I am thinking of a non-profit org.
Something like this.
1. 10,000 gets you a type rating and a week's use per year.
2. 5,000 a week at a great destination with ten friends.
3. 1,000 you are one the list of friends.
4. 100 you are on the friends waiting list and you get a ride at Oshkosh or sun n fun
5. 25 bucks you get your name on the side.

The hitch is you have to buy your own fuel. At a slow cruise that could be over 100 gallons per hour

I pledge 10,000 but I believe we need about half a million to fund this thing for a few years. Or we come up with some sort of dues structure. With 30k members we should be able to do this 25 bucks each would put us over the top.

We seem to have an acute lack of interest

I am out of it. What are you referring to.

There is a howard 500 for sale. A great plane but needs a lot and costs a lot to run.
It needs a fan club.

How much they want for it?

I'm gonna have to look up a Howard 500?

I seem to be shrugging a lot lately. I can't remember if I forgot or never learned.

The Howard 500 had two P&W R 2800 engines and would out run a DC 7. But also had a very tricky to maintain hydraulic system. There was one for sale at the Reno Stead Airport about 15 years ago and I wanted to add it to my collection of airplanes, but ya gotta draw a line some where!!

Regards, Lew Gage

Trust me. If you show up at any airport in a Howard 500, nobody will look at anything else on the field. There's a couple of good videos on the net of a nicely restored one.

With only two flying models, it *has* to be worth much more than a P-51 when restored. Think of the money we'll make.

And the P-51 as yet has no mile high members

If 10K would get me a type and a weeks use and all I have to do is buy fuel count me in!

What a cool way to take you and a dozen of your family/friends on vacation!

Matt twisted my arm. I'm in for 10k as well.

I'm in for 10k, how fun.

Paging Tom Drew,
We need a barrister to help set this up and escrow the funds er pledges for now.