Sat, May 11, 2013
Bidding Opens May 15 With A $50,000 Ante
OK, so you're not going to buy a flyable DC-9 for $50,000, but that is the reserve for an airplane that is still painted in Air Force One colors, missing only the Presidential seal, in an upcoming General Services Administration (GSA) auction.
The aircraft, listed on the GSA auction site as "1 each aircraft, dc9-32, tail number N681AL, s/n: 731681 located at Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport, Mesa, AZ. Associated spare parts inventory located at 3280 U.S. highway 70E, New Bern, NC. A $50,000 bid deposit is required and it will be converted to performance bond to assure parts removal. This aircraft was part of Air Force 2 and may have acted as Air Force 1."
The operative words there are "may have." Of course, the President has to be on board an aircraft before it can be designated "Air Force 1"
The aircraft has been stripped of some of the more sensitive equipment that had been installed while in service with the Presidential Airlift squadron of the Air Force. And while the GSA would not say definitively whether a President had ever flown on board the aircraft, it did say that "In the thirty years this aircraft was assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing (Feb 1975-Sep 2005) it flew Presidential missions, Vice President, First Lady, Cabinet Secretaries (Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, others), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, Four-Star Generals, Admirals, Foreign Heads of State and other foreign dignitaries."
Happy bidding.
(Image provided by GSA)
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]