Ok these what if topics seem to be whats hot right now, but rather than talk about something practical, lets just get crazy.

If you had $500,000,000 and you had to spend at least 50 percent of it on any aircraft ever made that is still able to be pieced together, AND the airworthiness certificate were no factor, you could make any modifications you want (any airframe parts and any engine type no matter civilian or military) and you have 100 master A&P mechanic's for free, what aircraft would you bring to the world? Be as detailed and ridiculous as you want to be.

I'll get it started.

My aircraft would be a fully refurbished Boeing 727-100 with three GE F110-GE-132 engines which put out 16,610lb thrust in military thrust and 32,000lb thrust with afterburner. I would make the nose sharper and give it a full flying stabilizer instead of the conventional tail. I would also give it conventional single slotted flaps, blended winglets, and fuselage speed brakes from the F-15(two at 45 degree angles from vertical near the rear). I would also upgrade the flight controls to use the FBW of the C-17 and give it a G3000 cockpit upgrade.

Even the most powerful 727 only has 65,100lb of total thrust with the JT8D-219 engines. Mine would have a AB takeoff thrust of 96,000lb. Field performance would be incredible.

Easy. A 747-8i

Second choice would be a 777-300ER.

With all that money, just an A340-300 for my long haul, a Falcon 20F for my regional and a Eclipse 500 for the short. That would be my aviation. Maybe I won`t even spent half of that money.

Half a billion wouldn’t even get you started on your redone B727. Field performance would be awful due to a new Vmcg of probably 200 knots, a Vmca near Vmo and no chance of an STC.

GF

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Half a billion wouldn’t even get you started on your redone B727. Field performance would be awful due to a new Vmcg of probably 200 knots, a Vmca near Vmo and no chance of an STC.

GF

I forgot to mention the STC in the OP.

Let me re-iterate- THERE ARE NO LIMITS to what is allowed, no matter how rediculous. This topic is about what you would do if you had no limits. If you want to bring back the Concorde, do it. If you want to put a GE90 on the back of a Space Shuttle DO IT.

Be silly with us man, there are enough topics about the plain jane world of the real.

As for horrible field performance, i'll put telescoping landing gear on it to give a higher pitch on takeoff. Then the excess thrust will take care of the rest.

Let me do some rough math really quick (all best guess).

727-100 airframe minus powerplants + all those upgrades i mentioned: $160,000,000
New -32 after burning turbofans: $20,000,000 each (the F-35 engines were $16,000,000 each back in 2014 so im being generous with the price)

That's only $220,000,000 and I have $500,000,000 to spend plus free workers as mentioned in the OP.

$500 million? I might just be talking to Scaled composites to work out an 6 engine wonder with six PW4170As. and one big fusalage.
The bowling alley would flip over to become the dance floor.

Hmmm... C-17 landing gear, maybe a few more boggies. Big Lockheed Connie like triple tail, just because I like them. Maybe 8 engines now that I think about it...

Easy: I'd find an old 707, put new engines on it, and call it a day.

lightsaber wrote:

$500 million? I might just be talking to Scaled composites to work out an 6 engine wonder with six PW4170As. and one big fusalage.
The bowling alley would flip over to become the dance floor.

Hmmm... C-17 landing gear, maybe a few more boggies. Big Lockheed Connie like triple tail, just because I like them. Maybe 8 engines now that I think about it...

That's the spirit. What kind of runway might you need for such a beast though?

I'd buy a 747SP from the Iranian scrappers and restore it to flyable condition with complete PW JT9D engines & Pan Am cabin & livery. Obviously I'd have extra money to spend, so I'll re-manufacture and store all the parts to service the aircraft so that it can fly on for another 40 years.

I’d buy a 787-8 BBJ, a Gulfstream G650, and a Pilatus PC-12, plus maybe something a bit smaller and slower like a Cirrus SR-22, and with the rest of the minet i’d buy a nice house, a few McLaren’s and Porsche’s, and keep the rest to keep the planes airworthy.

Vulcan.

A single engine piston with a nice cockpit, a hangar and enough fuel to last me a lifetime. With that budget I might even stretch as far as a 180 hp variant with fuel injection. Probably a Cessna 172S or something similar. I would consider modding it with a 3-bladed propeller and a GPS, but would keep the steam guages. Noise reduction headsets are a must of course.
Does anybody know how the 172 compares with the 182? Which is better for short fields?

Possibly an aerobatics plane on the side, maybe one of those nice Sukhoi's or Yak's, or even a Stearman.

Get one of russian FSW prototypes (say, Su 47 Berkut), get it reengined to more "standard" engine (F100 would fit, maybe?) and let it fly

A super VC10 with 6 conways. Just think of the noise and the smoke!!!

An A350-900, no questions. With the rest of the money I would build myself a runway for it

VSMUT wrote:

A single engine piston with a nice cockpit, a hangar and enough fuel to last me a lifetime. With that budget I might even stretch as far as a 180 hp variant with fuel injection. Probably a Cessna 172S or something similar. I would consider modding it with a 3-bladed propeller and a GPS, but would keep the steam guages. Noise reduction headsets are a must of course.
Does anybody know how the 172 compares with the 182? Which is better for short fields?

Possibly an aerobatics plane on the side, maybe one of those nice Sukhoi's or Yak's, or even a Stearman.

I like your idea, but the OP's point as I understood it was that you had to spend at least half of the budget on the plane itself. You would need to gold-plate your Cessna with a layer so thick that it probably wouldn't even fly!

$500,000,000?

rigo wrote:

VSMUT wrote:

A single engine piston with a nice cockpit, a hangar and enough fuel to last me a lifetime. With that budget I might even stretch as far as a 180 hp variant with fuel injection. Probably a Cessna 172S or something similar. I would consider modding it with a 3-bladed propeller and a GPS, but would keep the steam guages. Noise reduction headsets are a must of course.
Does anybody know how the 172 compares with the 182? Which is better for short fields?

Possibly an aerobatics plane on the side, maybe one of those nice Sukhoi's or Yak's, or even a Stearman.

I like your idea, but the OP's point as I understood it was that you had to spend at least half of the budget on the plane itself. You would need to gold-plate your Cessna with a layer so thick that it probably wouldn't even fly!

Just dont spend it then 250.000.000 is plenty to operate it anyway

I’d buy a couple of 757s. Pratt powered with winglets.

-Rowen

Install windows in a C-17.
Put lightweight floor making it double deck.
Deluxe fitout with showers and proper bed.
Back half of the lower deck is car storage.
When I arrive at my destination I drive out.
STOL and low tyre loading allows it to operate at small airports.

Extra fuel tanks, quieter and environmental friendly engines, VIP config for no more than 50 pax and a brand new MD-11LR ( )would be in the air ASAP.
Sorry, no ticket sales, just for me and invitees and maybe, just maybe, few charters, depending on the requester.
How much of my money is left then?

I'd buy the following:

-Super VC10 with four PW1100G engines, modern flight deck, and capable of being flown by one person.
-Lockheed Starship with updated avionics
-Spartan Executive 7W

Now if I were to get crazy, maybe I'd do the following:

B-36 bomber converted to pusher turboprop engines and counter-rotating props. Install glass panels in the roof. Two levels, with the upper level being a lounge for 20 people, plus a dining room and kitchen. Lower level would be enough beds for 20, plus bathrooms.

Antonov 225 with autonomous flying ability and the ability to launch AND retrieve the Space Shuttle while inflight, as well as a way to go between each aircraft inflight.

Then create a microwave power system with relays on captured (via space shuttle) asteroids to power my moonbase. The 225 will be my mobile home on Earth.

TWA772LR wrote:

Antonov 225 with autonomous flying ability and the ability to launch AND retrieve the Space Shuttle while inflight, as well as a way to go between each aircraft inflight.

Then create a microwave power system with relays on captured (via space shuttle) asteroids to power my moonbase. The 225 will be my mobile home on Earth.

I know Russia sells cheap, but could you afford the Shuttle to go along with the AN225? LOL.

I'm really liking a lot of these idea's. You have to admit it's nice to get silly every now and then when we are drowning in the seriousness of this website 24/7.

Andre3K wrote:

TWA772LR wrote:

Antonov 225 with autonomous flying ability and the ability to launch AND retrieve the Space Shuttle while inflight, as well as a way to go between each aircraft inflight.

Then create a microwave power system with relays on captured (via space shuttle) asteroids to power my moonbase. The 225 will be my mobile home on Earth.

I know Russia sells cheap, but could you afford the Shuttle to go along with the AN225? LOL.

Uncle Vladimir loves me very much!

For me would have to be a Tristar.



The front of the aircraft would be fitted with 24 "apartments" and the rear of the plane would be a fun area with a large screen cinema, mini golf, gym and other silly ideas. The hardest part would be to design my own livery.

For me it has to be the 777 or 747-8 hands down. Both in my opinion are beautiful, well built birds. Fell in love with both at first sight.

I'd have someone build me a DeHavilland Mosquito, fitted with 2400hp Griffon 101 engines, 5-bladed variable pitch props and a glass cockpit. Built out of kevlar instead of wood, it would be pressurised and fitted with 4 very comfortable seats and a single berth in the nose. It would have FBW and the wings would incorporate slats and a revised, multi-slotted, flap system allowing for low approach speeds, so I could drop the thing in at Courcheval for a spot of skiing, or St. Barts for a bit of beaching.

Then only reason I'd go with that solution, is that 500M is not enough to resurrect a Concorde.

Just buy a G650, and keep rest of the money for ops.

I would put it all on black.

Then buy some 747s and start a gorgeous airliner.

I would pull a Convair 880 out of the desert, have it completely restored to factory fresh standard. The inside will be configured as an apartment, I will use it to travel the globe.

The rest of the money is needed to pay the fuel it takes and all the noise fines I'm gonna get

Cheers,
T1a

This one needs to be rebuilt:

BartSimpson wrote:

This one needs to be rebuilt:

Hell yes, island hop all the Caribbean

I'd buy a Boeing 787-9. Then configure it as:
Fully enclosed suites in 1-1-1 config in first class
Lie flats in 1-2-1 config for business
Loungers in 2-3-2 config for premium economy
Standard seats with 32" pitch at 2-4-2 config for economy

readytotaxi wrote:

For me would have to be a Tristar.



The front of the aircraft would be fitted with 24 "apartments" and the rear of the plane would be a fun area with a large screen cinema, mini golf, gym and other silly ideas. The hardest part would be to design my own livery.

I would do an L-1011 as well.

>All first class, ultra-low density, 50+/- seats total
>New engines
>Increased fuel capacity
>Downstairs lounge w/ bar

When not in use it would be lightly chartered to help abridge maintenance costs.

Great, I'll buy my own MD-80. I know where I can probably get a deal on one (cough cough DL/AA).

L1011
-upgraded engines
-full vip config
-upgrade flight deck and remove FE panel like they do the md10
-put it in a cool livery (like Las Vegas sands)
- get the airframe inspected and refurbished for flight.
- get all paperwork done and keep the rest of the money for my training to fly it.

I would buy a 747-8. Upstairs would be my private residence. The nose section would be a cinema. Between doors 1 and 2 would be a bar and dining tables. Between doors 2 and 4 there would be private suites for friends and a small work out room. The back of my 747 would be a fully loaded lounge for hanging out. There would also be gaming stations for my nephews

I would also have the world's most kick ass galley in the back that could cook and prepare ANYTHING.

I would also do this with an A340-600 to make sure I spent all the money.

DDR wrote:

I would buy a 747-8. Upstairs would be my private residence. The nose section would be a cinema. Between doors 1 and 2 would be a bar and dining tables. Between doors 2 and 4 there would be private suites for friends and a small work out room. The back of my 747 would be a fully loaded lounge for hanging out. There would also be gaming stations for my nephews

I would also have the world's most kick ass galley in the back that could cook and prepare ANYTHING.

I would also do this with an A340-600 to make sure I spent all the money.

After buying that 747 and doing all that, you might not have any money left. Better save a couple mil for fuel and MX.

FriscoHeavy wrote:

Easy. A 747-8i

Second choice would be a 777-300ER.

Same here. They’re both great as is.