Folland Gnat T.1 For Sale For Just Under $300K

If you ever wanted to be Topper Harley ... the character portrayed by Charlie Sheen in the "Top Gun" spoof "Hot Shots" ... you're in luck. The 1963 Folland Gnat T.1 used in the movie has been put up for sale, and it can be yours for $295,000.

The Gnat is no longer painted grey with "The Navy" stenciled on the fuselage. It has been returned to its RAF Red Arrows livery by its owner in Colorado, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail.

The total time on the airframe is 2,994 hours, with 1,158 hours on the current engine. That engine is thirsty, burning between 160 and 180 gallons per hour. The Gnat has s cruise speed of right around 600 knots at 20,000 ... and it can get to that altitude in a minute.

It is fitted with an ejection seat, and all manuals are available.

The paper said the Red Arrows installed a modified tail on the Gnat for "for specialized use," while the current owner installed a new wing after he acquired it in the 1980s. The deal also includes a fair number of spare parts, including wingtips, a rudder, a horizontal stabilizer, and a $25,000 brake assembly, according to the report.

The airplane has been listed by GlobalAir.

(Image from GlobalAir listing)

FMI: https://www.globalair.com/aircraft_for_sale/Warbird_Aircraft/Folland/Gnat__T.1_for_sale_74714.html