"pssst....Hey you.... fly boy....you want to buy a MIG????"

[Tom]

If you have the money, you can buy one.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/news/a28700/raptor-aviation-cold-war-fighter-jets/?src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=102017

[Gliderjohn]

I'm sure Kirby1923 could chime in on this. If you have the money honey I have the plane. There are jets out there that can be bought quite cheap but the hourly flying costs, insurance and maintenance is what will kill all but the very rich.
I remember reading an article in Flying Magazine many years ago of a private owner of a F-104 Star Fighter. The only way he afforded it was by being able to perform at airshows. Not counting fuel and other expendables his annual costs were in the quarter million dollar range. If I remember correctly his 20 minute airshow routine went through 5,000 ibs. of fuel.
GliderJohn

[Arizona Wayne]

I remember a # of years ago you could buy a used Russian Vietnam war jet fighter for $15K.     Like said, the maintenance, fuel cost is what kills you. 

[Murray]

I'm sure Kirby1923 could chime in on this. If you have the money honey I have the plane. There are jets out there that can be bought quite cheap but the hourly flying costs, insurance and maintenance is what will kill all but the very rich.
I remember reading an article in Flying Magazine many years ago of a private owner of a F-104 Star Fighter. The only way he afforded it was by being able to perform at airshows. Not counting fuel and other expendables his annual costs were in the quarter million dollar range. If I remember correctly his 20 minute airshow routine went through 5,000 ibs. of fuel.
GliderJohn

200litres a secound can be shovelled out the back of a TF30-p-103 although this could be reduced to zero fairly rapidly, by sudden throttle changes! 

Buying the plane would be the cheap bit then you have to find a few people that know their way around it with the workshop tools to maintain it at best you are probably looking at 20 plus man hours for every hour of flight time. Assuming you don't bother with retaining things like ejection seat functionality. Something like a P3 or C130 would be cheap in comparison.

[Perazzimx14]

If I remember correctly his 20 minute airshow routine went through 5,000 ibs. of fuel.
GliderJohn

Sounds like the "jetting" was a little "rich"

[charlie b]

Yep, back when the MIG15 to 21's were being sold a buddy (retired AF pilot) and I looked at the costs.  New jet plus a few spare engines was much less than $100k.  But, flying one for a couple of hours was also near $100k.

He then went back and figured out that his 'fun' missions in FB-111's ran over $250,000 per hour.  And that did not count the man hours of maintenance required per hour of aircraft time.

Needless to say we didn't go any further.

[Murray]

He then went back and figured out that his 'fun' missions in FB-111's ran over $250,000 per hour.  And that did not count the man hours of maintenance required per hour of aircraft time.

Needless to say we didn't go any further.

Man hours of maintenance is why the F-111C's ended up in the bottom of a coal mine from distant memory it was out to 80hours maintenance for every flying hour, and there are people that are still perplex they got retired. Fatigue life was about 16 000 hours.

[Chuck in Indiana]

If you must absolutely positively *have* to have a jet.. build your own.
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/subsonex/

[Tom]

Another small jet.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gPc2D9FMOo

[drbone641]

Theyre some fun jets 

[Gliderjohn]

From Tom:

Another small jet.

In the back of a hanger seven miles from my house at the Newton, KS airport, the prop version. In fact the BD series was manufactured here, Newton, KS. Took this picture a year ago.



GliderJohn