Navy Jet eBayed - Some Assembly Required?

madmancarman writes "The world's only F/A-18 Hornet in private ownership, formerly a Navy Blue Angel Jet, is for sale on eBay. The initial asking price? $1 million unassembled, or $9 million assembled and certified airworthy 'with your choice of paint' - more info is available via a Yahoo News story. I wonder how much it would cost to fully arm it? The same person selling the F/A-18 is also selling a 1950's T-33, and claims they'll soon be auctioning off an F-16 and a Mig-29 as well. Build your own air force for fun and profit!"

Comments

Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[andyrut]

While owning a Blue Angel would be awesome, it's unlikely a civilian would actually get any flight time in such a vehicle. To fly it, you'd need a Letter of Authorization because there's no FAA type certification for this aircraft - and unless you're an ex-military pilot, you've basically got no chance of getting an LOA.

Even if you were to get an LOA, to fly it you'd have to get permission from the FAA to put it in the air every time you take off. So add your own private island to the total cost if you actually want to fly it without hassle.

So unless you're ex-military, you'd have yourself a $9 million lawn ornament.

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[SiliconJesus101]

Uhmmm...no. It's classified "experimental" and could in fact be flown by a private individual. This is the same thing that is done with the old warbirds, Mig 21's and bombers that private parties fly. More info can be found here: http://www.utility-aircraft.com/catalog/certificat e/index.htm

You do need an actual special reason for flying the plane, but aside from that it is quite possible for a private party to own and fly a military jet.

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[rogerwong]

It's currently impossible to get a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the FAA, because the FAA have phased out LOAs.

Instead, you now get certified, by an authorized instructor, for certain classes of experimental aircraft. The DC-F18 is part of Group IX, along with the F-15 and Mig 29.

See this FAA document for more details:
http://www.warbirds-eaa.org/news/n_8700-24.pdf

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[flewp]

If they sent out an F117 you'd be lucky. It has no air to air capabilities.

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[silconous]

The Jet holds 10800 lbs of JP5 without External fuel tanks.

I know I used to work on them in the Avionics shop VMFA-232

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[AhBeeDoi]

I've watched too much Discovery Wings. The F117A was given an "F" designation despite no air-to-air capability was to mollify the hot-shot fighter jocks who were chosen to fly the plane.

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[the_mad_poster]

A sonic boom is only a fixed boom for an individual observer, not a one time crack as the plane exceeds the speed of sound. Sonic booms are caused by shockwaves following along after the moving object. You'll only hear it once (unless you outrun the object and then wait for it to go by again), but it's a sustained shockwave for as long as the plane is flying fast enough.

Re:Assembly AND Military Experience Required

[AhBeeDoi]

I've also heard that the F117 could be fitted for air-to-air capability but sidewinders seems unlikely. Sidewinders have an IR sensor on the nose to seek the hot tail exhaust of enemy jets and would need to be mounted outside of the internal bomb bays to be effective. If the sidewinders are mounted outside, the low radar profile of the F117A would be compromised and the jet would lose its best asset. Mounting the sidewinder in the internal bay would preserve the low radar profile while the sidewinders are in the compartment but the would also lose its ability to carry ground ordnance. Deploying the sidewinders from the internal bays would also adversely affect the aerodynamics of the F117A and create a higher radar profile, neither of which is desirable for a relatively slow jet that will be engaging in air-to-air combat.
Theoretically, sidewinders can be mounted on this special purpose jet, but in doing so, the F117A loses its strengths and is forced into a role for which it is less suitable.

Re:Ellison?

[the melon]

It is actually a doctor who owns it. I saw a program on Discovery Wings a year or two ago that had him and the plane in it. They gave his name but I cannot remember what it was.

He said the only real restriction that was on the plane was one that is on all civilian aircraft: No supersonic flight over US airspace.

Re:Flight Hours on Airframe

[HardCase]

3700 odd flight hours, many of Blue Angels type maneuvers. Probably some significant stress and wear on that airframe due to the type of flying. There probably was a good reason that aircraft was retired.

Not at all - the maintenance schedule on military aviation is extraordinarily rigorous, because of the type of flying that is done and because much of the equipment (for its time) is cutting edge, at least mechanically speaking.

The maneuvers that the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds do are the same maneuvers that all of the pilots of those aircraft perform. It's just that the demonstration teams perform them as a group. My old naval aviation buddies tell me that the Blue Angels' jets actually get easier use than the regular jets. They certainly don't have to make any arrested landings or catapault takeoffs!

-h-