Stolen bitz triplane ei-apw

hank jarrett · 1 February 2009, 04:30 PM

Much as I would want to just go get my plane if it was me (or hire someone to do it) I would wait and use the legal system. Put yourself in his position. He is a businessman who probably thinks he got the plane legally, and now he thinks he might just be in possession of stollen property. If I was in his place, I would be talking to my lawyer, NOT the guy who contacted me and CERTAINLY not a group like this. If he is a straight up guy, his lawyer will be contacting you to find out if you have a legal claim. He is also probably talking to the police about how he should deal with the guy who got the plane to him.
Now is the time for patience. You know where the plane is. You made it public you were looking for it and a LOT of other people also know where it is too. Contact the authorities (Anyone know who that would be? Police? FAA? FBI?). I would think if you have documentation that the plane is yours it will be put in the legal custody of the courts till the guilty are identified and the true owner has his property restored. Going to an airport in the middle of the night with bolt cutters and recovering your property will make you an aviation version of O.J. Simpson. Everybody will loose. Get a judge to secure the property and hopefully you AND Lightsey could come out of this on top. This plane will have an incredible history when you get it back and Lightsey will have a chance to do something that will build him a great reputation in the community for honesty and (from the looks of those seats) good workmanship. Look for a WIN-WIN!
Hank

j ferguson · 1 February 2009, 07:38 PM

Uh.... Lynn is a lawyer.

Der Grüne Flieger · 1 February 2009, 08:22 PM

Hank is right, steer a steady deliberate course and don't resort to underhanded tactics in order to retreive your aircraft. Use the law and keep trying to get through to Mark Lightsey. He is not the enemy, so don't make him one.

Phil

Joe Perkel · 1 February 2009, 09:27 PM

This situation is simply awful, I hope for a proper resolution as well.

Lessons I take from this....

1) ID the aircraft with a distinct serial number and letter characters on a not easily replaceable part,..ie spar.

2) If aircraft is found as in this case, present probable cause to appropriate authority to inspect and impound the aircraft without warning if positively identified.

(In this case, Jim is correct, the Dwayne Dog's of the repo industry would know how to do this brutally, but legally).

Dogtail2 · 2 February 2009, 01:00 AM

Lets hope some light can be shed on this whole affair

Major Larabee · 19 February 2009, 11:33 AM

Just thought i would bump this to keep it on the first page!! still hoping for a good out come

tengew · 2 March 2009, 04:35 AM

bumpin to keep alive .... hope this gets cleared up

Joe Perkel · 2 March 2009, 05:00 AM

Blue Max has likely gone "Stealth" until final resolution.

Whomever can "prove" ownership, will come out with possession.

The key here, is identification of the aircraft.

Jim Bruton · 2 March 2009, 05:08 AM

This is why I have signed every rib in all my wings, and placed several maker's marks on my fuselage, made known in my builder's log.

Jim

Blue Max Aviation DR1 · 2 March 2009, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Perkel

Blue Max has likely gone "Stealth" until final resolution.

Whomever can "prove" ownership, will come out with possession.

The key here, is identification of the aircraft.

Sorry about that. I didn't mean to enter the stealth category, but I discovered the magic of malaria in. I am now staggering back to normal.

Ownership is the key.

I have held Titile to the Blue Aircraft since purchasing them, after The Blue Max. I sold all but EI-APW to allen Clarke's Fighting Air Command in Texas. DR1 EI-APW has an interesting history in that it was stolen from my hangars, in Ireland, by the director of the Aeroflex Foundation, in 1978. It was lost for a couple of years before it turned up at the Wings and Wheels Auction, coordinated by Christies (Patrick Lindsay) in Orlando, Florida.
When I saw a full page ad in Air Progress, detailing the auction, I flew to Florida and filed an action that saw my Title reaffirmed within the American federal court system. On this basis I took possession of the Triplane and hauled in to California where I stored it behind Bruce Goessling's hangar at Chino.
It disappeared from there and there was absolutely not sign of it until it showed up on this web site.

We are moving forward. The person who has possession, at the moment, has not replied to e-mails or other contacts. I will have to fly back and take care of this personally, as I did in Orlando, years ago.