Lockheed Vega for sale?

[Mimsaroo]

Few of these airplanes still exist. I'm toying with the idea of a rebuild, but need some help.
Have any of you seen one of these hiding in the 7 corners of the world other then museums? I would be very interested.

Cheers.

[tail wheel]

There appears to be one HERE (http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/444140-plane-wreck-believed-earhart.html) you may be able to get hold of? :E

[stepwilk]

The usual snarky make-fun-of-Tighar, I assume, though Mister Tail Wheel apparently doesn't know the difference between a Vega and an Electra.

[evansb]

Contact Kermit Weeks. He has a blog, and a Lockheed Vega..

[con-pilot]

There was, repeat was, a flyable Vega in Oklahoma City, based at Wiley Post (KPWA) Airport a few years ago. The owner was one of those that had a lot more money than brains. At one time he owned nearly 100 aircraft, mostly junk, but mostly flyable, kind of.

Anyway, back to the Vega. The Vega was delivered in a box, a rather large one admittedly and was rebuilt over a period of a couple of years. His mechanics (engineers) could not devote most of their time to rebuilding the Vega as they were kept busy fixing all the other aircraft this guy kept crashing. I'm not kidding. On his 70th birthday he tried to fly 70 aircraft on his birthday, the FAA stopped him from flying anymore that day after he crashed the third time.

Never the less the Vega was finally put back together from how it had been shipped. The next day our intrepid owner/pilot goes out, crawls into the cockpit, fires it up, taxies out to the end of the runway, 17L (and remember this runway, it comes back into play later), completes the run up and then just sits there for about 30 minutes. The tower starts calling him to no avail. Just about the time the tower decided to send a vehicle out to see if he was okay, he called, stating that he was ready for takeoff. Permission was granted, the Vega rolled out on the runway, paused for a few seconds and then he rapidly applied what sounded like full power.

Rolled forward about 50 feet, lost control and ground looped the Vega removing the left main gear from the airframe.

Back into the hangar again for a year.

The year passes and the Vega is repaired and is again flyable. About every pilot at the airport, including myself, begged the owner not to fly the aircraft. but to let some highly experienced war bird (WWII types) pilot* fly it. No luck, he was going to do it himself.

On the fateful day we all gathered at the airport, about a hundred folks in all, well clear of the runway to see what would happen. Well, we all knew what was about to happen, the only question was just how bad it was going to happen. The airport crash trucks were manned and had rolled out of their station. We were ready

As on the first attempt he made to the end of the runway, only that day the wind was out of the north and runway 35R was in use. Finally he rolled out on the runway. He very, very slowly added power. He told me earlier that was his problem on the first attempted takeoff, he added the power too fast. About half way down the runway the tail started to come up and the hatch over the cockpit came open. He pulled the power off once more, lost control of the aircraft and departed the runway, but this time he just made a slow circle in the grass and ended up on a taxi way. He secured the hatch, rolled back out on the run and started to take off again.

Only one problem, he was going the wrong way, he now headed south, downwind, on 17L. The tower was yelling at him over the radio to no avail. Off the runway he goes again, but this time he was hauling ass. Then there was a cloud of dust and we could see stuff flying everywhere.

This time he got the right wing damaged and tore the tail of the aircraft off.

Back into the hangar again and as far as I know, it is still there ten years later. The guy is dead now, died in his sleep believe or not. But I have no idea what happened to the Vega.

[MagWaffen]

While Con-Pilot's story of the Vega is entertaining, one must read it carefully to find the truth in it.
I purchased the Vega from that owner, who happened to be a highly decorated WW2 fighter pilot (A-36 & P-51)and ace, though it might be said that his skills had diminished over the years.
The Vega is currently in restoration, with an anticipated flight date of late this year (2011). It will be the only flying Vega, and the only example of a metal fuselage Vega in existance.

[con-pilot]

Okay, you ended up with it, very glad it is being returned to flying condition. The person we are talking about crashed quite a few aircraft in his later years. Most memorable, the Vega of course, a Turbo-Commander in ABQ (in this accident his wife's back was broken), a Twin Bonanza that he crashed into Lake Overhoser (a lake just south west of PWA) and a DC-3 at an airshow on takeoff when he lost control (he blamed that one on the tail wheel lock failing). There were more, but to be honest, I flat lost count.

I knew him fairly well, in fact I borrowed his DC-3 a few times. His DC-3 just happened to be the only aircraft I ever had an actual engine fire in flight, it was determined later the fire was caused by poor maintenance.

Anyway, as I said, very glad to see that Vega in good hands and please post some photos here when it is up and running.

Cheers. :ok:

Oh, here is a photo of my DC-3 back then.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c246/con-pilot/12-26-2007_016.jpg

Well, it was not really my DC-3, it was my boss's DC -3, but I babied it like it was mine. I was sad when we had to sell it.

[MagWaffen]

Regarding the Vega project, structural repairs to fuselage are nearly complete, and a new horizontal stabilizer is nearing completion. Outstanding work and attention to detail by Rick Barter at Skywords Aviation LLC, Marana, Arizona.
I am missing a few parts (specifically the elevator control horn and attach bracket) that must have been misplaced in Tommy's hangar. Would anybody at KPWA have any information on them. I know that it has been many years and is a real long shot, but perhaps they are sitting on someone's shelf.

[con-pilot]

I know of a couple of people that just might. We've a doctor here that has more or less taken over the old warbirds here, and is doing a damn fine job of it I might add, who has a couple of people that work for him that may know.

I'll also check with our local branch of the Confederate Air Force, okay, or whatever it is called now, they are old farts like me and there is a chance they may know.

I'll go out to Wiley Post sometime this week and see what I can find out for you. I may have to wait until Friday evening for the CAF, they are usually only at the hangar then for beer call. A good excuse for me to join them.

Cheers.

[barit1]

A fellow I knew, in fact worked with, flew a Vega in the 50s on a most unusual mission. He was a radar target (stealth-type) for GE when they were doing airborne radar tests out of Schenectady NY.

The Vega was an obvious choice for its all-wood construction; they even found a set of Micarta (early composite) prop blades to further reduce the radar signature.

GE later sold it to a collector in Wisconsin, who promptly groundlooped it on takeoff from Schenectady.

[Waefnfinder]

im searching for a lockheed vega 5 to restore if anyone knows of any still around that are not in a museums anywhere in the world

[mjonesr]

In search of Vega 5C Parts. Have a very incomplete project.