Rumors have been swirling that the warbird collection of the late Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, has been sold.
Air Classics confirmed these rumors on its Facebook page last week, stating that the collection had been sold in its entirety.
“Many of the projects are being crated for shipment to their new home while the flying aircraft are being readied for cross-country trips,” Air Classics said in a recent Facebook post. “One man’s dream has come to an end, but another man’s dream has just begun.”
The new owner is reportedly Steuart Walton, who serves on the board of directors for Walmart and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. He is also a founder of composite aircraft manufacturer Game Composites.
Steuart is a pilot and avid warbird collector, with his fleet including a Goodyear F2G Super Corsair, three North American P-51 Mustangs, and more.
Allen’s extensive collection of aviation and military artifacts has been housed at the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Washington, for years.
When Allen passed in 2018, the museum and restoration center remained open, but closed indefinitely in May 2020, stating that COVID-19 was to blame. The fate of the collection was up in the air, with many enthusiasts fearing the collection’s upkeep would fall to the wayside.
Nearly a year ago, Courtesy Aircraft Sales was in charge of selling a handful of restoration projects from Allen’s collection, riling the aviation community again.
Ilyushin II-2m3 Shturmovik, photo courtesy of FHACM
Highlights of Allen’s collection include a DH98 Mosquito, Ilyushin II-1 Shturmovik, ‘long nose’ Focke Wulf Fw-190D-13 and a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka.
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