$100,000 ABANDONED Gulfstream GIII At Auction... Did I Bid Too Much?

Today we try to buy an abandoned Gulfstream GIII at auction for CHEAP. This private jet has been sitting for years on end. Can it be saved? This plane is worth millions in nice condition, and these are available for just a small fraction of that. Will these engines start up and run after many years? Enjoy this video as I explore this abandoned plane.

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[richardschindler]

As a retired corporate pilot who is also a A and P. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 hrs of time flying the G- II and G-IV series so I have a little knowledge of theses beauties, as well as maintaining them.
Unless you own a few banks I’d never get involved in a project like this. Even though the engines have all sorts of time left in them, they will need to come off for other checks. All sorts of inspections will need to be done to the airframe, make sure all the AD’s are up to date and replacing all the missing parts. Let’s nit forget the APU as well. The list of things that need to be done before this thing can fly again is astounding. Just sat too long and with missing parts!!!

So, if you have a boatload if money sure, why not, go for it, otherwise. At ten grand it would make a fun toy. Anything more than that. Pass

Throw a set of brakes and tires on it. See what that costs. Just because it’s been sitting there are still things that need attention as everything on a aircraft is either, hours, landings or just plain time, as is days, months years related.

Oh sure it’s fun to think what if, but unless you have a substantial financial backer, don’t think I’d get involved .

Just my humble opinion, for what it’s worth.

[synonyx]

It’s completely possible whoever took the avionics and logs, bid on the plane. Wouldn’t have been the first time I’ve seen it happen over the years.

[David-nxvm]

I worked for a company in the 80s that had several GIIIs in their fleet. I worked at the aviation facility and got along great with the crews. They had to do a milk run to pick up the CEOs briefcase…he left it at an FBO. They offered to take me with them, 30 minutes each way. I did it and it was fantastic. Felt like a real baller. If I ever hit the lottery…

[Shdwcst]

My grandpa was the chief pilot for Conoco for decades. Back in the 90s, I used to get to fly on the Gulfstreams for free. I had no idea how cool it was until I got older.

[stephenyoung]

I'd put money on it that whoever topped out the bids either has the missing parts or knows who does. It's not uncommon for people to sabotage when they know it''s going to end up going to auction. I've seen it with cars, airplanes and houses. It's amazing how "lost" log books are found once a plane is sold off.

[Vamanaswastika]

Will cost around $3M to bring her back. Then the other major cost is to see which pilot is willing to risk their life for a test flight. It has to financially make sense. Still in the end a Gulfstream under even $5M used is fairly nice for the low frame miles and engines.

[dodge]

This is the first time I came across your channel and you gained my subscription the second you said that statement " We love all cars" You dont HATE on cars you dont have OR anything.. You love all cars... Thats how I feel a channel should be. All people like different things so its the best way to give a broad spectrum on cars to see!

[johnmcwilliam]

When you opened that drawer with the wine bottle in it, the first thing that crossed my mind was that M on the linens looks like Maverick Transportation's monogram !! (Don't ask how I know, LOL). Reg confirmed it, as 888WE rang a bell in me as well. (Again- Don't ask.) Logs and history may be available through The Corporation Trust Company or CT Corp out of Wilmington DE. I'd think the buyers are (or did) look into that. If you're still interested in buying an aircraft with no available history/logs, you should know that parting it out will not be as easy (Think also: "Legal") as you may be thinking. Great vid. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

[SuperchiefApache]

If you look at the date on the bags of Cheetos you can get a good idea as to when it was last flown, or at least prepped to fly!

[Nahiyanize]

To answer your question @11:03 each Honeywell FMS on a G100 is about $150K so I would imagine similar price for a G300 FMS. With the ADCs and the SAS plus the autopilot computer gone, this plane need about a $1M in just avionics parts.

[keithdutton]

I’m an A&P mechanic and absolutely NO! On the other hand, the idea about turning it into a set is interesting because you could destroy it in a crash scene without feeling to bad about it because ITS ALREADY DEAD.
I got a little sick to my stomach when you were showing and telling about the avionics. So, thanks for making the video. I liked and subscribed and look forward to more content from you.

[hackfabrication]

Three months late to this video, but as a former Air Traffic Controller, I've had the opportunity to 'work' a lot of different model Gulfstreams. Even the G159 turbo props. Always loved the styling of them. And the performance. Unfortunately, the per hour operating cost, is beyond most people's income level.

[PBTomahawk]

Biting off more than you can chew comes to mind, you just saved yourself a lot of responsibility. 15 years with Gulfstream here.

[anthonyh]

I work at Ontario Airport, it’s sat for a while and someone bought it a few months ago and is restoring it. It’s now in the hangar right next to where it was outside. When my co-worker and I moved it it was so hard to move as if the brakes were on.

[lindawilkins]

I have lots of GIII time. The US Army bought the last 2 GIII's made in 1987. We had bought the last 3 but ended up giving one to the US Coast Guard. We flew them all over the world. They were flown by US Army CW4's The last 2 tail numbers ended in 40 and 41. We were based out of Andrews AFB just outside of DC. They are both retired now and are out in the boneyard at DMAFB. One was Blue and White and the other was all white with a gold stripe. There is a youtube video called stories of the Boneyard which does a walk through of the all white one. These were the first jets the US Army ever had and now they have G V's

[missydg]

Happy Holidays from Prescott Valley Arizona. When I was early twenties I clean planes for flight time. One Saturday a company Lear Jet came in. The executives vomited due to weather and drinking. My job was to clean the inside. Seats and carpet was simple to remove. Month later the pilots let me sit in the right seat while they tested the upgrades. They let me fly the Lear for a bit.

[zhugzug]

this is an example of an aircraft i'd like to see flying again, its gorgeous.

[bstiger]

I'm sure there was a time limit on moving the aircraft, so you are absolutely right. The $345, 000? bid was made by a couple of drunk men who did not understand the logistics in winning a public bid, and getting it back to FAA flying certifications. Removing wings to transport it makes the overhaul price go up too high for a practical investment. It's a shame the avionics were stripped out of the planne, as some instruments may have helped re-establish the log books. It is well know in the repo trade that no log books cuts the plane's value in half.

[slickswings]

The problem with old, legacy aircraft is you have difficulty in sourcing for parts, and when you do find them they may not be cheap. Also old and cheap is not exactly a good combo for airworthiness.

[dolphwinter]

Buying a Golfsteam 111 would always require donor planes so you can have your own parts readily available and a good service team as well. In your situation, I would have bought the one with the hush kits the other one for 124, 000 quids and probably be on the lookout for more opportunities.
It's gonna cost you a ton of money 💰 to keep it flying again, if you want to have some peace I'd suggest you get a falcon 50 or 900ex and talk to the guys at Your friend with jets.