WIX Archives
Re: Wildcat for sale
Posted by Richard Allnutt on Thu Sep 27, 2001 04:19:59 PM
In reply top Re: Wildcat for sale posted by Tony on Wed Sep 26, 2001 09:41:07 PM
Hi Tony,
Sadly, I have to agree with you. The legal expenses alone could bog this project down in a morass. It's too bad things are so crazy over there... come to think of it they are pretty crazy everywhere right now. Oh well, I would like to think that one day this aircraft would come in out of the cold... or "hot" as it were, and take its rightful place amongst the very few genuine combat veteran aircraft still around.
Cheers,
Richard
:
: Fred Kona, who pulled items large and small out of the jun
: gle, started this display in the early 1970?s . Once again
: any good machine guns are stashed away , as the Bouganvil
: lians stole all the ones they did have out . Fred Kona is
: dead now and his widow and brother run the place . When Mr
: . Kona started to assemble these items 20 - 30 years ago t
: he local villagers thought he was crazy and used to destro
: y pieces of his "junk" .
:
: "Sadly over 50 years more exposure in the open air has tak
: en its toll on some items and aircraft markings are barely
: readable . The Gruman F4F4 Wildcat recovered in 1973 is s
: till there . They have had at least three offers from Amer
: ican enthusiasts to buy it , but have said no. The 20mm an
: d 7.7mm holes from the attacking Zero fighter are plainly
: visible . "
: http://www.gnt.net/~jrube/then&now/revisited95.htm
:
: http://www.grummanpark.org/aircraftpages/F4F_2.htm
: (Picture reference)
:
: The good Doctor, kindly informs prospective buyers , that
: he is aware of US salvage laws. Does he mean, US maritime
: salvage laws, or the US Navy's version. There have been 3
: offers in the past, all refused....Big clue here...MORE MO
: NEY PLEASE.
:
: Any prospective buyer, really needs to get permission from
: the US Navy first, and you all know what that means. I am
: also concerned, that the seller, will only deliver it to
: the Wharf at Cruz. mmmmmmmmmm.Would that be because of the
: Government of the Solomon islands restrictions on exporti
: ng exactly this type of thing?
:
: But, i'm sure it can be rebuilt into something nice, if th
: e buyer is prepared to put up with the heartache,and undou
: bted expense.
:
: If anyone is going to buy this aircraft, and please, I'm n
: ot teaching you to suck eggs, go over the legal aspects fi
: rst, and over and over again, and when you've finished, re
: ad over it again. I'm sure, that the Solomons, has an anti
: quities export restriction in place since last year, I kno
: w Vanuatu does.
:
: You still have to get the aircraft out of the Solomons, an
: d that could well be a headache on it's own.
:
: My feeling initally? Leave it where it is, but nothings im
: possible
:
: Tony :0)
:
:
:
: : I saw the following ad on the Barnstormers website...
: :
: :
: : EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR WILDCAT FOR SALE ? FOR SALE!!
: T
: : he Wildcat that has been sitting idle outside of Honiara
: ,
: : Guadalcanal, has been given to me to sell. I am aware of
: t
: : he U.S. laws on salvage, but more aware of 'custom' owne
: rs
: : hip. If the plane is sold, seller will deliver to wharf
: at
: : point cruz only. I am a friend of the family that own t
: he
: : aircraft and also a friend of the late Fred Kona. Offer
: s
: : may be submitted to the supplied email address. No Dream
: er
: : s or Time Wasters please. All transactions will be via a
: b
: : ank/solicitor with a min. 40% deposit paid up front, No
: Sc
: : ammers. Only contacts by EMAIL will be answered in first
:
: : instance. Thank you. Contact Dr. Robert Crawford locat
: ed
: : Inverell NSW AUSTRALIA. Telephone: 612 0267214063. Fax:
: s
: : ame. -- Posted 20 September 2001
: :
: :
: : Anyone have an idea whether this aircraft could be impor
: te
: : d into the US without problems? Since the aircraft has b
: ee
: : n in museum ownership for several decades, I would have
: th
: : ought that it would work out... afterall, there are many
: a
: : ircraft flying or being restored today in the States tha
: t
: : were recovered from wrecksites even in the late eighties
: .
: : Perhaps it's a scam too, as you can never tell what the
: ex
: : port conditions might be from the island it's located on
: .
: : At any rate, I would be interested to hear what people t
: hi
: : nk, as if the offer is genuine I am sure someone could f
: in
: : d a good home for it... it is afterall a significant com
: ba
: : t veteran.
: :
: : Cheers,
: : Richard