In the Market for an Airplane? Or Two? Check Out DMPS
An original model of a Gulfstream is being sold by DMPS.
In the market for a used plane? Or two? Well, you’ve checked the rest now try the best at Des Moines Public Schools.
OK, DMPS has not turned into a used plane lot, but the school district is accepting bids on a couple of surplus aircraft that are currently part of the Central Campus aviation technology program. The planes are being sold in advance of the aviation program moving from its current location at the Des Moines International Airport to a new facility on County Line Road.
A 1960 Sabreliner is one of two aircraft being sold by DMPS.
DMPS is accepting offers on two aircraft. One is a Grumman Model G1, the very first version of a Gulfstream that is synonymous with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The one owned by DMPS (tail number N65CE) was built in 1960. The G1 recorded its first flight in August 1958, and a total of 200 of this model were produced between 1959 and 1969. It was a popular mode of private air travel in the 1960s by the political and entertainment elite.
The second aircraft is a North American T-39, also known as the Sabreliner due to similarities with the F-86 Sabre fighter jet. The plane in the DMPS fleet (tail number N431NA) was also built in 1960. First flown in September 1958 and intended as a military training aircraft, the model was later offered for sale as a private business jet starting in the 1960s. A total of 800 Sabreliners were built between 1959 and 1982.
Interested in making an offer? Bidders may inspect either aircraft until May 8. The deadline to submit a bid is 3:00 PM on May 13. For more information about the aircraft and the bidding process, visit the DMPS web site.
DMPS is home to one of only three FAA-licensed high school aviation technology programs in the nation. The program, a part of Central Campus, will be moving to a new facility later this year. Work is currently underway at the site, located on County Line Road near McCombs Middle School. Some of the aircraft currently in the DMPS fleet, including a Learjet, will be moved to the new facility late this summer.
