MiG-21 on Ebay...$49,000 buy it now?! (seats, selling, engines, cost)

[Widowmaker2k]

Is this guy for real? In 'excellent' flying condition with under 1100 hours on the airframe? That's ridiculous. That's a Mach 2 capable aircraft with a 60,000+ ft service ceiling (never mind the fact that it's illegal to fly supersonic over populated areas). If I had the extra cash lying around, I'd be very tempted.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-21_W0QQitemZ270309302387QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_ Aircraft?hash=item270309302387&_trksid=p4506.c0.m2 45&_trkparms=72%3A64|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

[wanneroo]

Mig 21's only last right around 1400-1500 hours at most with the engines lasting around 150 hours. Mig 23's only go about 1200 hours.

The russians designed these planes to be throwaways. Stuff like engines were never designed to be overhauled only tossed and a new one thrown in.

If you know the right people you can get a Mig for a few thousand dollars in eastern europe and the former soviet republics. Getting it flying again is another deal, since most MIG 21's are out of hours.

[bluucrayonz]

i dont know much about buying planes but 49 Gs... is that a hook up price??

[Widowmaker2k]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Mig 21's only last right around 1400-1500 hours at most with the engines lasting around 150 hours. Mig 23's only go about 1200 hours.

The russians designed these planes to be throwaways. Stuff like engines were never designed to be overhauled only tossed and a new one thrown in.

If you know the right people you can get a Mig for a few thousand dollars in eastern europe and the former soviet republics. Getting it flying again is another deal, since most MIG 21's are out of hours.

Hmm, thanks for the info, that's very interesting. I actually some on another site that older MiGs can be 'regularly' purchased in the states for ~45,000. That just seems crazy to me, considering that similarly-aged Cessna's can go for upwards of 20-30k. Obviously the Cessna has a lot more utility and is far cheaper to operate/maintain, but the Fishbed can make almost 1400 miles per hour!

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by bluucrayonz

i dont know much about buying planes but 49 Gs... is that a hook up price??

Your $49k is going to get you a nice lawn ornament. The cost to actually fly that plane will make the purchase price look like pocket change.

[sunsprit]

Outside of operational/maintenance costs, there's two really big problems with this aircraft:

1) Pilot certification. You don't just climb in and fly a complex warbird like this without having the training and endorsements over and beyond a pilot's license. Even for pilots with military jet fighter training and flight experience, it's not easy to come by the credentials and skill set. Fewer than 1% of the licensed pilots in the USA do have the credentials, so most couldn't fly this aircraft even if they owned one.

2) Insurance. No aviation insurance underwriter is going to issue a policy to fly one of these if you aren't capable and current to do so. Absent the pilot credentials, the only coverage you could buy would be for the aircraft to sit not in motion on the ground. If it moves or flies, it's not covered, which includes your liability insurance coverage. And if you do happen to have the training, hours in type, and currency ... the annual insurance cost will be breathtaking; on a cost per hour of flight basis, it will make other expenses look very minimal.

There's only a handful of people in the USA that have the combination of credentials, affluence, and desire to fly a bird like this ... a very limited marketplace. Other than airshow pilots, museums, or a couple of very affluent lawyers .... there's simply not a lot of other interest in this type of flying.

Buying one of these for recreational flying makes as much sense as buying a used cruiser or battleship for a pleasure yacht to take some friends out fishing.

[wanneroo]

I remember one owner saying he had to dump $200K into the plane to make it worth while. I can't remember the specific per hourly cost, but I do remember it to be significant.

The USAF has recently declassified most of it's MIG program from the mid 60's to the late 80's and a book was put out called "Red Eagles". Very interesting work talking about the effort required to keep the USAF MIG fleet flying and all the pilots went though.

[DDevil]

Originally Posted by 8 SNAKE

Your $49k is going to get you a nice lawn ornament.

And you can also take out the seats and cockpit and put them in the basement and build a bar there with a MIG theme

[drjones96]

The ejection seat may be fun for a one time thrill.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by DDevil

And you can also take out the seats and cockpit and put them in the basement and build a bar there with a MIG theme

Single seater and no room for a party ...

Incidentally, the lister says he's done all the work to bring it up to Part 91 (experimental category) airshow specs, currently licensed, and it's only got 128 hours on a fresh engine overhaul.

Somebody is going to take a real bath on selling this bird, if it even gets a bid .....