Collector puzzled over seizure of his vintage war plane by customs agents

Birmingham news ^ | june 3 2009 | Anita Debro

[muddler]

A vintage airplane collector said Tuesday that government agents have impounded his rare 1952 military aircraft he imported from France last fall and are threatening to destroy the plane because of a missed step in bringing it into the country.

Also see

http://www.savetheskyraider.com/site/The_Details.html

[Habibi]

I share your views on that airframe. I don’t know why I thought it had 50’s. 20mm is more better.

There are are a lot of geezers that are still looking down at the grass because of the loitering capability of that aircraft. In some respects, but not all, it reminds me of the A-10. Both solid, conservatively designed stuff that lasted far past their counterparts. Why the longevity? They were designed to use proven armaments and aeronautical technology. Nothing leading edge. It was designed to use what worked, and it served both admirably. Not like the B-58 (too leading edge), it didn’t last. The B-737 would stand with the Skyraider and A-10 by the same philosophy.

A great aircraft.

[microgood]

What a crock, no one has threatened to destroy the damn thing. It really sound more like Mr. Business man thinks he is above the law. Fill out the forms pay the fines and ICE will release the plane. What is the reason for making a mountain out of a mole hill.

You are wrong. This guy made every good effort to import this plane. It was even registered with the FAA. The problem was he did not fill our a ATF form that he thought he did not need because he had all the weapons removed from the plane before he imported it.

It is the morons at the ATF and ICE that are making a mountain out of a mole hill. This guy is the only sane one of the whole bunch.

[MarkL]

One of only four skyraiders still flying, who in their right mind would destroy this piece of American history?

The same government that destroys perfectly good, collector grade arms, like M1 Garrands and M1911 pistols. Firearms that could be sold on the open market, or even through the DCM for thousands of dollars. The same government that has destroyed thousands of M-14s, rather than sell them through the DCM, or issue them to combat troops.

Mark

[Old Student]

Far as I can tell, this is a non-story. What happened? the savetheskyraider site is utterly useless, and hasn't been updated, AFAIK, since June 3rd.

Not to mention that ICE is the federal agency most cited in the article.

[Professional Engineer]

Open Carry.

Ah, the leisure life.

[SkyDancer]

I had to move this back into the garage because my liberal neighbors were scared and complained.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“Hendrickson said ICE agents told him then that he had failed to fill out a form required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives when he imported the plane into the states from France.

Hendrickson said he was unaware he had to register the plane with ATF since he removed the aircraft's artillery while it was still in France. “

A perfect story for Sarah Palin to use, to illustrate why we have to much government in our lives.
Reagan loved stories like this.

[freedumb2003]

Weren’t the latter day A-10s using pretty modern technology?

Is the “old” tech the airframe itself? Big, beefy, can take a hit and give a bigger one?

Seriously, I’d like to read what you think.

[bt_dooftlook]

none at Davis-Monthan AFB?

[Tennessee_Bob]

Squat or WOW switches - they’re all the same.

[MrB]

You’re right.

The 99% who are authoritarian jackbooted thugs make the other 1% look bad.

[Moose4]

Some A-10s are being upgraded to A-10C models that have glass cockpits and much better all-weather capability. The original A-10As were largely day-only and didn’t have good night and bad-weather attack ability. IIRC during the 1991 Gulf War pilots on A-10s had to improvise by using the IR camera on one of their TV-guided Maverick missiles to spot targets so they could put *other* ordnance on it. Now I think they may use some sort of FLIR pod or night-vision system. But the new C models mate that tough-as-nails 1970s airframe with much-improved technology to make the Hog even deadlier.

I don’t know that the A-10 is so much “old tech” in terms of the way it’s built—it was fairly cutting-edge in the 1970s—as it is a throwback to World War II in the design concept. It’s the direct conceptual descendant of the Soviet Il-2 Sturmovik...take a simple airframe, optimize it to get down in the weeds where the targets are, make it maneuverable, armor the hell out of it, give the crew every survivability-enhancing system you can, and give it heavy firepower. The Sturmovik was the template for the modern close air support aircraft, and the A-10 follows that template.

}:-)4

[muddler]

Also, if I remember correctly, The skyraider was the first and only single engine prop driven plane with the design ability to deliver a nuke.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I like the term squat swiches the best.