USAF Bars Flight Of Ross Junior's Talons

You might remember Ross Perot, Jr. (right). No, not the guy who ran for president awhile back -- his son. Ross Junior is an aviation enthusiast. He was the first to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter 22-years ago, before serving eight years in the USAF.

Now that he can afford one, Perot wanted a T-38 Talon of his very own. So he bought two -- one from a dealer in Oklahoma and one from an airport in Utah.

But now, the government says he can't fly them.

Federal law regarding retired military aircraft says they have to be grounded and stored at approved military museums. Although Perot is behind the Alliance Heritage Museum, it doesn't yet have a physical plant and has not been approved as a museum capable of housing such aircraft.

Now, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX) reports the US attorney's office and Perot's legal team are on the verge of signing an agreement that, when executed, "will resolve any criminal or civil actions," according ti Fred Alverson, a spokesman for the US attorney's office in Dayton (OH).

"It took a while to work through, but I think the end result is a good clear understanding," Alverson said. "The right thing is being done for the plane, the museum and for the Air Force."

Under the agreement, Perot's Alliance Heritage Museum will relinquish the T-38s. One will go to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. The other will go back into storage in Arizona.

FMI: www.perotsystems.com