I was watching a show on Discovery Wings on the MiG 21 yesterday and they mentioned that there was one in the USA owned by someone in, I think, Kensington, VT. If I remember right they said his name was Dean Martin and he is reputed to be a “MiG Collector” in the real sense of the word. Now THAT is a cool collection!
I looked on the FAA’s web site and there are currently 35 MIG-21’s registered in the USA, most of them to private owners. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “Joy Ride” doesn’t it? [:D]
The one in the show (no. 4418) is now in the San Diego Air Museum it appears.
There are several display groups in the US that fly MiGs. One is based about 60 miles NW of here at Sherman, Tx. They fly several jets including the MiG 17, F-86D and the T-33. I think they’re called Jet Fighters International or something to that effect. The Collings Foundation out of Houston, Tx also have several MiG 21s including an UM and a PFM. This is besides their B-17G and B-24J>
I knew there were a few US jets in private ownership (Craig Breedlove owns or used to own an F-104) but I guess I had just never thought about anyone owning and flying Russian aircraft.
It just isn’t fair … here I’d be satisfied with a simple little Cessna 172 [:)]
I’m getting in late on this, but back about 1987-1991 when I was doing work for Houston-based Combat Jets Museum, our MiG-15 and MiG-21 (“Our” certainly doesn’t mean I had a share in it. I just worked there and bummed rides in the two-seaters, one of them being a CF-104D, the other a T-Bird) came via the guy in Vermont whose name escapes me. He was known then as the man to go to if you were rich and needed a MiG. The low-time MiG 21 came directly from Hungarian Air Force with lots of spares and extra engines. The 15 came from the Chinese Navy. When it was unloaded on the dock, it was discovered the Chinese did not remove the guns. ATF was quickly called and took cannons away. Both were flown by the museum’s chief pilot, NASA test pilot Ed Schneider, who was also our F-104 instructor and a fully-fledged SR-71 IP. (No, although our owner was richer than the Almighty Himself, we did not have a Blackbird). My big regret is that I never took detail photos of either of these birds, but I remember the interior colors pretty well. I’ve heard the Combat Jets collection is scattered to the winds and I’ve seen the CJM Hunter and the CF-104D on the airshow circuit (painted some ugly gray color). One more thing: the jets cost about 1/5 to 1/3 the price of a restored Mustang or Corsair. I recall that the low-time 104 cost $450,000 including spare J-79s and other spares. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Hey, if you have the money, I’m pretty sure you could buy just about anything (as I said, JUST ABOUT) and around the world there are dozens of former Soviet warmachines in private hands.
I’d love to have my own Fishbed, it’d be a dream come true. I lived in former Yugoslavia, and my grandfather was in the military. For many years, I spent my summers with him going to all sorts of military bases. I collected much memorabilia (people are usually very nice to little kids at these kinds of places, if they’re supposed to be there) and I even got a flight helmet. Eventually, I’d come to own three. Unfortunately, when the war started, all the national insignia were not a good thing to have around one’s house, and all was buried or burned. Shorthly thereafter I came to Canada. I’d give all my models if I could just have one of those fighter helmets left.
That’s amazing. I guess it’s because of the age difference, but I would have thought that the jets would have been much, MUCH more expensive to get hold of.
Man, that’s too bad. They would really be great to have these days. I had a friend when I was a kid that had a USAF helmet. We were always trading our toys, and I tried everything I had to get that helmet but he wouldn’t part with it.
Well, there are a lot more jets out there to be had. And don’t forget, the purchase price is the smallest of the expenses. For example, the MiG-21 and F-104 each burn a lot of kerosene. We’re talking about $5,000 and up to operate. (The 104 was so short legged, we almost never flew it for a whole hour.) And you have a lot of expensive maintenence hours for every hour you fly. It’s like owning a yacht. With room for only one passenger.
I sure am glad Hasegawa finally gave us a good series of Starfighters. I’ve done the German G, now I want to do them all. Unfortunately, there is no B or D models. Now Tamiya or Hasegawa, I want my 1/48 Hun. That Monogram warhorse is just too primitive, no matter how much AM you pile on.
Maintenance and operating expenses are always the big cost item, even on light planes. When I was learning to fly, renting a Cessna 172 was something like $27 an hour. A buddy bought a Cessna 152 and at the end of his first year had spent more per hour than renting a 172 cost.
Which makes me think of something … can you imagine the insurance agents face when you tell them you want hull insurance for a Mig-21 or F-104 [:p]
I haven’t built an F-104 in many years. May be about time to do another one!
Jim Robinson, who owned Combat Jets, was insured through Lloyd’s of London, where there is an insurance broker for anything, for a price. I know Lloyd’s brokers also insure a lot of other WW II warbirds.
Dean Martin has flown his Mig-21 out of BURLINGTON, VT. He is a pretty brave guy because just across the tarmac are the F-16s of THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS.
Lloyds also insured the Titanic. You’ think they would have learned from their mistakes! There are lots of unusual items that they have insured over the years. I’d love to see a complete list.
True! From what they showed on The Discovery Channel, the only thing that denoted it wasn’t an Eastern Bloc MiG were the US registration on the tail, and it was in small numerals.
haha, that’s so funny. Imagine, for a second (God, it’d be awful if it actually happened) that they thought it a rogue plane or something like that on attack. Quite a show to watch [:)]