MiG-21 Fishbed For sale on ebay...

Well there is a MiG-21 for sale on ebay, only $43,000. It says it is ready to fly. Its a retired Czech airforce plane. I was wondering if anyone with any knowledge on these planes could tell what kind of condition the plane is based on specs, or if it is a scam.

cgi.ebay.com...

Dam isn't that a tad on the cheap side. Wonder what that baby cost new?...10 20 million or so. Seems too good to be true I would think to a pilot who has the capacity to fly and store it.

reply to post by USamf

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I don't see anything OBVIOUSLY wrong, but it would take more than just looking at pictures to be able to tell if there's anything seriously wrong with it. You'd have to tear the airframe down somewhat to check for corrosion or other problems.

I'm putting in a bid! See you guys in the sky!

I'm not in the market for a fighter jet, but how hard would it be to get classification/certification to be able to fly this beast. I mean you could really scare your neighbors. If I am correct, this is a Mach 2 plane?

fastspecs on Mig 21 from Wiki:

Engines variated.

Thrust - lbf (dry/reheat) Tumanskiy R-13-300
8970/14310

There is a total of 28 different variation of engine configurations known.

Czechoslovakia
Between 1962 and 1972 the MiG-21F-13 version was manufactured under license by Aero Vodochody, in Czechoslovakia. Aero Vodochody (then Středočeské strojírny, n.p.), built a total of 194 planes during this period, under the cover designation article Z-159. It followed the MiG-15 and MiG-19S built in Vodochody factory from the fifties to sixties. The sole locally-built version of the MiG-21F-13 differed externally from the Soviet-built examples by the solid dural sheet fairing behind the cockpit canopy, as opposed to the transparent one on the original Soviet MiGs. These machines were built for the Czechoslovak Air Force and also for export. The R13-300 engines were imported from the Soviet Union.


Performance

Maximum speed: 2,175 km/h (1,350 mph)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05
Range: 1,580 km (981 miles)
Service ceiling: 19,000 m (62,335 ft)

Linky to Wiki page:
en.wikipedia.org...


[edit on 8-4-2009 by Phoebus]

id be very cusious, why would someone sell a plane on ebay? If anyone is goin to buy a plane, they aint goin to be looking on ebay, most likley something dodgy.

there has been jet fighters sold on eBay from time to time.
As the article says:
Plane has been used in exebitions, and even overhauled by Czech maintenance crews.

The reason for the cheap/low price might be that the plane has earned it's wheight in gold, and has done what it was supposed to do.
Or it's an expensive thing to have, heated hangar and everything, and the fuel consumption is not low eighter i belive.

[edit on 8-4-2009 by Phoebus]

you could be only a few hours away from europe. I guess you just have to be careful not to cross anybody's airspace lol

reply to post by USamf

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The hardest parts would be getting FAA certification and import clearance. You'd have to remove/deactivate any weapons systems in a way that they couldn't be put back in. Usually something like cement is put in the gun barrels so they can't be cleared.

It's not THAT hard to do. There are a bunch of MiGs flying around the US in private hands.

reply to post by Zaphod58

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The aircraft already has FAA certification and is located in Illinois. Man, I would love to have something like that.

You probably can't fly that supersonic correct? And if you do, could they, er um, give you a ticket? That would be hilarious...F-15 signaling you to land.

reply to post by USamf

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If you're 250 miles or more out to sea, you can go supersonic all you want. If you go supersonic over land, and you can lose your license, and get your plane grounded.

Reply to crisko

I didn't really pay attention to the details of the auction, I just looked at the pictures to get an idea of what kind of condition it was in.

I remember my grandpa telling me about in 1974 he lived in Nevada and heard the SR-71's sonic boom when they set the record run from London to L.A . I guess it can to some damage if the aircraft is low enough?

[edit on 9-4-2009 by USamf]

reply to post by USamf

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The Concorde at 50,000 feet could cause damage on the ground under the right conditions. The SR-71 at 80,000 feet had a pressure wave of about .9 at ground level. Anything over 1.0 could cause minor damage, and damage hearing.

Have a friend who is airline pilot - owns a MIG 15. One day were
having outing, came over and buzzed us.....

Very cool For less than the initial cost of a good sports car you could have a supersonic capable jet! I say initial cost because that's only the tip of the iceberg as far as cost to own and operate it. When you factor in fuel, maintenance, airport fees etc I'm sure it's not cheap, and the 43k you paid for it would almost be the cheapest part of ownership



Since it's in Illinois I wonder if it's owned or has been in the past by Don Kirlin or his company Red Air

www.redair.net...

reply to post by Zaphod58

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Wow, so even at around 80,000 feet the SR-71 can create a fairly audible boom. Incredible.

reply to post by USamf

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The record flight from London to Los Angeles, the SR-71 started decelerating over Phoenix Arizona, and blew out windows in Beverly Hills. They broke windows in the Gabor house.

Yea try flying a mig over US airspace and see what happens. You would have to keep it in a different country.

Also the $43,000 isn't anything compared to the amount of money you will spend on fuel for that thing.