A plane is, above all, the reflection of human ingenuity. The history of aviation shows to what extent progress is relentless: models that just a few years ago seemed irreplaceable today have no place in the skies. Each device runs a different destination. Some are restored and displayed As heritage pieces, others are dismantled to serve as a source of spare parts and many remain aligned in silent cemeteries where they expect a second chance. There, among rows of immobile fuselage, it is decided whether its future will be the scrap, an unexpected museum or project.
In Big Horn County, in Wyoming, United States, the history of forgotten airplanes has taken an unexpected course. Local authorities have put historical aircraft auction that remained stored in the Graybull airfield. The process does not arise from a cultural initiative or a preservation project, but from a litigation that faced the landlord with the county itself. After years of disputes and appeals, it was the Supreme Court of Wyoming who finally gave the green light for sale.
A special auction for aviation lovers
The aircraft that have come to auction are units built in the middle of World War II and during the Cold War, and as Paul Thur explained to Cowboy State Daily, They are not in a position to fly And they have very different degrees of deterioration: some remain complete, while others barely retain the fuselage. These are goods in different phases of scrapping, with pieces that have been extracted for decades to keep other devices in service.
The origin of the auction dates back to a prolonged conflict with Harold Sheppard, lessee of the land where the planes were stored. For years he stopped paying the rent at Big Horn County and refused to withdraw the aircraft when required. In April 2021, local authorities imposed a storage tax worth $ 543,600, which began a legal battle. The case climbed to the Supreme Court of Wyoming, which in March resolved in favor of the county and allowed to have aircraft as their own assets.
The sale is being carried out through the Public Surplus portal, a website specialized in public auctions. In the listings, some aircraft start at $ 25 and it is noted that “As is” are deliveredwithout any guarantee. The buyer not only acquires the fuselage, but also what there is inside, from original instruments to scrap remains. The standard is clear: there will be no assistance for disassembly or transfer, and each winner must organize its own logistics and remove the aircraft within a maximum period of 90 days.
The future of auctioned airplanes will depend largely on who acquires them. For many buyers, the main interest will be to disassemble and recover pieces with value in the spare parts market. However, there are precedents that show that they can also become surprising projects. In Indonesia, a Boeing 737 ended up being a luxury house in Bali, while in Oregon an individual installed a Boeing 727 in the middle of the forest and made it his residence. Examples that underline to what extent a plane can continue to tell stories even when it does not take off again.
Exit prices start from 25 dollars, but logistics costs trigger the invoice. After winning the bid, each buyer must take care of the disassembly, load and transport of the aircraft. That implies going with specialized equipment, own tools and Enough laborin addition to hiring road transfer in oversized vehicles. To this are added circulation permits and storage expenses, which raise the invoice well above the initial Price. In practice, acquiring one of these planes is a disbursement comparable to that of a large logistics project, rather than that of a simple collection curiosity.
The old planes are part of the daily landscape in Graybull and their possible withdrawal has aroused comments between neighbors and visitors. Some fear that the airfield will lose one of its most unique features, a visible fuselage cemetery from the road. However, local authorities have clarified that the auction only affects one part of the collection: the other remains under control of B&G Industries, which maintains its maintenance and manufacturing activity. The identity of the place will not be completely erased, although it will inevitably be reduced.
The auction will conclude on Friday, October 3 and, except surprise, most aircraft will end up dismantled, more valuable as pieces than as a whole. For Big Horn County, the result is double: recover part of the accumulated costs and reinforce the airport box With leftover funds. For buyers, on the other hand, the prize will be a cluster of historical remains that can be used for scrap, private collections or creative projects. In any case, it will be the last symbolic flight of aircraft that marked time.
Images | Paul Thur/Public Surplus
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