A few weeks ago the assets of Schlafco, one of the largest operators of PBY's, were sold in auction in Moses Lake, WA. For sale were three complete PBY's (two supers and a stock one), a B-23 and a KC-97 were sold. Many parts ended up going to the scrapman, including complete flying surfaces and many small bits and pieces. The KC-97 was a last minute addition from the airport authority and was being sold to pay tie-down costs. The airframe was complete, but rough as it has been sitting since the 1980's. The airport authority says it must be moved in 180 days, and it sold for...$4,200!

That Moses Lake C 97 was sure cheap for an essentially complete aircraft. The scrappers paid between 12,000 and 20,000 for KC 97Ls auctioned off by the govt in the late 70s early 80s. Some had low time engines too. I heard that the ex CA ANG C 97G at Fox Field in Lancaster CA was auction off by GSA a few years ago for about 12,000. It was 100% complete from what I could see. It had rotted fabric control surfaces but everything else was as it was when flown in there. It had a lot of sunburned opaque plexiglass, but no obvious corrosion. Wonder what H&P paid for the restaurant C 97 they bought in oregaon a few years ago?

How much did the PBYs sell for?

Since this plane has served as a spares ship for the ex Grace Air now BAHF C 97, it is probably not a great candidate for a flyaway. Parts were swapped to keep the Moses lake C 97 physically complete so the Moses lake 97 would likely have lots of bad components. Hope it is not scrapped on site.

So, who is the new owner of the PBYs and the solo B-23? And how much did he/she pay?

Nicolai Musante