Warbird Information Exchange

Here's the new thread as promised- How did you get into aviation/warbirds? And is your family into them? What other hobbies have you got?

I'll start- I am from a pretty much non-aviation family: nobody had a pilot's certificate, and commercial was the only flying they knew. When I was very young, I found one of my neighbors had an airplane! Sooo... it was arranged I would get a ride, and when the day arrived, - THUNDERSTORMS! I could not understand what the problem was, and was one very disappointed little kid. The flight was rescheduled for a week later, and I climbed aboard my neighbor's Mooney at KVAY wearing my (then) favorite cowboy togs- even the plastic pistol and holster!(Ok- I went to go flying as a cowboy. I wear a flying helmet to ride horses... lol..) Anyway, I was about 4 or 5, and all I could see in front of me was steamer gauges, and clouds outside the window. Dad sat in the back seat, I had right front... I even got to turn the yoke...

That first flight created a desire to fly more, though it was years later. As a teenager, I would go to the "Ripcord Paracenter" at KVAY(Steve Snyder owned the place when he invented the Para-Plane), which was a geodesic dome in what is now a parking lot, where the local parachute types would learn to jump out of aircraft, etc. I'd pay a few bucks for a ride, put on a chute(USAF surplus backpack type) and go flying in the most unusual way- with my back against the control panel of what I think was a Cessna of some large variety, sitting (seat belted) on the floor, in front of where the right yoke had been removed. They would open the door next to me, and it would swing up to the underside of the wing. At altitude, the jumpers would step over me, and exit the plane. I go to stay in until the landing.(Made much more sense to me). I did this many times, but would go months and years between flights. But loved it when I could go!

After 9-11, I got more serious about flying, and started my lessons, this time officially. After 80 or so hours, I received my ticket (ASEL) on 17 December, 2003. Shortly thereafter, I joined the USAFR, having been recently honorably discharged from the USAR/NG after 8 years.

This piqued my interest in aircraft maintenance, and so I embarked on my school career, receiving my A&P on 1 April, 2008. And now I teach it.

As to warbirds, they have always fascinated me, ever since I found copies of the WWII US Army Aircraft ID books... And "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" mesmerized me- I still have the copy I forgot(yes- honestly forgot!) to return to the school library in 6th grade.(I found it after many years, and remembered I had never returned it... They did not want it back when I asked. Apparently we'd payed the terminal fine years back) When I was in my late teens, my mom took me to Willow Grove NAS to see "Diamond Lil" and "Texas Raiders" when they flew in, and I spent hours combing through them. Anytime a WWII A/C was in the area, I would go. I have lots of pics, just have to dig out and scan them, and I'll start to post them. I remember one I took of "Fifi" at Milleville, because the chick in front of her had some really great legs... lol(Why do you think I took the pic, when I had a bunch already? )

My other hobbies include antique auto restoration, though I really haven't done any lately, Ham radio(I am KC2TYV), and collecting WWII aircraft radios which I intend to get into operating condition shortly.

So what's YOU'RE story?

Robbie

When I was about 4 or 5 I would be playing in the yard, and see an airliner fly over as we lived in the area of the Pittsburgh Airport. I soon started making models of the jets I saw with my legos. As I got a little older, my parents bought me a few model kits. At about the age of 10 or 11 I found the Beaver County Airport. It was by my grandmother's house. THere I found an airport that was friendly to a kids interest unlike the major airport. At the time "909" was being finished as it had beein that horrible accident. I was there to watch it fly out. Then soon after I heard that the B-17 used in the Memphis Belle movie was coming to the airport. I was so excited to see it. I met two of my best friends that day. I started being an official volunteer at Air heritage after that, and after a few years there started flying lessons. THen came my job as a line guy. I loved that job. It paid next to nothing, but I got to play with planes all day, and got a great tan in the summer. ha ha ThenI worked for a charter business on the field as I was in college for Proffesional Pilot and ATC. Graduated from there and on to the airlines, and then to where I am now. Medical helicopters.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Had two uncles who served overseas during WWII. One flying as a flight engineer (437 Sqdn RCAF) in C-47s including Operation Market Garden and another who was a flight engineer in 78 Sqdn RAF flying Halifaxes. He was shot down on 31Aug1943 and spent time as a POW being repatriated to Canada in January 1945.

My interest grew as did I and I finally managed to convince my father to take me to my first air show in 1974. It was put on by the CWH at Hamilton and from then on I was hooked.

Thats it.

Cheers,

Jeff

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The true north strong and free

Freaky convergence of different events.

1981/82 (or so, I was 10 or 11) I used to watch the war movies Channel 5 out of NYC would play on Sunday afternoons with my Dad.

Every Summer we'd go to my grandmother's house for a couple weeks. I'd go and pick out a bunch of books at the local bookstore to take with me. That Summer I discovered a softcover copy of "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", and having seen the movie once or twice on Ch.5 I decided it would be an interesting read.

Got up to my Grandmother's having devoured the book on the 3-hour car-ride*. My Grandmother used to take my sister and I out to a local toystore our first day up to pick out some things (mainly pool toys) to play with while there. I ended up going back to her house with the Revell 1/72 Snaptite B-25B/C/D under my arm. Which I immediately built.

A couple nights later I'm channel surfing (somewhat easier to do back them) and a neat little flick** called "The Final Countdown" was on.

I was pretty much hooked at that point, but a year or so later we moved to Dallas and my Dad took me to see the 1983 CAF airshow in Denton. I have some truly horrendous pics of Fifi wearing her "Right Stuff" livery.



* That book still graces my bookshelf, albeit in extremely worn fashion (I figure having a tattered copy of "Thirty Seconds" on my shelf is better than having a tattered copy of "Catcher in the Rye"). It sits next to a more recent paperback copy of the same book, my copy of by Glines' "The Doolittle Raid: America's Daring First Strike Against Japan" signed by Glines and the surviving Raiders who attended the Reunion in Groton CT several years back, "First Heroes" and other Doolittle and Raider books, and alongside my Italeri 1/72 B-25B completed as "Ruptured Duck"

**I still believe that Final Countdown is one of the frikkin' coolest movies ever made)

I grew up in Oshkosh and my folks had taken me to the big show since I was two. Always loved the Warbirds area and eventually we started volunteering in that area. Last year was 20th year volunteering and I still do it with my mom & dad. My sister never got into it.

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-Al Sauer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spookythecat

2 words,
Monogram models

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Yeah...those too!

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-Al Sauer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spookythecat

I had a number of things that got me interested. First models, cars, ships, tanks, planes it didn't matter, military history from the French and Indian War to Korea. (No one really talked about the big mess in SE Asia.) My Dad is a WW2 vet and once rammed a P-38 with a bulldozer. (Bad Daddy, Bad!)

There was a confluence of events that really peeked my interest. My school took us to see Battle of Britain and then Tora, Tora, Tora. After B of B I found a book I thought was about the battle and turned out to be about making the film. I was fascinated to find that there were still World War 2 era planes around. I got my Dad to take me to the Pease AFB, N.H. open house where I found the restored ANG A-26 Invader just as interesting as the T'Birds F-4 Phantoms. I went with my mother while a sibling enrolled at UNH and bought and devoured my first copy of Air Classics. Then I was about 11 and was flying my bike down a country road in Kensington, NH and saw a large praying mantis with swastikas. It was Fiesler Fi 156 Storch. I was too shy to actually approach it but stared for minutes and then road to the library where I learned what it was. A couple of months later that very plane was on the cover of Air Progress photographed and written up by Budd Davisson. I got my mother to write a check for a subscription. (Loved that magazine, those guys were a blast, mostly young and loved flying and had a sense of humor, unlike the dry staid Flying magazine.)

More models, more books, more movies, my A&P ticket and my PPL and some volunteering. Realistically I hope to restore an L-bird or a PT some day.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Based on my parent's reports that I always liked airplanes, I think it is a genetic defect I was born with.

Contributing was grwoing up under the final for rwy 33 at NAS Willow Grove and watching an endless parade of aircraft fly over. Most of them were nondescript transports and patrol aircraft but at 6 years old I thought C119s and P2Vs were pretty cool.

Additionally, I grew up with close connections to many of the people who were involved with Pitcairn Aviation. Hearing the early stories of the adventures at the first Pitcairn Field, and the later Mailwings and Autogyros was gripping. This certainly fostered my interest in classic (WW2 and earlier) aircraft.

That my uncle was a Captain with United Airlines (I ultimately followed in his footsteps) "helped" also. He was, however the only one in my family active in aviation.

I built as many Monogram models as I could get my hands on and built and flew flying models as well. At age 16 I mowed enough lawns to start flying lessons and "took off" from there.

Other hobbies/interests include steam railroading (emphasis on Pennsy and EBT,) Lionel trains and attempting to play my guitar.

Steve

I started pumping gas at DuPage Airport back in 1967. Ran into people like Bill Ross, Wally Oaks, Dick Lambert and started going up with them every chance I could. The rest is ancient history. First ride was in a P-38.

Steve

I am SO envious!!!!!!!

I grew up on a farm about 6 miles north of Johnsville Naval Air Development Center (SE Penna, 30 miles from Phila) and in the late 1940's was treated to low-flying Hellcats and Corsairs

What little kid wouldn't love that!!!

Not from an aviation family, but my Dad got me into aviation. My Dad started taking me to airshows and museums before I could walk. I think I knew all the Air Zoo aircraft by the time I was 2 or 3. We'd usually spend two or three Saturdays a month at the Air Zoo for an hour or two, looking at the models, staying around for the Flight of the Day program in the summer, and taking the restoration tour. We were lucky enough to witness some of the best restorations the museum has done take place. The most memorable for me was watching the volunteers build the wings for the Waco CG-4A glider, and doing the miracle work on the Lake Michigan SBD. I was also lucky enough to be able to see the Air Zoo fighters fly on a regular basis- you could hardly go a week in the summer without the Tigercat, Bearcat, Wildcat, Hellcat, Corsair, P-47 or Trimotor flying over the house. We also made trips over to Yankee Air Museum a couple times a year, mostly to look at the B-17. We'd also go and look at all the various propliners over on the Zantop ramp and see what we could spot.

My Dad also had a huge collection of the "in action" series of books and I'd spend hours looking at B-17s, B-24s, and Spitfires. He also got me into building models. I would often buy a snaptite kit and build it in a day and play with it until it got destroyed. I think I had about a half dozen Tomcats and probably 3 or 4 Phantoms that I used to have air battles with.

My interest turned specifically to warbirds about the time I was 8. That's when the Air Zoo started the Warbirds Over Kalamazoo shows. I got to hear a few veterans stories at the first one, and couple that with seeing the Cats fly and seeing my first B-17, I was hooked. I also got my first of 4 rides in the Air Zoo Trimotor that year.

Since then, I've gone to 4 airshows or so a year and some various fly-ins. I also make yearly trips to NMUSAF and Yankee. Unfortunately since the Air Zoo grounded their aircraft I haven't been making as many trips there. Still not actually involved with anything, but I have very little time with all the time college takes up. I plan on pursuing a pilot's license with the goal of one day owning a PT-19/23/26 series warbird.

My other interests include political philosophy, writing, rock concerts, working to get into the field of sports journalism, being a huge Cubs fan and sports in general, and collecting various odd junk.

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Matt

I've been going to the planes of fame air museum since I could walk, now I volunteer there and am working on the B-17 restoration.

And I thought I had it good with my second time in an airplane (at age 14)a Stearman.

1972, 5th grade, class trip to washington, bought wings magazine at the airport for the flight. while my dad was an infantryman, i was fascinated by the planes. my entire interest in ww 2 was sparked by him. in 1987 i started collecting antique aviation memorabilia, turned it into a sideline business, wrote 4 nationally published magazine articles on aviation history with #5 soon to follow. the rest is history.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!