Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Status of "Just Plane Parts, INC."?

Hung, Jim,

Thanks for the update....sad to see this element of the 150 Club Fly - In experience go away at Clinton. I loved looking at all those parts and always found something "I just needed" from Rex.

Jim, best of luck if you are considering getting into the salvage business....sounds like a great second job for someone with stable hours and a passion for aircraft.

MM

It's a pretty big if, and not one I'd really like to jump into alone. I do have a friend up here that may be up for something like this, and well qualified. But he's closer to retirement himself.

1 Anyone have any thoughts about this type of business good or bad?
2 Anyone want to split the inventory?
3 Anyone want this more than me?

I may consider a partial inventory, if I'm in it alone. After I talk it over with Cathie it maybe just a few parts. She's not quite as "adventurous" as I am.

The irony is my crane business had lead me to more of this type of thing.

Well I'm out. I just learned more about the FAA's newer regulations regarding used parts and the paperwork now required from the friend listed above. I'm told three years ago things changed for that industry. They now need to document for every part what aircraft it came from, what serial # etc. etc.

Can you imagine having a room full of stabilizers rudders wings and flaps. All from 150-152's and now need the original aircraft's serial number to sell the part.

BS...... Oh well, it was a fun idea, and a rainy afternoon. Cathie will be soooo happy, but not at all surprised when I tell her.

The bad news for us all is more parts inventory will go/went to beer cans, what remains must cost more.

There might be more money to be had selling aircraft parts as office and home furnishings.

I've had quite a bit of contact with Rex Brandt and Mike Nass (Clinton Airport Manager) about this situation. Rex told me last summer that he was going to close the salvage business, because he was finding the house flipping business much more lucrative. For a time Mike Nass was considering buying the inventory from Rex, as Mike is already selling both airplanes and parts online to supplement his income. Mike and Rex were unable to agree on a price, last I heard Rex wanted about double what Mike was offering. As Mike explained it to me, Rex was valuing the inventory at it's theoretical retail value, and if Mike were to pay that for the inventory, he'd have no margin for profit.

Though Rex had a tremendous amount of inventory, much of it was large parts such as fuselages, and damaged wings for which there is almost no market. In theory, a salvage C150 Fuselage is worth about $5K, but in an economy where you can buy an airworthy C150 for less than $15K, it is difficult to imagine much of a demand for $5K salvage fuselages.

It's a sad if somewhat predictable outcome. I know Rex sold some parts, and I personally sent him customers whenever I could, but I'm afraid his sales were few and far between, certainly not enough to make a living.

Can any of his inventory be used for G-AWAW?, if we get it.

Anyone know what his ebay name is?