P-51 Mustang Dreams for 1/10th the Price

Good morning! I hope all the Dads reading this had a great Father's Day. Mine consisted of going to breakfast, driving around the mountains and getting ice cream with the family. Nothing wrong with any of that, I would have just preferred that the mode of transportation was in a bush plane rather than a Chevy ✈

-Rob Roy

In today’s email:

• The SW-51 Mustang

• Upcoming Airshows

• Around the Skies: Citation Ascend soars ahead, Boom Supersonic completes superfactory construction, Archer Aviation receives Part 135 certification, Early (and scary) 1920s helicopters, Cessna 210 crash landing

• PilotTube: The Reality of Airplane Ownership May Surprise You

• Aircraft For Sale: New to market

THE BUSINESS OF AVIATION

P-51 Dreams, SW-51 Prices: Aviation's Best Kept Secret

The SW-51 Mustang, a 70% scale replica of the legendary P-51, is an aviation love letter wrapped in modern technology and brought to you by an unexpected European company, ScaleWings Aircraft. Their take on the modern-day Mustang includes all-carbon composite body detailed with over 100,000 authentic P-51 surface textures, placing this aircraft squarely on many pilot’s dream list. Equipped with a Rotax 916iS Turbo engine, it rockets up at over 2,000 feet per minute and can hit 210+ knots and has a power-to-weight ratio almost the same as the original Mustang. Plus, with a Garmin G3X glass cockpit, this bird isn't just about looks — it's got brains too.

In their latest Instagram reel, ScaleWings humorously points out the wallet-busting reality of owning a genuine P-51 Mustang, then gives us the answer we all so desperately need. The SW-51 Mustang can even be equipped with a GRS rescue system — an airframe mounted parachute (released by a rocket) that can save your life and protect the airplane from severe damage in an emergency situation.

Headquartered in Germany with a manufacturing facility in Poland, ScaleWings ensures each SW-51 is crafted with extreme precision. Their facility churns out these beauties with meticulous care, supporting pilots with a build-assist program that turns the daunting task of aircraft assembly into a fun group project. Whether you choose to build your own or go for the ready-to-fly option, ScaleWings ensures you're soaring in style without breaking the bank. Prices range from $235,000 for a quick build kit and $450,000 for the standard “Ready-to-Fly” version.

Don’t Keep flybuyer a Secret!

Please help me grow the newsletter by sending this link to your pilot friends!

UPCOMING AIRSHOWS

June
June 21-22: Wings Over Wausau - Wausau, WI
June 22: Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival - Truckee, CA
June 22-23: Centerpoint Energy Dayton Air Show - Dayton, OH
June 22-23: Quad City Airshow - Davenport, IA
June 22-23: Fairchild Skyfest - Fairchild AFB, Spokane, WA
June 25: Evening of Aviation Air Show - Toughkenamon, PA
June 29-30: National Cherry Festival Air Show - Traverse City, MI
June 29-30: Warriors Over the Wasatch Air & Space Show - Ogden, UT

July
July 1: Canada Day Flyovers - Ottawa, ON
July 3: Dubuque Riverfront Airshow - Dubuque, IA
July 3: Anderson Regional Airshow - Anderson, IN
July 3-7: Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival - Battle Creek, MI
July 4: Fair St Louis - St. Louis, MO
July 6: Thunder Over Cedar Creek Lake Air Show - Mabank, TX
July 6-7: Greater Binghamton Air Show - Johnson City, NY
July 6-7: CWHM RCAF 100th Celebration - Hamilton, ON
July 6-7: Los Angeles Airshow - Los Angeles, CA
July 13: America's Freedom Fest - Goshen, IN
July 13: Pensacola Beach Air Show - Pensacola Beach, FL
July 13: Boundary Bay Airshow - Delta, British Columbia
July 13-14: Wings Over Whiteman - Whiteman AFB, MO
July 13-14: National Warplane Museum Airshow - Geneseo, NY
July 13-14: California Capitol Airshow - Sacramento, CA
July 13-14: Yellowknife Airshow - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
July 14: Iosco County Fly-In Breakfast - East Tawas, MI
July 19: Rock The Ramp Airshow & Fly-in - Middleton, WI
July 19-20: Nebraska State Fly-In and Airshow - O'Niell, NE
July 20: Gandy Dancer Fly-in & Airshow - Siren, WI
July 20-21: Cold Lake Air Show - Canadian Forces Base, Cold Lake, Alberta
July 20-21: Arctic Thunder Air Show - Anchorage, AK
July 20-21: Thunder Over Michigan - Ypsilanti, MI
July 20-21: Pistons and Props - Janesville, WI
July 22-28: EAA AirVenture - Oshkosh, WI
July 22: Family, Fun, and Flight - Medicine Hat, Alberta
July 24: Wings Over Warren - Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY
July 26-28: Grande Prairie Regional Air Show - Grande Prairie, Alberta
July 26-28: Tri-City Water Follies - Kennewick, WA
July 27-28: Fargo Airshow - Fargo, ND
July 27-28: Milwaukee Air & Water Show - Milwaukee, WI
July 27-28: Springbank Air Show - Springbank, Alberta
July 31: Snowbirds Over Duluth - Duluth, MN

August
August 3: Williston Basin Airshow - Williston, ND
August 3-4: Rochester International Airshow - Rochester, NY
August 3-4: Boeing Seafair Air Show - Seattle, WA
August 3-4: Great State of Maine Air Show - Brunswick, ME
August 3-4: Manitoba Airshow - Southport, MB
August 9-11: Abbotsford International Airshow - Abbotsford, BC
August 10: Valentine Airshow - Valentine, NE
August 10: Will Rogers Fly-In - Oologah, OK
August 10-11: Wings Over Muskegon - Muskegon, MI
August 10-11: New York Air Show - Montgomery, NY
August 10-11: Vanderhoof International Airshow - Vanderhoof, BC
August 10-11: Chicago Air & Water Show - Chicago, IL
August 11: OCIA Air Show - Waterford, MI
August 14: Atlantic City Airshow - Atlantic City, NJ
August 16-18: Alberta International Airshow - Edmonton, AB
August 17: Coles County/Mattoon Airshow - Mattoon, IL
August 17-18: Gary Air Show - Gary, IN
August 17-18: Westmoreland County Air Show - Latrobe, PA
August 17-18: Pikes Peak Regional Airshow - Colorado Springs, CO
August 17-18: Bremerton Air Show - Bremerton, WA
August 17-18: Props and Pistons Festival - Akron, OH
August 17-18: Wings Over Camarillo - Camarillo, CA
August 21: Frecce Tricolori Airshow - Norfolk, VA
August 22-24: Airshow of the Cascades - Madras, OR
August 24: Wings Over Wheeling Air Show - Wheeling, WV
August 24: Wings & Wheels Airshow - Hot Springs, VA
August 24-25: Ocean City Air Show - Ocean City, MD
August 24-25: Frontiers In Flight Air Show - McConnell AFB, Wichita, KS
August 24-25: Defenders of Freedom Air & Space Show - Omaha, NE
August 24-25: Air Show Atlantic - CFB Greenwood, NS
August 31 - September 1: Wings Over Batavia - Batavia, NY
August 31 - September 1: Fly Iowa - Clarinda, IA
August 31 - September 2: Oregon International Air Show - McMinnville, OR
August 31 - September 2: Cleveland National Air Show - Cleveland, OH
August 31 - September 2: Canadian International Air Show - Toronto, ON

AROUND THE SKIES

Textron Aviation's Cessna Citation Ascend is making strides with the successful flight of its second prototype, following the debut of the P1 aircraft in 2023. Certification is on track for the business jet, set to enter service in 2025, boasting advanced features like Pratt & Whitney engines and Garmin avionics. You can watch their Instagram reel here.

Boom Supersonic celebrates the completion of its Overture Superfactory, the first supersonic airliner factory in the U.S., aiming to bolster American dominance in aerospace manufacturing with advanced capabilities to produce their groundbreaking Overture aircraft 👀

Last week, Archer Aviation celebrated receiving their Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate. This puts the company in a position to operate their aircraft commercially with partners like United Airlines, once their Midnight aircraft is type certified.

Watch this fascinating video of “aeronauts striving to perfect a strange windmill on wheels”… aka, the early helicopter.

A recent crash-landing was perfectly executed at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport in Australia. This news helicopter footage captured the pilot's approach, skimming rooftops and ultimately skidding to a halt with the landing gear retracted. Bravo Zulu!

PilotTube

Airplane ownership will definitely surprise you, both in some good ways and in some challenging ways. Fortunately for us, Charlie Gasmire is here to fill in the gaps!

I’M LOOKING FOR A NEWSLETTER WRITER

Are you interested in writing for flybuyer? This newsletter is growing quickly and I’m looking for an aviation enthusiast to help improve the best darn newsletter in aviation (patent pending). If you or someone you know might be a good fit, please send me an email at [email protected].

AIRCRAFT FOR SALE - NEW TO MARKET

This 2003 Cessna Turbo 182T Skylane has 1200 hours SNEW, is ADS-B compliant and includes a Garmin GTN750 touchscreen GPS, Garmin GTX345, Bendix-King KAP 140 autopilot. No damage history, has complete logbooks and a useful load of 1,055 lbs.

• Asking Price: $329,900

• Location: Lexington, KY

This 2001 Lancair IV-P has 625 TT, 125 hours since new cylinders and a new MT propeller. Includes Garmin 3GX with dual PFD and MFD, Garmin autopilot, Garmin 750 GPS/Comm, air conditioning, speed brakes, winglets and a new instrument panel!

• Asking Price: $399,000

• Location: East Peoria, Il

This 1981 Cessna 414 has 1,646TT and only 15 hours SMOH! Fresh annual, beautiful interior and includes 8 seats. Looking for a big family hauler or a great write-off for your business? This could be the one.

• Asking Price: $1,000,000

• Location: Hampton, GA

If you don’t buy this Bearhawk 4, then I just might! For sale by owner, this experimental bush plane only has 83 hours on the hobbs, 0-540-E4A5 engine, Dynon HDX 10in screen, auto pilot, E-Mag ignition, ADSB in & out, ELT, vortex generator kit and the list goes on! Net pay load is 983 lbs and only one owner.

• Asking Price: $245,000

• Location: Filer, ID

All this talk of P-51s made me think “What other WWII aircraft would I buy if money was no object?” And then I found this F4U-1D Corsair! This exact plane served aboard the USS Intrepid with VF-10 Grim Reapers in 1945 and participated in the Battle of Okinawa, making it one of just a handful of surviving WWII-era combat Corsairs. Furthermore, this Corsair is one of just two surviving Vought built -1D variants. Oddly enough, the only other complete F4U-1D is also associated with VF-10, this being the Smithsonian’s example, which helped train Grim Reaper’s pilots during their work-up at NAS Atlantic City in the weeks prior to their deployment aboard the USS Intrepid. How’s that for a warbird backstory?

• Asking Price: Unknown (sale pending 🥲)

• Location: Mareeba, Queensland, Australia

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Need to Sell Your Plane?
I’m the founder of Royal Aviation Group, a veteran-owned aircraft brokerage that specializes in video content to get airplanes sold. Send me an email at [email protected] if you’d like to chat.

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