I was day dreaming the other day after reading about vacations of Billionaires. Now most Billionaires I would imagine have so much money that they could make just about anything happen. The guys at Red Bull and Richard Branson come to mind when I think about unlimited money for Aviation interests.

I was thinking of some aviation things I would do. For one I would buy a fleet of Cessna 152's and refurbish them to better than new. I would then hire full time mechanics and CFI's and start a non-profit to teach under privileged youth how to fly. They would work as interns on the FBO ramp or in the Shop one full summer and then receive flight training in return. I would build a Huge dormitory and FBO to allow this. Of course this is a dream so anything can happen.

If you had a hundred million or a Billion Dollars..what aviation dream would you fulfill? Would you buy a jet or a fleet of different planes to match your adventures? Would you maybe do something for yourself like buy a P-51 mustang or would you do something that benefited other's. Such as maybe producing a new, old aircraft that is a favorite but no longer produced?

[ Such as maybe producing a new, old aircraft that is a favorite but no longer produced?[/quote]
Well, if I was a billionaire I just might build a brand new Constallation. However, you don't necessarily need to be a billionaire, or ever a garden-variety millionaire to do this with a less complex aircraft that has a wider market. I've been working on a business plan to produce small quantities (~10) of certain "golden age" aircraft. Not to hijack your thread, but anyone interested can PM me.

Best,
O-2

I'd be happy with an Antanov AN2 Converted to a flying STOL Motorhome for camping, A Republic Seabee with a Big V8 Conversion for fishing, a 701 to play in, and a small biz jet go places. A couple of warbirds from WWll might be fun to restore on the weekends too.

would put a 550 in the 180......buy an A star.....Porter on Amphibs........and a king air 350......oh, and a 747 to party in....I think that should do it.....

I would buy a 1959 180 and convert it to a nose wheel plane. Then I would joing the Skywagon Club and show up just to piss them off. As you may know, Super Dave converted at 182 to a tail wheel and they would not let him join their Skywagon Club.

Tim

qmdv wrote:I would buy a 1959 180 and convert it to a nose wheel plane. Then I would joing the Skywagon Club and show up just to piss them off. As you may know, Super Dave converted at 182 to a tail wheel and they would not let him join their Skywagon Club.

Tim

I would rent a Palatus Porter, a Kodiak, a Beaver, and an Otter. I would hire all the getto rappers I could fit in those planes with big generators and sub woofers. Give em 10 pounds of crack, mac 10s, and a bottomless supply of Old English Malt liquor. And send them to all the 180-185 flyins.

After that summer I would ask the 180-185 group if they were interested in changing there club rules.

I'm so bad

If I were a billionaire, I think that the responsibility of such wealth would be daunting. I believe that 90 percent of our problems, poverty, crime, drugs, etc., can be traced to the lack of a quality education. Last night on the CBS news broadcast, a segment was devoted to a high school in a poor part of Chicago. Students are selected to attend this school by lottery, so they are not necessarily the best. The students attend three and a half hours each day beyond the normal school day. Failure is not considered an option at this school. At graduation, every student has achieved entrance to college. EVERY STUDENT! Oh, and all of these students are Black. Now, if this can be done in a poor area of Chicago, it can be done anywhere. If I were a billionaire, I would do everything I could to support this form of education in as many places as possible. If this were going on everywhere, I really do think we could solve 90 percent of our problems. I think we could all be happy with a 90 percent improvement.
As for myself, I would be happy if I just had enough money to be able to spend my summers flying a pristine Super Cub in Alaska and then be able to go to Arizona for the winters. Six months in each place would be just about right.
Charles

I'd build a bunch of hangars to help make them more affordable and I'd buy up land for airstrips close to recreational opportunities.

About 10 years ago, I saw an Albatross that was basically set up like an RV...generator, beds, little kitchen area,etc. I'd get me a Caravan or Kodiak and convert it as an RV/family hauler. Then, I'd have something like a Highlander, Cub, or Husky for just playing in small places. Lastly, I'd have some sort of VLJ for not only taking the family to further locals, but also for doing charity type flying (Angel Flights, etc.), which would keep me in the IFR system and keep those skills current. Oh, and I'd have a cabin somewhere in Idaho...like on Pistol Creek or somewhere like that. Oh to dream a dream. All it takes is money.

I'd have a mansion across the street from some of the most talented University's across the U.S. Invite a dozen or so hot babes to stay for free. Heck, I'd even pay their tuition if they are willing to have, um well you know, play with me every weekend

No really. Another interesting thread. I to often dream about having lot's of money (as I'm sure most of us do, even if you all ready have a ton of cash). First, I'd buy a bunch of gold. Buy as much land/ranches I could in NV, ID, MT, and WY. I'd even look for land in TX, upstate NY, and maybe CO. Take good care of family, relatives, and very close friends.

Aviation wise. I'm all over the place with this subject. There were some good points mentioned above. But, I'm thinking a good fleet of different backcountry planes for my flying friends and myself. I'd have a couple of vintage Biz-jets like a 20 series Lear, Gulfstream 2, Citation X, King Air 200, Kodiak, DC3, and various other vintage aircraft.

I always thought it would be cool to have a bitchin FBO at Caldwell, McCall, and/or Cascade catering mostly to light aircraft. Have a good supply of nice aircraft for rent, hire the best flight instructors, and I won't charge an arm and a leg!! And like mentioned before, make it easier for qualified people of lower income to learn to fly and help them get all their ratings for a better career in aviation.

I'm sure there's more to think about. Maybe I'll add some more comments while I "dream" some more

Its looking more and more, that being a billionaire is the only way im going to get my ride in a F-16, im 53 now so ive got a few more years , i hope, of trying to figure out how.

Institute a nationwide program having school kids build primary gliders and learn to fly them, then progress to standard training gliders to get their basic fundamental soaring and short flights, then medium performance gliders, then transition to basic power-planes like Cubs, T-crafts, 150's etc. Create a whole new generation of pilots, tens of thousands of them. Give aviation a future. Then spend the other half of the money in Washington making sure there are laws to protect aviation, build airports, and keep the @!($*% real estate developers away.

I'd set up a STC center, Anyone can call in and state the mode they want to do to their airplane and the center would do all the leg work to make it happen,
Then I'd buy a Helio and go to all the 180-185 fly-ins and bring lots of beutiful Girls good booze and the best food. Then we would totaly egnor em.
Best of all your all invited.

I like Harrison Ford's plan. And he isn't even a billionaire. Well maybe he is but just barely if at all.

Good guy. Keep thinking I'll run into him again on some airstrip somewhere. I was in Gustavus Alaska for Fourth of July a couple of years ago and he had flown in using his Caravan. My wife and I are headed back there again this year for the holiday. Maybe he'll be there in his Beaver this time

But that is just for himself. What would I do for aviation beyond lending my face to AOPA like he did? Probably fund a scholarship program for professional bush pilot wannabees.

once&futr_alaskaflyer wrote:I like Harrison Ford's plan. And he isn't even a billionaire. Well maybe he is but just barely if at all.

Good guy. Keep thinking I'll run into him again on some airstrip somewhere. I was in Gustavus Alaska for Fourth of July a couple of years ago and he had flown in using his Caravan. My wife and I are headed back there again this year for the holiday. Maybe he'll be there in his Beaver this time

But that is just for himself. What would I do for aviation beyond lending my face to AOPA like he did? Probably fund a scholarship program for professional bush pilot wannabees.

While I don't generally have much use for "celebrities" Ford actually flys search and rescue. I remember reading a while back that some lost hikers were surprised that the pilot who found them and picked them up was Ford.

Best,
O-2

OscarDeuce wrote:While I don't generally have much use for "celebrities" Ford actually flys search and rescue. I remember reading a while back that some lost hikers were surprised that the pilot who found them and picked them up was Ford.

Best,
O-2

http://www.jhunderground.com/harrison-f ... he-rescue/

To answer the question... I don't think I'd want a billion dollars, or even a million dollars for that matter. I like life to be a challenging and interesting. Sure, I'd like to quite my job and do what I love all the time, but the romance of doing the things you love would soon lose it's flavor. In the end, I guess I'd try to help as many people as I could with the time I had, but not being a billionaire doesn't stop me from doing that now. I'd also be nice to show up in a shiny Twin Otter/PC12/DC3 with some smokin hotties at a skywagon convention, but the old Stinson does fine too (I'd rock it at a skywagon fly-in, and I still think my wife is pretty hot).

In the end it would just complicate things, and I don't need that. As Notorious B.I.G once said... mo money mo problems!

I'd blow it all on building the Millenium Falcon...but thats just me. Just need to get that whole interstellar propulsion thing figured out. But hey...I got the bucks, right? Oh...and a Monocoupe.

I bet a billion would get me top seat in the white house......surround myself with good people and get this country back.........for the people.

Hire cashiers at all home creep-o's

I would figure out how to build a Carbon Cub type cub somewhere in the world on a production line, then export them into this country with a price point of 75 grand. It cant be done in this country with the price of our labor, but there are some very nice things built overseas for a lot less money than we can do it. Maybe then a clapped out 60 year old Piper cub would not be worth 75 grand. Even if you only made 1000 bucks on each sale, it wouldnt be long before you would see a return. On the other hand, a billion in the bank would be a fairly good return per year even at 1 percent interest.

JIm