I'm game for seeing most any warbird remain airworthy rather than sit on display like a stuffed animal. With that said, I do have a couple of disputes with seeing the rarest of the rare, especially historic sole survivors, remain in service.
Firstly, in regard to actual historic airframes, it bothers me that large portions of the original plane usually have to be replaced, stripped out, or otherwise discarded in order for the restoration to meet flight regulations. It's awesome that historic airframes like the P-47 "Dottie Mae" will be returned to flight in 100% "authentic" condition, but I have to say, I'd be losing more than a few nights of sleep if I was the guy tasked with stripping the original markings, including the pilot and ground crew's hand painted names off of that fuselage. During a refurbishment such as this, all I can hope for is that the resto-team approaches at least the first phases of the job with the mindset of archaeologists. As best I can tell so far, the team on the "Dottie Mae" project is going about the job with the right kind of respect, which is great!
Finds like this are doubly priceless because of that particular airframe's unique history. You only find a plane like that
once. As I see it, the actual worth of the ‘historic account’ accompanying a particular airframe can only be logically measured in direct correlation to the actual intrinsic properties preserved during the restoration. Every fraction of the original touchstone that is thrown out takes with it a page from that airframe’s story. In the extreme cases, all you’re left with is a work of fiction trying to pass itself off as fact; and that’s a quick way to get Oprah on your bad side!
It's prudent for owners of such rarities to honor true originality, if only because of the inherent value it adds to the plane. Like any other passion, there are always going to be a few operators out there with more money than sense. Ultimately it's their right to do with their property what they may. It's also their right to be judged as a shortsighted idiot for throwing money at a restoration project without a balanced helping of common sense!
I've gotten peeved with certain projects where historical clues and evidence that could have easily been recorded was lost in the frenzy to strip, sanitize, and rebuild a plane into a generic representation of its type. There’s only so much original fact that can be cultivated from the remaining unrestored airframes, and I personally believe it’s in history’s best interest to gather this info as the opportunity presents itself. For those who’ve kept track, imagine if the RNFAA Museum had simply chosen to take a paintbrush and thinner to their FG-1D Corsair when the time came to refurbish it for display!
Of course, the greatest pitfall with the operation of super rare types is the potential for complete destruction. There's nothing like having an ultra-historic airframe disappear in a ball of fire to make you question the validity of flying sole-survivors, or planes such as Champlin's Fw-190D, etc. Then again, there's something very exciting about witnessing the living spirit of a particular plane as it hedges the possibility of eradicating itself, and its type from all known existence!
The first time I became aware of this feeling was when I watched the XP-51 makes it final flight at Oshkosh ’82. I remember asking the question, “So that’s the first one? The original experimental one?” Even at age twelve, I sensed the intensity of watching that plane’s last historic flight, balanced against the equally intense potential for loss had the plane and its pilot otherwise ended up in a fiery heap on landing. It’s the same rush you get from watching a vintage racecar rally. It’s doubly exciting to watch the classics in living action, but quadruple the pain when they pile up in the turn. In many cases the last chapter of that car history is written for all time, punctuated in finality with a footnote depicting the failure of the owner/driver to preserve that original touchstone for all future generations. There will always be those who live for the history, and those who live for the race. It’s those of us who live for both that are truly screwed in their attempts to answer the ultimate question!
Finally, I've got to say I’m beyond pleased that we've reached the point where it's viable for teams like FlugWerk, Texas Airplane Factory, Tri-State Aviation, etc to build virtually authentic reproductions of planes that previously populated the "ultra rare" list. The time line for future warbird operations previously based on the attrition rate of original airframes is now irrelevant! We can only hope that the trend will continue to broaden and incorporate a greater variety of warbird types as time marches on. It’s a saving grace for enthusiasts and historians alike who find themselves torn between wanting to see an airworthy Fw-190D fly in this lifetime, and
not wanting to witness the possible destruction of the only authentic example capable of flight. It’s a testament to the success of these new-production planes that those concerned with the very issue forming the basis of this thread can finally rest a little easier. The best response to a sometimes-bitter dispute in viewpoints is to have your cake and eat it too!
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