Anyone have experience parting out a plane? The selling market is though right now so I've crunched some numbers and parting out my Luscombe might be an option. I've never parted any thing out but my snowmobile buddies all part out their sleds when they are done with them because they can get more $$$ that way. Based on the low-ball offers I've gotten so far and the prices I've seen some parts sell for I'm starting to think parting it out might be an option.

Of course I hate to even consider parting it after spending 3 years putting it together but I'm just not flying much anymore because I hate leaving my family at home.

Hey Whee,

No experience to share. I thought about parting out a PA-22 but I was not enthused about the fact it wouldn't fly again...so I worked out a deal that was definitely not as good in terms of finances, but the plane will likely fly instead.

I fly with the family and have a family-functional airplane. But they are still on less than half my flights.

Man Whee, a '46 8E just showed up on barnstormers being parted out. Damn the luck! I'd bet that's a pretty small market for parts and having the same thing for sale at the same time isn't going to make things easier for you...unless it makes the decision easier for you to leave it in one piece. Good luck. Hope something works out for you soon.

Haha, just my luck. That's ok, I really don't want to part it.

You will probably be able to sell the engine and prop fairly quick.
Then comes the vertical.
And maybe a few interior parts and gauges.

Then a crap shoot to sell the rest.
Might take 10 years or more to get rid of it.
Not that many Luscombe parts buyers I would suspect nowadays.

What kind of offers you getting for the complete plane?

No experience parting out a plane but I do have some experience selling a project.

As mentioned you could probably sell the prop and engine, vertical stab, rudder, avionics, doors, and maybe the wings without too much trouble. The problem is what to do with the parts you have left over that no one wants. Selling a complete project is hard, selling an incomplete project is really hard. You would likely find yourself with a big hunk of wingless/tailless aluminum that you'll sell to a recycling plant.

Offers are all around 10k. My dad wants to build a light sport so we'd keep everything firewall forward. I know a guy that will take all the left overs. Seems like someone is always looking for gear legs and gearbox parts because they ground looped their plane. This fuselage is one of the cleanest/ straightest ones left and unfortunately it is one of parts that wouldn't sell and would eventually end up at the recyclers.

Whee - I tried to start an airplane junk yard a while back. Not a single insurance company would put me on their bidder's list unless I had a certified yellow tagging facility.

How ever, I do have $2,000 for a bare shell of either a metal taildragger, or a Beech 18 to put on a bearing at the top of a 50 ft pole, in case you get the guts sold??.

Not sure I could stand to see a Luscombe on the top of a pole. That's a good place for a Tomahawk...

I sure hope it doesn't come down to me parting it out but we'll see.

Whee, I can see your point. Just never imagined a good airplane being parted out as a way to recover your investment. Those offers you're getting floor me. Good luck.

Maybe wait for spring to make your decision? When the weather clears up, buyers might come out from hibernation.

At this point I'm not in a rush so it will be a while before I make the decision.

I'm seeing the same thing as I'm trying to sell my dirtbike. Quite a few lowball offers, which I turned down. I don't need to sell it, I just want to sell it. Never use it anymore. If I wanted to get rid of it, I could've taken a lowball, but I'm waiting for the right buyer. The problem with listing on Craigslist and the like is that people feel willing to drop you an low offer, ask all sorts of questions, make promises to come up and see the bike... and then never appear.

So I'll trade you a 2011 Husaberg for the plane...

UngaWunga wrote:I'm seeing the same thing as I'm trying to sell my dirtbike. Quite a few lowball offers, which I turned down. I don't need to sell it, I just want to sell it. Never use it anymore. If I wanted to get rid of it, I could've taken a lowball, but I'm waiting for the right buyer. The problem with listing on Craigslist and the like is that people feel willing to drop you an low offer, ask all sorts of questions, make promises to come up and see the bike... and then never appear.

So I'll trade you a 2011 Husaberg for the plane...

If it was a Beta you'd have a deal

Shoot, I'll trade you a new Beta for the plane... But then you'd be taking the 10K offer...

You are in a tough spot, selling an item of limited utility (compared to a 172) in a depressing market. I don't think parting it out will get you the money you want. There simply aren't enough valuable parts. The value it has now is because it works.

The biggest thing you have going for you is that it is an LSA, correct? I'd try trade it for a 172 that you can put sweat equity into with someone that lost a medical. There are more than a few 15-20K 172s. Be prepared to add some cash even...

The 'other' option you might consider is a leaseback to a flight school. Insure it with full coverage... Worst case scenario you cover the cost of the annuals and insurance.

Thanks for the ideas.

The E model, which mine is, has a gross weight of 1400lbs so it doesn't qualify as LSA.

I briefly thought about trading it for a different airplane but decided that if I get stuck with a certified plane this is the one I want. Adding sweat equity to another plane will still cost money, gotta pay somebody to sign the logs. I could just drop the price of the Luscombe a few thousand and be out close to the same money but I'm not willing to do that.

those are tough little airplanes.

This isn't a particularly good time of the year, usually, sometime after 15 April, the market comes to life.