Warbird Information Exchange

Questions for you warbird owners .....

What ( BESIDES FLYING) is the most satisfying aspect of owning a warbird? Is it the attention you get?, is it the people who come up and ask good, or bad, questions? Is it knowing you are a rare breed?, is it the history and memorial? .... Don't answer all the above, but just one that stands out. Is there one? And does the satisfaction of owning a warbird outweigh the cost of owning, etc. etc.?

And last question .... have these questions been asked before? .... I'll do a search if necessary if your over it already ...

Mark, and stop calling me Hellcat, it's only my log-in name ....

You'll get mixed answers on this question as there really isn't any single defining answer that will apply universally.

I can't speak for everybody of course, but in my experience each individual will have their own personal reasons for absorbing the expense of owning a Warbird.

For most single aircraft owners who fly Warbirds, there is usually a unique long held affinity and deep feeling for the Warbird they pick to own. There is of course a high degree of satisfaction that comes from flying a Warbird, and I will tell you from experience that for the smart owner, excess ego is best left on the ground. Getting attention and "knowing you are a rare breed" are not qualities connected to longevity in the Warbird arena

The satisfaction does outweigh the cost of ownership for most of the pilots I know who own Warbirds. If it didn't, ( the cost has become outrageous to say the least ) the cost factor alone without the satisfaction factor might very well constitute grounds for legal insanity

I believe most of what I've said here can be extended into the collector owners as well...at least most of them.

There are always going to be the few owners who equate horsepower with money instead of skill. I do my best to avoid such people.

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Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship

Very nice and interesting response indeed. I attended an airshow in Santa Maria in California years ago and I was standing next to an owner of a P-51, (who I will not name, but very well known) who said to his personal group of people ... "lets go give the sub-humans a show" .... I never forgot that. Gave me a sense of .... "stay away" attitude. Love to look at em, love to see em fly, but very rarely do I get close .... just me ...

I'm not bagging on anyone here, but I would really like to hear a good (true) response from an owner. I can't imagine there is anyone out there that attends airshows with their warbird that does not feel that ego thing. I know I would as well.

Mark,

I don't own the L-5 or the L-2, but as a member of the squadron, it sort of was "my" aircraft for the day... Especially at Midland as I was there by myself. When I took the L-2 to Lackland and to Midland, there was a bit of a sense of accomplishment, maybe even to the point of "ego." Certainly it was fun wearing the Air Crew badge - which is hanging on the wall next to me as I speak , and it was literally awesome being in the room for the pilot briefing with the CAF guys flying the show, and Julie Clark, and the F-15 demo pilots, and so on, but I think it was more just the idea that now I was actually getting to do what I'd always dreamed of, and it was SOOO cool getting to show the plane to the folks that came by the aircraft and hopefully pass on the same kind of experiences that made me want to do it in the first place. Here are some pictures -two pictures from Lackland, and one from Midland that say it all for me!







I'm really hoping that things will work out and I'll be able to take the L-5 some places this fall and winter.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Very good Ryan, that was exactly what I was looking for .... congrats to you. Keep up your great work ... You just explained the whole idea of being able to do what you do .... Have a great airshow season ....

Mark

Starting with the Caveat....Do I personally love to fly? do I get the utmost thrill from it?.....YES........but I would get that same thrill from a spamcan...it's just more fun in a warbird. Is there a bit of ego...maybe/maybe not. Being somewhat in the minority as a female on the warbird airshow circuit, I'm constantly having to "prove" that I'm really a pilot and that I own that airplane..not to fellow airshow people (well not anymore.,...LOL)....but to spectators and I guess in having to explain who I am it might sound a bit egotisical.

But why do I really do it and what gives me the most pleasure. When I was flying WWII aircraft that belonged to others, I was doing it to honor my deceased father who had a long military aviation career starting in WWII, Korean War and many years thereafter. When I bought the O-2A, I quickly learned of its combat history and started meeting those FACs that flew mine and other FAC aircraft. I do the shows to honor them because God knows they didn't get any thanks back in the day they were "fighting."

I guess I'll throw out a hokey line and say that I am so privileged to fly a former military plane and to honor those men - pilots, grunts, support people... everyone who fought the wars so I can be free.

Secondarily, I hope in talking to the young people I may help them understand a little bit about history and maybe even encourage them to fly in later years. So the best of all worlds.....honor the military guys, teach the kids and have a bunch of fun soaring above the ground but not "above" the people.

Mark, the way I look at it if you treat them like a rockstar there going to act like one.Me personaly would much rather have a conversation with the shop guys or gals that busted there butts, so that guy who flies that warbird or military jet there glory....

At Duxford they refer to it as "Feeding the Lions"

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

The owner of the P-51 and T-6 that I maintain has only enough ego to allow him to be a quality pilot. When we've gone to airshows, he gets the biggest kick out of allowing people to climb through the ropes and give them the grand tour of the plane. I lost count of how many people we did that for at Chino. We always sit around telling hangar lies and the one thing he always tells me how much he enjoys being able to let people get up close to the planes or sit in the cockpit. He feels like it is his responsibility to share the plane with as many people as he can.

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The more I learn about aircraft, the more I realize I still have to learn.

Very nice as well, just the way it should be. I would hope ...

Just a comment from the other side of the fence...airshow aficionado. With the exception of one (nameless WIXer), all of the owners/pilots that I have met at various shows have been extremely patient and willing to talk about their aircraft. Bob Odegarrd was nice enough to ask me to sit under the wing of his Super Corsair at Thunder a few years back, to get my son out of the sun. Sat and talked to him for the better part of a half hour...super friendly fella! Vlado, Bill, JimB and so many others are great people and for the most part seem to get a kick out of just chit-chattin with the mere mortals like me. For that I say a Great Big Thank You to all of the owners and pilots!

My .02 cents worth from the other side...

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

I don't own a warbird, but a classic aircraft and the thing I appreciate the most is when I make kids sit at the controls. The light in their eyes ! Who knows, I might be helping to create life long passions, just like it happenned for me. That is my little "pay it forward" contribution of sorts.

And I get a lot of old timers coming to me to share their experience in the type. I really like that part. I get a glimpse of someone else experience, sometimes from when this aircraft was brand new. I feel real priviledged that they would stop and share this with me. This is priceless !

So I can only imagine that warbird owners get a lot of that too and if they are like me, it is something they sherish a lot.

Apart from the pure joy of flying a unique aircraft, of course.

And being on "the other side of the fence", as far as warbirds are concerned, I have to admit that I am most of the time, simply green with envy !

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Michel C
Thousands of a/c pics at Passion-Aviation

Mark,

Flying the machine is definitely it for me. There's nothing like strapping the machine to my back, pushing up the throttle, yanking, banking and tail chasing other warbirds. The flying is also a connection to my dad's 1950s USAF flying stint and colors in his stories about intercepts and towing target sleeves in the same type I own.