MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Back in the mid-50;s, Tinker AFB, the site of one of the USAF's Air Material Area depots, was the storage location for a number of P-47N Thunderbolts. Although a magnificent airplane, the P-47 did not have a lot of civilian uses and there were very few bidders.
It was common USAF practice to keep the fuel tanks of airplanes filled in order to hold down condensation and the possible corrosion it could bring, and thus it was with the surplus P-47's. The winning bidder drained the high octane aviation fuel from the Thunderbolts and sold it. That netted him enough cash to pay the entire cost of acquiring the airplanes. Presumably he hauled the P-47's off and sold them for scrap.
It was common USAF practice to keep the fuel tanks of airplanes filled in order to hold down condensation and the possible corrosion it could bring, and thus it was with the surplus P-47's. The winning bidder drained the high octane aviation fuel from the Thunderbolts and sold it. That netted him enough cash to pay the entire cost of acquiring the airplanes. Presumably he hauled the P-47's off and sold them for scrap.
