Bally Bomber for sale!!! 1/3 B-17!!

[Seth]

http://courtesyaircraft.com/aircraft/n413me-ballys-bomber-b-17g/

 

He worked 20 years to build a 1/3 B-17 and now it's for sale.

-Seth

[mike_elliott]

That has you written all over it Seth...you were drooling over it at OSH this year, might as well put it in your hangar and drool some more!

[aviatoreb]

Do it Seth!  DO IT!

[kris_adams]

Always the journey not the destination...20 years building and selling it after 55 hours

[aviatoreb]

What’s he building next?!!! That’s what I want to know!

[Raptor05121]

$275,000 / 20yrs = $13,750/yr. Seems like low payout for all the work he's put into it.

[GDGR]

13 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

$275,000 / 20yrs = $13,750/yr. Seems like low payout for all the work he's put into it.

This would also be the rough payment structure I’d be able to afford. 

[Raptor05121]

2 hours ago, CDNflyby said:

This would also be the rough payment structure I’d be able to afford. 

That's a monthly loan payment of $1,145 not counting APR. Why not settle for an Acclaim Ultra?

[Guest]

Not far from here a guy built a scaled down C130.  It flew a bit then disappeared.

Clarence

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, M20Doc said:

Not far from here a guy built a scaled down C130.  It flew a bit then disappeared.

Clarence

How big was it?

[aviatoreb]

5 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

That's a monthly loan payment of $1,145 not counting APR. Why not settle for an Acclaim Ultra?

If you need to ask the. You just don’t get IT!

[Hank]

8 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

That's a monthly loan payment of $1,145 not counting APR. Why not settle for an Acclaim Ultra?

Because it's not your own personal, single place, 4-engine B-17!!! I'm shocked that it should fit into a normal-sized T hangar . . . .

But I think the price includes too much builder's passion and not enough owner's reality--it's a single place toy that will amaze the breakfast crowd, but also fly to airshows, not something you can use for a weekend away or to visit distant friends and family. 

[wcb]

Yes!  Cool plane!

 

I am curious about some of the specs as to speeds and fuel burns?????

[Hank]

5 minutes ago, wcb said:

Yes!  Cool plane!

 

I am curious about some of the specs as to speeds and fuel burns?????

I'm sure it's more of one than the other. Full scale -17s were not fast, I wouldn't expect this one to be, either.

Looking at his ad, it was not like he was selling an airplane. Lots of outside photos, no full panel picture but there are separate pictures of what look like throttle & mixture controls (2 on the left side, 2 on the right side) on the cabin walls, little mention of avionics / instruments (although the four electronic tachs are mostly visible on the edge of the panel), and --zippo-- about flight performance (speed, fuel burn, useful load, baggage space . . . . ). It's not even really clear if the gear retracts.

Just don't understand the throttle arrangement. It does make it harder to grab the wrong one, but it also makes it harder to push all of them forward for takeoff, much more difficult to do so in a go around while still airborne, and how do you pull all four to idle so's you kin land???

[vorlon1]

Looks to me that pictures 42-45 show gear retraction.

[Bolter]

I agree that the ad is someone short on details, with cruise speed listed as "estimated", and other pilot-centric details missing.  But there is more info around the web:

Shows it flying and that the gear is retractable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuq8rad3H-M

Pilot giving info on the flight characteristics at 1:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yaKCkXa-rs

 

[wcb]

Youtube really puts it in perspective. 

[jrwilson]

I saw a video from the guy doing most of the test flying in it.  Performance is pretty marginal.  Climb rate is poor and so is cruise speed.  Like c-150 rates or worse.  I’d hate to see the specs with one engine out

[Guest]

12 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

How big was it?

Somewhere around 1/4 scale.  I heard it didn’t fly very well.  I don’t know where it ended up.

Clarence

[Seth]

On 10/11/2018 at 5:47 PM, mike_elliott said:

That has you written all over it Seth...you were drooling over it at OSH this year, might as well put it in your hangar and drool some more!

I know.  It makes no financial sense to do it,  it I could own the least expensive, lowest time airframe, flying B-17 in the world.

Man - I wish my finances were where I could just drop $120k (i’d negotiate it down) on something like this.  One day - yes - now with two kids and college education to save up for - no.  

 

But I do drool over it.  It fits in a T-Hanger!!

-Seth

 

 

 

[320KPH]

On 10/12/2018 at 10:17 PM, aviatoreb said:

How big was it?

pretty small when last seen...