to the apu hubs and pipes

[@DanFrederiksen]

Plot twist to the story, you may have heard talk of UFO leaks from gov in recent years (we could be very close) but a just leaked still from such a military king air flying over Mosul, Iraq in 2016 shows a spherical metallic UFO. The full video could be very significant. That quality has never been released before.

[@USNveteran]

Had some friends that worked the king air's in the Stan for a defense contractor. I worked C-12's & other Beech products in the US for a defense contractor, they are a good solid aircraft. The ones in the Stan had quite a few antenna's on the outside from what I recall, and I would venture to say most of the really classified equipment has been taken off. The FLIR cameras are often used by other government agencies & police forces. If these aircraft come with log books you can probably make some money selling parts. It would take an awful lot of work to get these in flyable condition even as freight dogs. FLY NAVY!!!

[@lyfandeth]

That's called "loitering time" when they are just hanging out waiting for needs. After 9/11, the nights were dead quiet. Except for the sound of the USAF air cap, flying one(?) interceptor over the south coast in a figure eight pattern, from the Jersey Shore out to the south Long Island shore. All night every night, just loitering so they wouldn't lose time if they needed to scramble and get to NYC, where there are no air bases capable of servicing military aircraft.

[@nathanrad7201]

I used to fly these aircraft overseas but there isn’t alot of information that can be shared due to NDA’s. I will say (3 FEA) as we used to call it. Find, fix, finish, exploit and analyze.

[@Nightmarehc130]

I signed off on your training at flight safety.....

[@OmarEwert]

The planes were worth what they sold for and more. The real question is do you want to be in that line of work? Restoring A/C is a loooooong long road. Also I'm bummed they sat outside. If AZ wanted to use them, leaving them outside and not even creating a temporary structure was a poor move imho

[@edspencer7121]

On a smaller scale, I bid on a tractor up to $2,400.00. The final bid went to over $4,400.00. I came to learn from someone at the end of the auction that the same tractor was sitting in a local yard for $2,200.00 for 3 years and never moved. It doesn't pay to jump to hard on something without a background. If I had known where that tractor sat, I'm sure I could have gotten a lot less for it. Easy come. Easy go.

[@jamesharkness1058]

What a crazy story! Enjoyed every second of this video!

[@JRAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ericgregory3005]

A million each was well worth it. With logs/books, background info that's a good deal.

[@richardb171]

I use to support these aircraft back in 2010. I always wanted to know what they did with them after we gave them back to the Army. MC-12W Liberty

[@ellnegro]

You are guys are very entertaining... 🤪😎😜

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Turbo props. Very nice - if they were operated correctly. If not, they’ll cost $100,000 apiece.

[@maverickflint1991]

The Citation S2 with 550 variant was worth buying for $100,000.😊👍

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Duude that red 550M (575M?) In the background is ine of my absolute favorites!

[@derrick_blak_]

We still have multiple of these king airs flying in my home country, Kenya. Mainly doing surveillance in Somalia.

[@JRAviation]

Interesting, thanks for the comment. Seems they are common in Africa and the Middle East,

[@martinp1544]

al-Shabaab - "Mujahideen Youth Movement" or "Movement of Striving Youth” also referring to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Somalia since 2011, is a Salafi-jihadist military and political organisation based in Somalia and active elsewhere in East Africa. Mujahideen, or Mujahidin - is the plural form of mujahid, doers of jihād'), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in jihad, interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the community (ummah)

[@derrick_blak_]

@@JRAviation very common. Including the Modified Dash 8s,PC12s,Skytrucks etc.

[@thetechgenie7374]

Even though the system may have looked complete. It more then definitely wasn't as we made sure the critical components are removed and disabled. It be impossible to sell the sensors and other stuff, no one has a use for. The camera ball was made by Flir and is a very high resolution Infrared camera system. It actually was impressive for it time and yes it could literally read license plate numbers no problem and see anything hidden in complete darkness just by your heat signature and if your were in brushes, impressive is a understatement. Unfortunately likely most of the Surveillance systems has restrictions and can't be resold. Plus likely critical parts removed, or destroyed which I destroyed my fair share when in the Navy. It could be as simple as cutting a few wires to removing critical components to make it inoperable. The racks I see some of the critical computer and stuff was removed. The maintenance is very extensive and to a very high level, better then civilian aviation. As they don't want to be feature in one of those air investigation videos. The issues going to be patching up the holes and having airframe pressure tested and etc. It going to cost way more then the 400k you budget, more like 2 to 3 million easy. The no data plate means plane was to modified and literally would have to be fully rebuilt reason it going cost way more. You won't be able to use for personal, or commercial use otherwise. Then you have 25k hours on the airframe, will make it a very hard sell, as about 30k hours no one going to want it anymore and parts at that point. The only good thing is likely not that many pressure cycles as those plane stay in air for a while. It is definitely not worth it, you made the right decision. As stated, the equipment you can't resell. It be only for display pretty much. When they mean being sold for scrap that pretty much what it is. That why the state could not give them away for free. Only military and government agencies could used them of course bringing them back up and still be about a million. I am honestly surprised someone bidded over a million for each one, likely for parts, or they don't know better? Now do get good deals bidding on highend test equipment on military surplus actions. Had to do repairs and still use some of the stuff to this day. Stuff that use to cost 20k plus like a nice top of the line signal generator paid $300 with full options.

[@priscopinheiro1406]

When I started my carrer, I flew a A-200 King Air 10 years ago in Air Taxi here in Fortaleza-Ce Brazil. My Experience was amazing, because this type of aircraft flew for Us Army.

[@Comm0ut]

Parting out airframes is low-risk and doesn't tie up funds in refurb. Given the right market research and some storage space that could be pleasantly profitable and low risk.

[@nathanfisher4116]

1:15 love to see the rx8

[@maverickflint1991]

They are worth buying and getting them up and running and see if you can sell them for a profit.😊👍

[@timaz1066]

I can’t believe I sat through this whole video to find out that you did not buy even one of the planes.

[@royshroud9536]

Correct business decision! Well done! Please come forward with all the jet stories fascinating stuff.

[@maverickflint1991]

You made the right decision.👍

[@ManiacalManiac]

I worked at L-3 in Greenville, TX after graduating A&P school in spring 2012. I was assigned to the hangar where these were moded I caught the tail end of the project so didn't get to do much on them. Plus I had an Ahole supervisor that treated us new guys like trash. That company was the worst I have ever worked for. A current co worker worked at the same facility later and said he had the same bad experiences as mine. Everyone I meet that worked for them hated it. Anyway my short story

[@MrMopar413]

Isn’t it how it goes. You hear about how great these companies are but in reality once you start working there it’s a shit show, then you wonder how anything gets done.

[@L8nitedave]

Nobody with out the complete knowledge and resources to cycle these planes into service should be bidding against someone who does. Count the adventure as a win and an exclusive learning experience.

[@maverickflint1991]

Cet all the holes fixed and then get the 2 ready to go to a new owner and sell them.👍

[@spottenstock8722]

Just found your site.... okay, you got me interested; keep up the interesting content.

[@JRAviation]

Welcome aboard!

[@jimsmopars1614]

Live to Bid another day 🙌

[@billyhillk5726]

You played smart. Be interesting to follow the money/purchaser (s), and find out who they were. I got stuff rolling around in my head 🤯

[@nightwaves3203]

Somebody probably had an in to resell the planes right back to the government where the repair costs is no concern. Try looking up who the owners are now. Maybe parted out since used parts are also a big thing.

[@darrellhandbury6330]

I think that you played with the King Air 350 Spy plane. Loved your stories.

[@russellschrock9552]

These are based on the 350ER. Usable fuel is 775 gallons, Max range is 1878 miles.

[@kevintitus7940]

I think that you made the right decision!

[@stevehicks8944]

No data tag? Numerous 337s that will have to be performed and certified by a DER? Prop and engine times and overhaul status? Interior chairs( only around $25,000 each from Beech)? With no data tags the aircraft are only good for parts and only IF you have the maintenance logs and can certify the hours and cycles on the rotatable components. Here is a brief rundown on prices for repair parts: Windshields:$11,000 each side. Cockpit side windows: $2,500 each side. Cabin windows: $1,500 a piece ( you’ll need eleven of them. ALL birds coming back from the “sand box” need ALL the windows replaced). Wing deice boots: $10,000 a piece. Pressurization flow packs $5,000 exchange( IF Beech has them) along with the controller box(another $2,000). Each KA 350 has two of each. Getting a basic idea as to WHY these aircraft are so “cheap”?

[@90836usaful]

The engine overhaul times on the Pratt & Whitney‘s are 5500 hours and have been maintained to as close to as new as possible. 26,000 hours is about 40% more than normal but with good maintenance it’s irrelevant.

[@somaday2595]

$300k for both PT6As?