Pretty sure the folks on our ForumsForums have cornered the market on restoration of Snowcats. So who wants to move on to Vintage Aircraft restorations? Starting bids at the auction are as low as $25
cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi
Why pay $1.59 million for a used Gulfstream IV jet when you can potentially acquire a Fairchild C-119L Flying Boxcar military transport plane for $150? If that’s out of your price range, how about a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter tanker aircraft for $25?
Those are the starting bids for two of the 16 aircraft available at auction on the website Public Surplus. Big Horn County is selling the aircraft, mainly from the World War II and Cold War eras, after the Wyoming Supreme Court gave the go-ahead.
“They’re aircraft in various stages of undress,” Paul Thur, Big Horn County Airport manager, told Cowboy State Daily. “Some are intact, while others are just fuselages with the wings and stabilizers taken off. But they’re county assets, and the county is selling them.”
Thur doesn’t expect any of these aircraft to be airborne again, but old planes present a lot of opportunities for the right buyers. He’s been fielding plenty of calls from people who want more information or to visit “the boneyard” in Greybull to get a firsthand look.
“If you're holding an auction and you're not getting any calls, then maybe it's a pipe dream,” he said. “People are calling about what we’re auctioning off, and that's a very good sign.”
Harold Sheppard, who had been leasing the land where the aircraft were sitting from the airport, hadn’t been paying rent to the county and refused to move the planes off the land when asked.
Big Horn County filed a $543,600 storage lien against Sheppard’s property in April 2021. Sheppard sued the county in response, and the case eventually reached the Wyoming Supreme Court on appeal in March.
When the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of Big Horn County, the county commissioners were allowed to put the 16 aircraft, along with a few other items, up for auction.
“We’re just cleaning up the property,” Thur said. “We would like to recover some legal fees and unpaid lease amounts, but at the end of the day, times are tough with the county, and anything helps.”
Any money left after Big Horn County recovers its costs will likely be reinvested in the airport. Thur said there are no plans now to develop the property where the planes are currently sitting, but it never hurts to have more money in the bank.
“Anything we get will help with future projects out there,” he said.
“We’ve heard from a few museums that are interested in one or two of the more intact planes, but I don’t think any of them could be airworthy again without millions of dollars of restoration,” Thur said. “No aviation buffs are going to want to get these up and running again."
The only way to turn one of the C-119s into a private plane would be to invest an amount of money equivalent to the purchase of a private plane. So, why a permanently grounded plane?
Parts of the whole.
“I expect most of them will be salvaged,” Thur said. “Aluminum is doing fairly well on the recyclable end of things, so a lot of scrappers are interested in the aluminum.”
Thur also believes there will be bidders and buyers with more eclectic interests. The aircraft aren’t airworthy, but their unique designs and vintage military accoutrements are appealing.
“Somebody could cut the cockpit and the flight deck off of the front of one of the aircraft and put it in their barn,” he said. “Someone else might want the seats and the gauges out of one of the cockpits. There’s a lot of nostalgia in these cool old planes.”
A Boeing KC-97 cockpit sitting in a home office or living room? That’s quite the conversation piece, and for a minimum bid of $100.
Additionally, as a bonus, the winning bidder also receives the contents of whatever aircraft they buy. In addition to all the original instruments, some planes are filled with scrap metal, wood, and other items.
Of course, the winning bidders will still have to invest a considerable sum if they acquire an aircraft. They’ll have to come to Greybull with their own tools, equipment, and labor to remove it from the property and arrange their own shipping and transportation within 90 days of the auction's end.
Still, that could be a lot of bang for the right buyer’s buck. That’s why Thur’s investing a lot of his time and energy to ensure a successful auction.
“Anyone interested in acquiring these aircraft will be accommodated at the boneyard at no cost,” he said. “I will take them out there for pictures and a closer look.”
Why pay $1.59 million for a used Gulfstream IV when you can potentially acquire a Fairchild C-119L Flying Boxcar transport for $150? Or how about a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter for $25? Those are two of the 16 vintage aircraft Big Horn County is selling. (Public Surplus via YouTube)
Fortunately, there’s no need to worry. The auction only affects half of the aircraft currently residing at the “boneyard. The other aircraft belong to B&G Industries, an aircraft repair and fabrication company that’s still working there.
“I would say B&G owns a little over half of the aircraft at the boneyard,” Thur said. “Even if everything disappeared from our auction, you’ll still see big old planes sitting out there.”
Meanwhile, the most intact aircraft from the boneyard have already made their way across the runway to the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting at the U.S. 14 Rest Area.
Bob Hawkins, the owner and operator of the museum, previously owned several of the aircraft while he was the owner and operator of Hawkins and Powers Aviation Inc., established in 1969.
“When I was in business, the ones we owned were mainly used for parts,” he said. “One or two of the aircraft they’re getting rid of might have been ones we flew, but most of it was used for salvage or parts.”
Hawkins and Powers Aviation Inc. went out of business in 2002, and its assets were sold off in 2005. The best of the bunch have already been acquired by the museum, including a nearly pristine Boeing KC-97 that was added to the lineup earlier this year.
Some museums have expressed interest in the aircraft up for auction, but Hawkins won't be making any inquiries. There isn’t anything at the boneyard that isn’t already in the collection, and in better condition, at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting.
“All we'd be doing is duplicating,” he said. “They don’t have anything we don’t already have out there, so there’s no interest from us. But our aircraft will still be out there.”
Most of the aircraft are in “poor” condition and listed as “non-airworthy” and “available for scrap.” As of Friday, the top bids for the planes range from $25 for a C-130B fuselage to $500 for a fairly intact KC-97.
“One of the C-119s was just bid up to $150,” Thur said. “The minimum bid was $100, so someone must have bid on it overnight. That’s a good sign.”
And the "unknown tanker trailer" is sitting at $28 with no reserve. That's a steal.
Thur expects most of these historic planes will be torn asunder, more valuable as pieces than as a whole. Still, Big Horn County will receive the proceeds from the auction, and the winning bidders will leave with a substantial amount of scrap or a creative new project to tinker with.
“There's obviously going to be a ceiling on what people will spend for salvage, but I’ve seen people who make expensive coffee tables out of aircraft parts,” he said. “Not everything is being sold, and not everything will go to salvage. I think most of it will, but there are a lot of things that could be done with these aircraft.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
Big Horn County Is Selling 16 Vintage Aircraft In Online Auction, And Bids Start At $25
Big Horn County is selling 16 vintage aircraft in an online auction. They're no longer airworthy, but the winning bidders could put a cockpit in their…
cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi
Why pay $1.59 million for a used Gulfstream IV jet when you can potentially acquire a Fairchild C-119L Flying Boxcar military transport plane for $150? If that’s out of your price range, how about a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter tanker aircraft for $25?
Those are the starting bids for two of the 16 aircraft available at auction on the website Public Surplus. Big Horn County is selling the aircraft, mainly from the World War II and Cold War eras, after the Wyoming Supreme Court gave the go-ahead.
“They’re aircraft in various stages of undress,” Paul Thur, Big Horn County Airport manager, told Cowboy State Daily. “Some are intact, while others are just fuselages with the wings and stabilizers taken off. But they’re county assets, and the county is selling them.”
Thur doesn’t expect any of these aircraft to be airborne again, but old planes present a lot of opportunities for the right buyers. He’s been fielding plenty of calls from people who want more information or to visit “the boneyard” in Greybull to get a firsthand look.
“If you're holding an auction and you're not getting any calls, then maybe it's a pipe dream,” he said. “People are calling about what we’re auctioning off, and that's a very good sign.”
No Rent, No Planes
The aircraft being auctioned off became Big Horn County assets in lieu of unpaid rent.Harold Sheppard, who had been leasing the land where the aircraft were sitting from the airport, hadn’t been paying rent to the county and refused to move the planes off the land when asked.
Big Horn County filed a $543,600 storage lien against Sheppard’s property in April 2021. Sheppard sued the county in response, and the case eventually reached the Wyoming Supreme Court on appeal in March.
When the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of Big Horn County, the county commissioners were allowed to put the 16 aircraft, along with a few other items, up for auction.
“We’re just cleaning up the property,” Thur said. “We would like to recover some legal fees and unpaid lease amounts, but at the end of the day, times are tough with the county, and anything helps.”
Any money left after Big Horn County recovers its costs will likely be reinvested in the airport. Thur said there are no plans now to develop the property where the planes are currently sitting, but it never hurts to have more money in the bank.
“Anything we get will help with future projects out there,” he said.
Cockpit Conversation Piece
The 16 planes being auctioned off aren’t in flying condition. While all the aircraft have some historical significance, those in “the boneyard” have been used for parts for decades, allowing similar, flight-capable aircraft to remain in the air.“We’ve heard from a few museums that are interested in one or two of the more intact planes, but I don’t think any of them could be airworthy again without millions of dollars of restoration,” Thur said. “No aviation buffs are going to want to get these up and running again."
The only way to turn one of the C-119s into a private plane would be to invest an amount of money equivalent to the purchase of a private plane. So, why a permanently grounded plane?
Parts of the whole.
“I expect most of them will be salvaged,” Thur said. “Aluminum is doing fairly well on the recyclable end of things, so a lot of scrappers are interested in the aluminum.”
Thur also believes there will be bidders and buyers with more eclectic interests. The aircraft aren’t airworthy, but their unique designs and vintage military accoutrements are appealing.
“Somebody could cut the cockpit and the flight deck off of the front of one of the aircraft and put it in their barn,” he said. “Someone else might want the seats and the gauges out of one of the cockpits. There’s a lot of nostalgia in these cool old planes.”
A Boeing KC-97 cockpit sitting in a home office or living room? That’s quite the conversation piece, and for a minimum bid of $100.
Additionally, as a bonus, the winning bidder also receives the contents of whatever aircraft they buy. In addition to all the original instruments, some planes are filled with scrap metal, wood, and other items.
Of course, the winning bidders will still have to invest a considerable sum if they acquire an aircraft. They’ll have to come to Greybull with their own tools, equipment, and labor to remove it from the property and arrange their own shipping and transportation within 90 days of the auction's end.
Still, that could be a lot of bang for the right buyer’s buck. That’s why Thur’s investing a lot of his time and energy to ensure a successful auction.
“Anyone interested in acquiring these aircraft will be accommodated at the boneyard at no cost,” he said. “I will take them out there for pictures and a closer look.”
Why pay $1.59 million for a used Gulfstream IV when you can potentially acquire a Fairchild C-119L Flying Boxcar transport for $150? Or how about a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter for $25? Those are two of the 16 vintage aircraft Big Horn County is selling. (Public Surplus via YouTube)
Greybull Grounded?
Greybull residents and tourists have expressed concern about the large number of vintage aircraft that will soon be “taking flight” and hauled away from the Big Horn County Airport. Will Greybull lose its iconic airplanes?Fortunately, there’s no need to worry. The auction only affects half of the aircraft currently residing at the “boneyard. The other aircraft belong to B&G Industries, an aircraft repair and fabrication company that’s still working there.
“I would say B&G owns a little over half of the aircraft at the boneyard,” Thur said. “Even if everything disappeared from our auction, you’ll still see big old planes sitting out there.”
Meanwhile, the most intact aircraft from the boneyard have already made their way across the runway to the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting at the U.S. 14 Rest Area.
Bob Hawkins, the owner and operator of the museum, previously owned several of the aircraft while he was the owner and operator of Hawkins and Powers Aviation Inc., established in 1969.
“When I was in business, the ones we owned were mainly used for parts,” he said. “One or two of the aircraft they’re getting rid of might have been ones we flew, but most of it was used for salvage or parts.”
Hawkins and Powers Aviation Inc. went out of business in 2002, and its assets were sold off in 2005. The best of the bunch have already been acquired by the museum, including a nearly pristine Boeing KC-97 that was added to the lineup earlier this year.
Some museums have expressed interest in the aircraft up for auction, but Hawkins won't be making any inquiries. There isn’t anything at the boneyard that isn’t already in the collection, and in better condition, at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting.
“All we'd be doing is duplicating,” he said. “They don’t have anything we don’t already have out there, so there’s no interest from us. But our aircraft will still be out there.”
No Sky-High Prices (For Now)
The aircraft auction ends on Friday, Oct. 3. Other items in the Public Surplus auction include an Emerson cargo loader, a 1950 Cat D-6 bulldozer, and a LeTourneau Carryall scraper.Most of the aircraft are in “poor” condition and listed as “non-airworthy” and “available for scrap.” As of Friday, the top bids for the planes range from $25 for a C-130B fuselage to $500 for a fairly intact KC-97.
“One of the C-119s was just bid up to $150,” Thur said. “The minimum bid was $100, so someone must have bid on it overnight. That’s a good sign.”
And the "unknown tanker trailer" is sitting at $28 with no reserve. That's a steal.
Thur expects most of these historic planes will be torn asunder, more valuable as pieces than as a whole. Still, Big Horn County will receive the proceeds from the auction, and the winning bidders will leave with a substantial amount of scrap or a creative new project to tinker with.
“There's obviously going to be a ceiling on what people will spend for salvage, but I’ve seen people who make expensive coffee tables out of aircraft parts,” he said. “Not everything is being sold, and not everything will go to salvage. I think most of it will, but there are a lot of things that could be done with these aircraft.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.