11 Classic Planes Purchased In Big Horn County To Become Artwork, Scrap Or Land In Museums

“The Boneyard” close to Big Horn County Airport is emptier than it was a month in the past, but it surely’s not going anyplace. 

Many of the 11 classic plane not too long ago offered in a Big Horn County public sale nonetheless have some life left ahad of them. Some will grow to be museum reveals or artwork initiatives, whereas others are being scrapped. But many of the Greybull aviation “Boneyard” stays intact.

After a Public Surplus public sale, 11 classic plane owned by Big Horn County offered for greater than $50,000.

Paul Thur, Big Horn County Airport supervisor, was pleasantly shocked by the range of the six patrons who purchased the plane. The patrons embody plane aficionados, scrappers, and an artist with hovering ambitions.

“It’s more than I would have ever guessed,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “I’m sure most people would agree they did not want everything to go through the shredder, and pretty much got our wish.

“Four of the six buyers are helping these aircraft live on somewhere else, so two-thirds of the aircraft aren’t going to end up in a junk pile.” 

Thur couldn’t go into much detail on what the buyers say they are planning for their planes, but he’s eager to share what he can. Only two of the six were interested in stripping what they bought for scrap.  

“They’re currently cutting up and stripping what they bought, recycling everything, and selling it to scrapers,” he mentioned. “But those were mainly fuselages and incomplete aircraft. The intact ones are staying intact.”

Another purchaser has already picked up two plane and two fuselages and brought them to Utah. Thur mentioned that purchaser intends to have these plane reassembled and placed on public show within the close to future. 

“The fourth bidder already took his one plane to Utah, and that one will be reassembled as well,” he mentioned. 

The sixth purchaser is “an artist,” mentioned Thur, who has one thing formidable in thoughts for the three largest plane within the public sale.

“It’s going to take him a while to get his project rolling, but the idea is that all three aircraft will be reassembled,” he said. “Everything’s going fine with the removal process,” he mentioned. “No surprises or cans of worms.”

One thing Thur wanted Greybull and Wyoming residents to know is that the iconic Boneyard is there to stay. He’s seen “pretend information” that every aircraft was or will be taken away, but that has never been the case. 

“That’s simply patently false,” he said. “Less than half the plane are going away, and the Boneyard will most likely nonetheless be there lengthy after we’re all gone.” 

Purchasing Planes

In September, Big Horn County put 16 World War II and Cold War-era aircraft up for auction. They were acquired after a lengthy legal battle with Harold Sheppard, the man who had been leasing the property but had not been paying rent.

Thur said the auction was arranged once the Wyoming Supreme Court gave the go-ahead. 

“We’re simply cleansing up the property,” he said. “We want to get better some authorized charges and unpaid lease quantities, however on the finish of the day, instances are powerful with the county, and something helps.”

When the auction ended, 12 items — 11 aircraft and a tanker — had met their reserve prices and were sold. Five aircraft didn’t meet their reserve price by the auction’s end, and several other items were pulled before it ended. 

Thur admitted that the $53,660 total was shy of the $58,000 the county was hoping for, but they can still bridge that gap. The five remaining aircraft and other items pulled from the auction will be put up for auction again sometime in 2026.

“The concept is to re-auction these objects when the mud settles from everyone eradicating the objects they’ve received,” Thur mentioned. 

That accounts for “lower than half” of the aircraft residing at the Boneyard. The rest are owned by B&G Industries, an aircraft repair and fabrication company, and other entities that are still utilizing the planes and the property.

“That’s round 60% of the Boneyard, so far as I do know, that is not going anyplace,” Thur said.

Meanwhile, the aircraft sitting alongside U.S. Highway 14 are owned by the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting. It already owned one example of each aircraft that was auctioned off, and those aren’t going anywhere, either.

Could Be Quality

Gino Lucci, the owner of Round Engine Aero in Nashville, Michigan, was one of the six buyers. He recently visited Greybull to see the Lockheed P-2 Neptune he purchased. 

“We wished to seek out out what sort of form it was actually in, since we purchased it sight unseen,” he said. “You can see footage and movies on the public sale web site, however we wished to see what’s there. Can it’s made flyable once more? Is it museum high quality, or are we going to seek out one thing else to do with it?” 

Lucci founded Round Engine Aero in 1996, specializing in the restoration of pre-1970 aircraft, for flying or display, and supplying parts to the antique aircraft community. His customers have ranged from amateur pilots to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

One of Lucci’s most ambitious projects is the “Fabulous Flamingo,” a motorhome he made from the fuselage of a World War II-era Douglas R4D. He drove it to Greybull after acquiring the P-2 Neptune. 

“We’re sort of nuts,” Lucci said. “We know a good quantity of the blokes within the enterprise, and most of them do not have the need to try this type of factor.”

Lucci’s assessment of his P-2 Neptune is that it “could be museum-quality.” He won’t know for sure until it’s disassembled and transported back to Michigan, where he can tinker with it and see what’s possible. 

“When I say museum high quality, that does not imply it will appear like it’s when it is finished in a museum,” he said. “The P-2 Neptune was an digital warfare airplane, so we wished to see if the important thing parts, like seats and radio rack units, have been intact, and all that stuff’s in there.” 

Lucci said, at the very least, they’ll be able to save the front half of the P-2 Neptune. That’s the “enterprise finish” of any airplane, and what people find most appealing. 

“Anybody can go on the market and simply lower stuff, however we take them aside with the thought of any person’s going to fly this once more, even when it will by no means fly once more,” he said. “If there is not sufficient stuff for a museum, we will make one other automobile out of it, at the very least.” 

Trash And Treasure

There’s always an appetite for vintage aviation artifacts in “the warbird community,” as Lucci described it. Many of the buyers have made some money by selling pieces and parts.

Thur said most vintage aviation enthusiasts don’t have the room for a Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, but they’ll eagerly buy a window or two.

“I’ve related the patrons with individuals who’ve known as about home windows, doorways, and different items and components that they are promoting,” he said. “I’m not the intermediary in these dealings anymore, however even some items from the scrapped plane will stay on.” 

Lucci got some sweet swag when he swung by the Boneyard while the scrappers were working. Their trash was his treasure.

“We purchased an previous ‘Cigarettes Only within the Aircraft’ signal from somebody who was tearing up one of many airplanes we did not purchase,” he said. “We’ll put that within the Fabulous Flamingo once we do some upgrades this winter.” 

Everywhere And Nowhere

According to Thur, two of the buyers have already picked up and taken off with the aircraft they acquired. The two scrappers should be finished within the next month, and Lucci and “the artist” have signed extensions giving them another year to get their acquisitions off-site. 

“They’ll have till January 2027 to maneuver their stuff,” he said. 

Lucci said he’ll be bringing his own team and equipment to move the P-2 Neptune, piece by piece, back to Michigan. Since its interior is surprisingly intact, he wants to be very deliberate about how the aircraft is disassembled. 

“An enormous a part of our enterprise is learn how to take the plane aside in a method that it may be put again collectively,” he said. “There’s fairly a bit that goes into it, and there is actually no place in Greybull the place you’ll be able to lease the tools we have to disassemble it, so we’ll take it aside on-site and truck it again over the course of subsequent yr.”  

When Big Horn County sells the remaining five aircraft, that’ll be it for the aircraft auction. Everything else in the Boneyard is still being used for parts and restorations, and Thur said they’re not going anywhere.  

“Less than half of the Boneyard goes away,” he said. “And most of what we offered goes to be saved, reassembled, and displayed someplace the place the general public can see it.” 

Lucci admitted he didn’t need a P-2 Neptune, but he’s thrilled to have acquired the vintage aircraft, especially as it’s in museum-quality condition. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

“We have greater than sufficient stuff at residence,” he said. “This was a chance, and alternatives like this do not come by on a regular basis. When it occurs, you need to soar.” 

Andrew Rossi could be reached at [email protected].