On 9/11, Russian Fighter Jet Listed on Ebay Draws $400,000 Opening Bid

Throughout the nation, Americans commemorated the 9/11 anniversary yesterday with peace vigils, fireworks, remembrances ...and a $400,000 opening bid on a Russian fighter jet listed on Ebay, the worlds premier on-line auction site.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) September 14, 2004 -- Throughout the nation, Americans commemorated the 9/11 anniversary yesterday with peace vigils, fireworks, remembrances ...and a $400,000 opening bid on a Russian fighter jet listed on Ebay, the worlds premier on-line auction site.

The plane, a 1982 Albatross L-39C, is being billed as the sexiest Russian fighter jet in the United States". It certainly has the most interesting history of any of the 163 Albratrosses currently registered in the United States.

The owner of the plane traveled to the Ukraine to find the best Albatross on the market. He then tracked down Yevhen Devrenyenski, the former base commander and chief of air traffic control for the Ukranian government. Devrenyenski is the squadron leader for the Ukraine national aerobatics team (the Russian equivalent of our Thunderbirds), and the former lead pilot and base commander at Haracov Ukraine, which is the primary training base for all Russian fighter pilots (the equivalent of our Top Gun school). Devrenyenski was given carte blanche to put together a team of the best mechanics in Russia. He chose two men: the primary airframe mechanic from Haracov, and the head of all emergency egress and power plants.

It took a year to get visas for the three of them to come to the United States to put the plane in top condition. They spent eight months, and logged in 3,600 hours, redoing the plane from top to bottom. They took it apart and did a full restoration, down to the last rivet.

The cost of buying and restoring a Russian fighter jet? $495,000.

The auction runs through September 21. The auction for the fighter jet can be seen at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2489576445&ssPageName=ADME:B:LC:MT:1

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