My experience in small claims court is: 1) You can win if you have the documentation. 2) Even though you won, you may never be able to collect a dime. There's nothing that will compel the other party to pay. The court can force them to return your property, but there's nothing to prevent them from trashing it before they give it back.

You mentioned that he offered you 450.00 for the plane and motor. Did you ever get it in writing? Did anyone ever witness him offering to pay you next week?Have the "I'll pay you next week" stopped? If so, it's a good bet that he isn't planning on paying for it.

You also mentioned that he belongs to a club. You may be able to approach one of the club officers about the situation. They may be in a position to help. It happened in our club a while ago. The individual reneged on replacement of another member's plane after a shoot down. His club share was confiscated and he was removed from the club. How much digging and footwork are you willing to invest in going after this guy? The county courthouse is a treasuretrove of information. It's legal to look at and will give you some idea of whether or not it's worth pursuing this person in small claims. They may have a long list of outstanding judgements against them. In New York, this allows you to collect three times the award if they fail to pay. All of the names of the outstanding judgements are there too. In NYS there's nothing preventing you from contacting them and going after this person collectively. That alone may be enough to scare the poop out of this guy and he'll pay you to shut up.

Lastly- don't allow yourself to get bullied into a situation like this. Your stuff is your stuff. Get it in writing if someone wants it and for how much. They may back down if they know that you mean business. AN honest person will appreciate that as well. 450.00 may be the right price for this kind of life lesson. I've paid my dues.