Warbird Information Exchange

This one:

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

I mostly like the ones with pointy noses or round noses.

Mudge the easy

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Land of the free because of the brave

Many good points are made here. I'll try to contribute in kind.
I'm thankful we live in free countries where we can fly ex military a/c for grins. As a member says on his tag line "land of the free because of the brave."

I'm thankful for my kids and my three year old grandson who are with me right now. I've had some incredible experiences with warbirds since being involved with Lone Star but my grandson , who is all little boy, likes anything bright shiny and NOISY. The warbird I'm most thankful for is going to be the first one that he gets to see fly and hear make noise.

Moving on from that, naturally I'm proud of Lone Star's fleet and unabashedly biased towards the PBY's my dad served in. Any warbird mentioned so far is a good contender.
Granted, this thread is for flying warbirds but a static warbird beats a scrapped anything, are you with me?
Dan K. Big Cyclones spin my crank too.
Rick H. PLEASE share with the warbird world how y'all managed to circumvent the Navy's rectocranial inversion lawyers to fly jet warbirds. I like big piston jobs myself but we need more jets and more jet heads to get more of the younger generation involved.

Thanks for listening to the ramble
Canso42, thankful in Texas.

Canso, it's really a very simple process. You write legislative language, find a member of Congress willing to get that language written into a proposed bill going to one of the houses of Congress, get it through committee, see it voted on successfully in both Houses of Congress, and have it signed into public law by the President of the United States. After that they don't exactly roll over but inevitably they will comply. I asked numerous times, in writing, and verbally, " since when does DoD policy supersede Public Law " ? Never got an answer of any kind.

P.S.
Two of LSFM's will always be memorable for me. My very first ever WWII warbird flight was in LS's B-25, "Special Delivery" last May, Gumby and Dave up front doing the honors.
Thunderbird a few weekends ago was my first out of town airshow flight and first B-17 flight. Never forget that trip!
My first ever flight in a warbird of any kind was joyriding around Scholes Field in Rick's restored Huey after Airshow last April. Special thanks to him and to his buddy Les( I think that was his name) who actually flew us.

Still looking for an active P-boat to crew on.
Canso42

Rick H.
Sounds like you may have embarasse some folks who got caught in the wrong! Uh..Uh..Uh!

Doug

Somebody needs to embarrass them. You have seen me get on my soapbax on other related threads. What these people get away with in the name of public service is at times almost criminal !

Unfortunately, I must agree.

I've got some very special friends who have contributed significant bank to the effort to get "Doc" back in the air again. I'll vote for Doc, in hopes of seeing him in the air again soon.

B

Great thread all!

We have very healthy warbird activity here downunder in Australia, although I do envy the warbird scene in the USA and UK for the sheer variety of types that one can experience. The fighters get me going, I love the the Spitty and Mustang and see them at airshows here, but so want to hear and see a Lightning and T-bolt…..ah I dream on! I thank all who are involved in getting and keeping these birds in the air.

Having said that I agree with Dan K that the personal favorites are the ones with which we have personal experience.

We have no flying WWII 4-engined bombers in this part of the world but I have been lucky enough to experience a few flights in the HARS Super Connie, originally built as a C-121C for the USAF.

I like sitting over the wing on engine start, watching each R3350 rumble into life, with flame, smoke and noise. At take off with the aircraft shuddering and twitching on the brakes as all four growl with power I close my eyes and imagine a B-29. The PRTs throw bright blue flame streaming across the wing, 72 pistons thrashing, 144 plugs sparking, 288 valves opening and closing….and man the noise it is visceral… a thang of beauty.

Also in the Neptune P2V-7 in the rear observers seat with the window out, two R3350 turning, two Westinghouse J34s burning (or should I say screaming)….

Front seat of an ex RAAF Tiger Moth for a flight that included my first ever experience of aerobatics….mmm best fun I have had with my pants on.

Back set of CAC Winjeel …spins, loops, rolls…the pure joy…

To sum up I am thankful for all the warbirds – where ever, when ever, who ever, I luv youse all

Cheers
Mark

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Is it big, round, loud and belch flame?

the former matt denning boomerang
paul