I am trying to get a ballpark idea of the fair market value of an original Phoenix 8, new in the box. I just recently decided to get back into RC flying after 25 years. Back in th early 70's I learned to fly at an RC club in Dayton, Ohio where Don Lowe was a member and actively practiced for competition. While at the time, I did not really appreciate all his contributions to the hobby (and aviation) I did marvel at his smooth and precise flying.

As a wedding gift, a few years later ( around 1980) my wife gave me a Phoenix 8 for Christmas but I never got around to building it and shortly thereafter left the sport. Well the Phoenix went straight into the attic along with a new aeromaster and they have stayed there until this weekend.

I just happen to mention that I had one collecting dust the other day to a couple of members at my new club and they seemed pretty interested in buying or trading for it. The problem is that I don't kow if it is worth $1 or $100 and I have not found any of them listed on ebay. So I turned to this forum to see if someone here can give me any idea of what a fair price should be. To a large extent this is just "found money" so I'm just interested in getting some price that fairly represents it's approximate worth (big or small).

Thanks for any help that you can offer!

Larry

Hi Larry,
Please provide a description of the kit.
Does it have....
a fiberglass fuselage, (firewall installed?)
foam wing cores,
foam stab core,
are the cores covered with balsa or 1/64th ply?
are ailerons, elevator, rudder included?
is any hardware such as control horns, aileron torque rods included?
All of this information would help to establish a fair price for the kit.
Regards
JC

Larry,

I can tell you that our price for a new Phoenix 8 basic kit (fuse, belly pan, wing and stab cores, and plans) will be $250 plus shipping. That is down from the PAC price of $350 and I don't know how long we will keep that price.
http://aztecair.net/phoenix_8.htm

George T

George,

Thanks for the info. My kit looks just like what you described along with a small bag of wooden pieces. Nothing has been assembled and the cores are still inside the foam blocks from which they werre cut. So unless there is a premium or discount associated with its age it looks like it worth a little more than what I thought.

Until I found this particular forum I didn't realize that anyone was interested in these older (but still neet) planes. It seems like if you can't get it to dance around in front of you now a days no body is interested in it. For me the grace of a smooth pattern plane will always be the gold standard!

My goal at this point will be to try find this old lady a good home with someone who will appreciate the history that it represents.

Thanks again,

Larry

Hi Larry,

You came to the right place, and I would like to thank you for at least making this group aware of your "Old P-8". Lots of us "Silver haired" Daddy's remember not only the aircraft but Don and the linage of his Phoenix design.

I would humbly make this point concerning your recent find.... The members of your club should want this aircraft to BUILD and FLY! Some of these older kits have often times been "Stolen" from the original owner only to have them placed on eB** and sold for 3 bushel baskets full of Money!!

So in Contrast to gltruett, I recently bought from a very nice old flyer who can no longer fly, a P-8 finished, with 0S-61 SF in the nose, full set of Rom-Air Retracts, wheels, spinner, K & B Superpoxy finish on it, nice TF 11 x 7 prop. All servos, which were NEW Hitec's this complete package for $300.00.

Your wife probably paid around $125-150.00 for the P-8 when she bought it for you.

My sincere hope is that you sell it too a member of the BPA who is a BUILDER/Flyer who wants to have a P-8 of his very own and hopefully get to bring it to Huntsville,AL August 10th and let Don Lowe Sign the wing! ! !

OR, better yet, build it yourself, join us in Huntsville,AL and re-aquaint yourself with Don and see some of these "Silver Haired" old Pattern flyers, do their thing with some of these designs which still ignite a fire in my Bones! :-)

[sm=shades_smile.gif]

Tony,

Thanks for the advice. I would love to Don again, from his bio on the AMA website it sounds like might spend some time in my neck of the woods in FLA but I don't know where.

I have Super Tigre 60 Blue Head from back in the day as well which I might just use to build the plane and meet you guys in Huntsville. I still got the the same wife (how could you loose someone who woould buy you a Phoenix) so will have to see what she thinks about it.

Larry

Drive up to the BPA contest in huntsville al. on the weekend of aug 11&12 and you can see him (Don) there!!!


gary