There's got to be a ton of stories in these airframes. Who flew them over their decades of service, and where? What historic events did they participate in?
Wouldn't these look great at a local museum, airport or VFW with a bit of new paint?
Now for the bad news: They have to be "demilitarized".
That means that they have to be completely destroyed by use of a shredder to the extent that no part of them can be re-utilized or even recognized. No parts can be harvested from them, It has to be done the day that the aircraft are removed from the site, and government representatives will be nearby to ensure that it was done to their satisfaction.
Very sad. Very sad, indeed.
18 comments:
Why do they have to be demilled? It's not like getting one of them into flying shape is a weekend job under the shade tree. Our government sucks.
Keeps the count ires still flying them (Iran) from getting spare parts.
I will not bid on a phantom jet. I'll only bid on a real one!
Some re-assembly required
Wouldn't fit in your driveway, anyway.
Sadly those are little more than broken hulks already, only suitable for static display or salvage.
The people and equipment necessary to make one these flyable is beyond the resources of anyone but maybe Bill Gates. Why not let them go as is?
I'm missing something here. Why would you buy a plane that the seller required you to destroy?
That does suck!
I loved these things. You'd stand near the revetment and listen to them spin up. As they throttled up they would rattle your chest, fill the air with the smell of JP4 - they were death on wing.
As a flight of two would take off their afterburners would kick in, rattle every window in sight, bounce your lungs around in your chest and roar a cry of death and distruction that was to come.
A sad end to such an awsome warbird.
The Donald is correct, and those ARE pretty far gone... They weren't preserved at all.
I know that they'll never fly again, but they would have made great static displays somewhere honoring our military flyers. Any one of a number of VFWs, VA buildings, veteran cemeteries, or even municipal parks could have been been great placed for those airfrmes to have been placed once they were repainted in period colors.
Possibilites...but no chance now.
BTW, in the "My Photos" section, "the Aircraft of Wright-Paterson..." has no website. Just comes back to this blog.
Is the fence sign about the dog w/gun and meds available for purchase somewhere? I sent an email to my sisters with a copy of it, and one of them wants it.
That'll teach me :)
An F4 would look nice in the man cave as a conversation piece. I don't understand why they would "sell" it, only to have it demilled. Unless it's for scrap metal.
It’s a shame that these beautiful aircrafts will have to be destroyed once bought. They really would make great displays at an air museum or in a military museum. There’s so much history behind each dent, each hole, each missing bolt. I wonder if maybe some shrapnel from the scraps after they are destroyed can still be used. It will be so sad to buy something like this for its historical purpose, only to have it destroyed on the same day.
Lilia Dyal
That was my question !!!
Thanks for sharing this is such a very nice post i really like it your blog. Such a very nice picture.
Jet Sale
Typical Government waste. We pay for it they waste it. What a piece of history,One of them tell the futility of the Life risking services rendered aboard these Icons of once powerful mite. Wasted in destruction.Sickens me. USMC<HON DISCHARGE,sad
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