bi-polar, or am i nuts

[jchronic]

And to Ernie's earlier point, my use of the phrase "over a barrel" was a poor choice of words. I don't think that most suppliers are necessarily gouging us (pilots); the situation is simply a reflection of the economic realities of the market as it is.

Maintaining an inventory of scarce items for what is essentially a niche - and diminishing - market, i.e. Skymaster owners, isn't a robust business model or a formula for getting rich. With many/most parts either out of production or otherwise hard to find, as long as we want or need to keep our airplanes flying paying the price of admission is going to be a fact of life. And the suppliers are in business to try and make a profit, not to subsidize our avocation.

Joe