Article: 4346 of rec.aviation.misc
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From: wanttaja@halcyon.com (Ronald James Wanttaja)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.misc
Subject: I've Got Their Number (And they want it)
Date: 4 Sep 1993 00:37:50 -0700
Organization: "A World of Information at your Fingertips"
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As most of you know, I'm a member of a flying club operated Pete Bowers'
original Fly Baby prototype, N500F.

I talked to Pete today.  He received a letter from a Florida firm,
wanting to buy the Fly Baby's Registration number.  For some reason, this
outfit wants N500F on one of its aircraft.

We were speculating what the value of a given number might be.  Anyone
have any ideas?  I'm trying to discourage Pete from taking such an
offer; the 'Baby's pretty historic under its current number.  Which, for
that matter, is not its original one....

We did happen to trade N-number purchasing stories.  He knew a guy with
a Waco who had N500P, which was coveted by a New York company whose
offices where at 500 Park Avenue.  The Waco owner complained that
painting out the old number would leave ugly traces of new paint on the
old.  The company hemmed and hawed, and finally gave him the money
necessary for a complete recover and repaint of the Waco.

At which point the guy cashed the check, applied for a specific new
number, got it... and went out to the airport and painted a "F" at the
end of his old number:  N500PF.  He had a nice little nest egg for when
the Waco REALLY needed repainting.

My favorite concerns a particular aviation writer... I think it was
Peter Lert.  He owned a sailplane in the 60's.  His trailer was shaped
like a rocket, so he applied for and got an N-number that spelled the
name of a famous ground-to-air missile.  He painted the number on the
trailer as well as the glider.

Years later, a certain sportswear company wanted a particular N-number
for its corporate aircraft.  Turns out Lert had it.  After much
negotiation, Lert agreed to give up his number:  N1KE.  He hasn't had to
buy tennis shoes for quite a number of years....


                                          Ron Wanttaja
					  wanttaja@halcyon.com