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Agreed. Somehow even an old crop duster would make a better lawn ornament then this old thing in my opinion. Also, there is a chance you can still sell the engines, and sell the jet.
I mean, if you really feel the need to keep the Falcon. I would suggest parking it at the airfield, renovate the interior and turn it into an air b & b cabin for folks traveling via plane that could land at the airfield.
We already know he's cutting his losses. $2.5m will get you a good jet that's much better than this one would ever be, post-renovation . You can find a used Hawker 800 in that range
@@jimflask1164 He probably knew it going in. These videos have covered the ongoing costs, and he probably knew he could get his money back on the engines going into it. Cleetus acts reckless with his money on camera, but he wouldn't've gotten where he is without being responsible behind the scenes. In this case he bought the jet for scrap prices and knew he could get that back if it was junk.
Cleet, my vote is SELL IT...FAST!!!! Not worth the ramp fees. As a fellow aviator (former Huey/Lakota/Blackhawk driver w/ FW ATP MEL, COMM INST RW) there is nothing unique or endearing about that F20, it has no provenance and brings nothing to the table that enhances your brand. If anything it belongs at your airfield NOT the FF and there are much better ACFT to stick on a pole/static display.
I work on gulfstream jets doing interiors and I can assure you will be spending at least 500k redoing the inside. Most places charge average of 25k for the seats to be redone.
@@BraydenFutral I'm pretty sure the seat upholstery is not FAA approved. You could take those to any spanish-speaking shop in Florida and get them redone for $500 each 🙂
I dont think it could carry this plane. The Plane weighs 9000lbs+ and a Blackhawks max lift capacity is 9000lbs. More importantly, how would you strap the plane to carry it? Typically they remove part or all of the wings and usually the jet engines as well. It's more common to carry just the fuselage.
If the FAA could enforce their inspections on the bees, they 100% would. One of the most overreaching and unnecessarily strict government agencies (ESPECIALLY for private owners) But when boeing has planes falling out of the skies and claim to have "lost paperwork", they turn a blind eye.
As an aircraft mechanic / inspector I say part out the your Falcon. There is a lot of owners out looking for part for there Falcons that cant find parts. After you part it out you will be ahead in your investment.
@@BrandonBroom good point. I’m just curious if there are other parts that could be sold. After all the parts are removed and the aircraft is disassembled, the aluminum is valuable too. Just a question if the labor involved would make this exercise worthwhile
Up here in Buffalo, NY and I look right while sitting at a red light…and the guy next to me has Cleetus Heatwaves on. I’m on my KTM 890 Duke R. So I do what any Cleetus fan would do and I SCREAM “ HELL YEAH BROTHER! Get some!!!!” The guy immediately starts smoking his tires and we both laughed hysterically in a cloud of smoke, spinning tires, until the light turned green. Awesome times.
This thing could fly, just not in the US because of the noise rules, in Mexico or south America that's a different story, i bet that if he put it for sale he can get a lot more, just show the buyers that it turns on, it taxis, and run it a few times in the runway, put the video online and you will see.
@@calebtvog 20k is more money now but he's got ramp fees and has to do something with the plane after. It'll prob still cost money to deal with it in the long run. Sell it back for 15k, no losses.
Thing is, he makes waaaay more than $20k per video. If he brought it to the FF and ran it around the track, He'd probably make $100k and give us a bunch of LOLZ
@@TheDustinFreshourMark Rober said a video with 25 million views made $55,000 from RU-vid. Cleet isn’t anywhere near that on a video unless sponsors are paying a ton. My guess is that the merch and pay-per-views are where the money is.
@@SMor42a sponsorship spot on 1 video is easily 5 figures. That can easily be negotiated higher for a major video that isn’t just regular everyday content
Look at it this way cleet, you'll be starting out with a light weight cruiser with the newest most complaint engines...so what's the cost of a new one?? 10 million....or yours custom done for under Ten Million.... I'd start a go fund me for friends of Cleats Super Cruiser ...it's a can do I'm sure of it😮
Me: I'm a glass is half full kinda guy Bad news bringer: Half full? Your glass is broken, empty and I'm pretty sure the IRS wants a cut of any water you may have
Good news!!! Use the fuel truck for your own Skid Pad!!!! Water trucks then you can set up a slip n slide with a waver not at fault for any damage to your own body
Hey hey, aircraft mechanic here. 2.5 million+ sounds about right. Basically that thing is going to have to be slowly replaced from the ground up plus labor. Then by the time it would actually be in airworthy condition, you’ll have a good bit of time of things still failing left and right from things that were missed or checked good at the time and failed later. Even properly stored it would have a lot of issues. I doubt anything on that thing works, honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they found heavy damage and corrosion that can’t be fixed grounds the thing anyway.
I start at five million because any estimate in the airplane world can usually be doubled. Im not even sure that can be restored. Once the leading edges of the wings come off and one reattached he's going to have to call Dassault and get a test pilot to recertify the stalls characteristics and that alone aint cheap as he has to pay for his travel, lodging meals and we have not even gotten to the test. I'd said avionics alone might add up to 250k and we havent talked about the interior. Who knows some 142 might want to try to make a sim out of the front end but I doubt it as there are few if any new type ratings in that jet. Its a Jurassic jet that needs to be in the bone yard!!
All you need is an inspection sticker?? Bring it up here to Va. to an inspection station, slip the guy $100 and he'll put a sticker on it good for a year. As long as you have headlights and brake lights you're GTG!
@@bdenied I wouldn’t be surprised if the price was past 5m. Cutting it down to a sim or donating it to say an A&P school I personally think would be awesome to do. But that thing would cost a pretty penny to do anything with. Someone else was suggesting to part it out, well, you can’t. There isn’t a serviceable part left on that. Even if it works, it’s long outdated.
There is currently a Learjet 25C for sale that only needs a couple hush kits and a couple of checks going for $150,000 according to the seller it needs $150,000 more to get airworthy, plus he has two 25D that have been sitting since 2014.
Sell the engines but keep the fairings so it looks like they are still mounted, put it in a prime spot with a view of the track/drag strip, and convert the interior to a VIP view box for track days. TVs, minibar, sofas etc, make it a petrol heads chill spot and as use it as an awesome piece of furniture as apposed to an aircraft.
@Cleetus McFarland, I would move the plane to the Bald Eagle Airfield and turn it into an office/air bnb or take it to the Freedom Factory and turn it into a concession stand. Just a couple ideas brother!
A fly in Airbnb sounds like a good option. While maybe not the most affordable, might be a pretty reasonable way to generate some revenue from it. I dig the thought of parking it at Bald Eagle Airfield.
Not at the Airfield where there's liabilities, and where Cleetus wants him and his family to permanently stay. He's moving AWAY from people, he wouldn't want to give him, his family, and the other airfield owners unnecessary anxiety about random fans driving through and staying overnight.
@@a-a-rondavis9438 you make an excellent point. Maybe near the track, like more near the publicly accessible areas (nearer to the roadway) would be a more acceptable location for such a thing? Maybe nix the fly in part and do it by the track instead.
I could listen to this man all day lol. Find it very intersting. Great episode even if the outcome of it is not the best. I would sell it, and get a old jet fighter instead :) as a statue for the track.
Parking it at the racetrack would be such a missed opportunity. It's the perfect time to make McFarland Aviation a legitimate business venture. Park it on the airfield property, redo the interior, and rent it out as a fly-in Air BnB. With the lake access and the track right down the road, I guarantee it would be booked year round. That way you can actually generate a regular income with the jet. You could have your own refuel service since you now own fuel trucks, maybe hire a mechanic that can do inspections and basic maintenance on your own aircraft and outside customers, maybe even your own paint shop. Do that and build a few cheap tiny houses on property for more Air BnB rentals, it could provide enough income to maintain/upgrade the airfield, maybe even buy a decent jet that's airworthy within a few years. Edit- Cleet, if you read this, I'd also like to nominate myself for the job of property manager for the rentals. Let me know, I can send you a resume lol
The airstrip and the lake is just shouting out to be an RV resort,..And that plane would be the ultimate Air BnB,..Can you imagine when its all lit up at night !,...And just for fun for the kids,..(and grown up kids !)turn the cockpit into the ultimate flight simulator !!,...
I think it's a great idea. It would be a fun novelty as a b&b and cost nothing else just to have it as an ornament by the airfield. Sell the engines and redo the interior.
Why not make the whole plane a flight sim rig? Selling the turbines, putting big speakers inside of them instead, putting screens in each window as surround, linking the controllers to the game ones, etc? Then put it on a lil hanger on the Freedom Factory and charge people to use the sim and chill inside of it?
Hey Brother, first of all, all your videos are great and I think you are one of the smartest dudes on youtube. The certified A and P mechanics on here are right. If they want to correct me on any of these topics I respect them. I worked on aircraft that are maintained in correlation with inspection intervals and high time components. They can be enough of a headache. That thing is going to be the most challenging project you've ever encountered. There are so many potential failures and dangers involved in this endeavor. There are so many tolerances and specifications to follow just for the charging of suspension components not to mention the adjustments. The engines, that's another separate project. The sub components are probably inoperative, bleed air valves, thermocouples, oil components, solenoids etc...... I've seen you figure out some complex things and take on challenges with success, but all of these things I speak of have manuals with tolerances, torque specs, temp values and I could go on and on. Not to mention your logs and records for the aircraft have to be accurate. That being said if you get a certified mechanic/electrician to do the work, it's big bucks. Don't trust any one that's not certified. A simple thing like turbine inlet temp during start up (which really isn't simple but just one of the many things you look for on start up) can damage an engine and potentially scrap it. If you do reach the point of starting the engines have the correct fire extinguishing equipment there. For example this point brings up a number of factors as is common in aviation maintenance. Is your fire warning system going to test good, over speed, fuel delivery and more. It takes certified experience just to start aircraft gas turbines. There is no doubt in my mind that you have the capability to acquire this skill and take on this project. I just wanted to comment on this because I have a hell of a lot of respect for you and your crew. I would love to work with you guys on those projects y'all do but I understand that if everyone that wanted to do that showed up there would be no standing room, so this is my way enjoying a little participation. Keep up the good work. You have a great channel.
Agree with option B with 1 codicil. With the corrosion on the compressor section if you do manage to fire it up, you very well might end up with the innards exiting out the back, along with most of the compressor section . Sell the engines as is and let the new owner contend with cleaning it up before trying to light it up.
CLEE, BROTHER. The pocket patterns doesn’t lineup with chest pattern. Also, the shoulder pattern doesn’t line up with top of sleeves. Wal-mart even does that.
I ALMOST bought a Gulfstream II that had reached end of life (EOL). ( It would have been airworthy for another 1.5 hours before EOL) ... My idea was to own it and operate under Experimental Exhibition category. (Minimum crew, flown only for proficiency purposes or to airshow display events, prior FSDO authorization for each flight) Fly it under 14,000' unpressurized so the aft pressure bulkhead would not be an issue. Convert interior into an aeronautical RV! But considering fuel, ramp/hangar rent/FAA...... it just wasn't worth it. Maybe you can fit it with a static HVAC unit, and trick out the interior as a B&B for the Freedom Factory? LOTS of people would love to Air B&B at FalconAire!!!
Being an experienced falcon technician lead, and operating out of a Falcon only maintenance facility, that plane has very little value as far as parts to be sold and used in aviation. Maybe you could sell a seatbelt or two 😅 But the 20 grand engine offer is probably the best you will get because I’ve never worked on a F-20 with the GE engines 😅 Good content though!
From one aviation guy to another.... RUN! 😂 option B would be the sickest, maybe turn it into exclusive club seats for races? Option A makes most sense, though
I'm probably a bit late out, but I'd go for Option C. We'll all sponsor it, you got a 100+ hours worth of repair and fabrication videos waiting to be shot, and it'll make you some dough in the end, and having a sweet jet like that... Whooh, baby!
Option 4... Tidy up the interior and rent it out to influencers for photo shoots and videos ....😉 plenty of people out there wanting to look cool in a private jet...
To be honest im mostly only here for the aviation videos, but i love how you make the airplane stuff seem so much more accessible. Aviation wrenching is much more involved than regular car wrenching, and i really appreciate you bringing in trained professionals to explain whats involved.
Go for option D. Turn the yet into a RV! Contact Jimmy’s World on RU-vid, he knows what it takes as he just finished the abandoned Elvis jet RV build. Turn it into a promotional vehicle for the channel, nicely wrapped in massive FreedomFactory Florida theme. Haul it to events and you can sell the engines, several components. And cutting the parts of the jet you don’t need to sell pieces to fans of the channel. And when it served its purpose turn it into massive foodtruck for the FreedomFactory!
The jet was $15,000, that's around what one RU-vid video with an ad read brings in, not a big deal for him. The videos about the jet have probably earned more than that already.
@@MustangGTracing Yeah I agree, would love to see it as an ornament. Cleet obviously knew before buying the jet that it would never fly again, and just plays stupid for the camera sometimes. Seeing how much he mentions it being parked by the road or airfield I'm 90% sure that will be the end result.
That smile on Cleeters face when he’s talking about having his dream house built & having a videographer there to show each part of it while Cleet & Squirrel & the guys still get to knock out a ton of car content? Man, that had me smilin’ from ear to ear. So proud of ya, Cleeter. Keep on keepin’ on, my man… keep on keepin’ on!!!!
Make it a billboard for the Freedom Factory. And if still desired, find a flying jet that's up to date on all inspections. Lots of those light jets out there. The EMB 300 is popular or the EMB 100. Those still have the high cost of maintenance that all jets have. Plus pilot training at CAE or Flight safety.
Didn’t think about about that ,That’s a great idea to get his money back I bet he would get his money back in a year or less(edit after doing math just at $110 a night that’s 40k a year and that’s at least worth 200+ a night )
@@Doctors_TARDIS they're built more stout than most jets of that era. Especially any citation. Engineering of the wing was years ahead of anyone else at the time in that market segment. They're great machines
Honestly, I’d sell to the guy that offered $15K. If you sold the engines, you’d make $5k, but then you’d be stuck with a jet with no engines. As much as I love the idea of seeing it at the freedom factory, it’s nowhere near worth it.
There may be a way she can still fly.... in a way.... It could be the most badass Microsoft Flight Sim rig. Potentially a world first. Replace the cockpit windows with some nice monitors, setup a decent computer rig, and wire up existing buttons/controls to be mapped to perform their functions in the simulator, (where possible and regular PC peripherals for the stuff that can't) so it'll be the closest to flying the real thing as it gets.
@@davidcollin1436 one million? tf you smokin homie pass it this way lol6! A full on home enthusiast setup like what buddy was talkin about is 10-20k MAX if you go all out.
Im 6ft 6 finally a youtuber that respect his viewers enough to put xl tall in stock.!!!!! I hate not ever getting to get a shirt because its too dammed small Tall sizesssssssssss
Cleetus , I'm an A&P aircraft mechanic we could LS swap that Falcon Jet put a big Experimental sticker on side of that plan and get it back in the air .You be flying to LS fest in no time brother .
It’s the peace of mind that comes with having it inspected and knowing you won’t crash. Also, I don’t think you’ll have enough room for props, also limited on what you can do with an experimental. It’s the FAA version of saying, we’re not taking any liability for what happens.
Hi. I came here to see who the machine wants to promote as someone successful in SW Florida. I just heard you live here in my town. I'm a retired Psych & Detox Nurse/Foster Mom here. It's hard to understand what happened to men now for many of us who lived here for decades. TY for showing yourself. I believe we can restore communication between all humans. Collecting wealth isn't the greatest reward of life, but you guys all have to figure this out for yourselves. I'm praying for you guys, along with all men & lifeforms on earth. I miss men.👀🙏🤔
I'm definitely into the idea of taking it to the Freedom Factory and making some noise one last time. Sell the engines and turn it into an attraction. Knowing Cleeter, he'll figure out a way to make it mobile. The first Falcon 20 in existence to do a burnout.
@@tctokster99 I wonder if that $750,000.00 for Inspections is like when you have to have the Inspections every year and you haven't had them for 16 years, so you have to pay the cost for each of those back years, even if it's only gonna be a single set of inspections? 🤑🤑🤑
Hey bro Cleetus,you got my subscription after watching you fly your blue dragonfly in to N.C helping people. Im proud to see a young man with some vision for his future and enjoys his hobbies. God bless !
I’m going to Air Force basic training on September 3rd and won’t be able to watch RU-vid for two months so I have a feeling I’ll get to see a good portion of the start to your house build and then suddenly (for me) after BMT I’ll get to see all the progress you’ve made on your new forever home. Good job Cleet, you’ve become the family man so many of us aspire to be one day!
@@chip3428 Right on, I’m really looking forward to it. How was the heat this time of year? I’m hoping it cools down just a little bit by the time September rolls around haha
@@pnwchris2000 Straight up the heat sucks but you get used to it. You do PT early before it's too hot and they have a flag system that limits what you can and can't do outside. (No flag, green, yellow, red, black) We were pretty much flagged out by 9 so anything at that point is done under cover in the shade. The first few weeks suck for heat only because you're just outside more, you have transits for clothes and hair cuts, learning drill. Just stay hydrated and you'll be just fine. Also the uniforms they issue you are not the hot weather uniforms so just keep in mind once you're done you can get hot weather uniforms and roll up your sleeves, it's infinitely better. I'd recommend bringing a nice pair of running shoes and a decent size bag with you, you'll need the space when it's time to leave. Other than that every squadron is a little different so I can't say much more. I was 326 in the old dorms.
Sell the engines then park it on your airstrip and turn it into a lounge with an espresso machine. Stick an A/C window unit in the side and redo the interior, but gut the cockpit for more space.
Call West Star Aviation, They are the #1 MRO and has the largest Dassault Falcon department… we work on the Falcon 20 and 50 quite regularly. Joe was giving you great advice though. The cockpit and avionics look rough, and was probably an early model Falcon 20 based on what I saw. West Star can handle all the inspections, Overhaul, Interior, and Avionics upgrades.
I just checked the tailnumber, and the plane actually flew on the 9th July 2024 on a very short 11 minute test flight... interested to see the next video on this
How could that be? The tires are so damn dry rotted and the engine still has junk in it, maybe you got the wrong tail number or it was accidentally logged.
That plane wasn’t in a hangar all that long. I found it in a news article about an airport from about 2007 and they showed it sitting outside and said it was “an abandoned plane” then.
Keep it at the Freedom factory, turn the inside into a bar, dj booth on the wing, speakers where the engines are. Perfect for the after party at a track day
