Warbird Information Exchange

The only way some insignificant people can feel important is to talk down to a kid. I was actually YELLED at once for having a bad attitude! Who had the bad attitude, the 35 year old angry airline pilot who got to fly the museum planes, or the 18 year old kid who got to strip paint (this was 30 years ago BTW)? Now I get to strip paint on my own plane and yell at myself. It works out a lot better that way.

There are all kinds of little Hitlers and some VERY insensitive people around warbird museums and airshows. A few really nice and considerate folks too. Those are the ones that become lasting friends.

Oops......I foregot to push the translation button on my computer before I submitted it. Thought there were more people out there that knew Oberspeak. Next time just push the number one on your computer to translate it into English number two for Spanish.......

That happened to me back in the late '70s up in Nebraska.

S

I think Warbird1 really hit the nail on the head with what I was trying to point out. I wasn't trying to open up a CAF bashing forum or anything. My concern is what will happen as the cost to operate warbirds with insurance and maintenance going through the roof? At the recent Chino airshow, most of the aircraft were owned by Rod Lewis, The Friedkin family or were property of the POF museum. Gen Lyon has his museum as does Cavanaugh, Mr. Yagen, Paul Allen and a few others. I just don't want to see safety and maintenance compromised because of a lack of money by some of the smaller groups or individuals. I just feel like in a few years, most of the Warbirds will be owned by the guys we say have more money than God. This isn't such a bad thing since most of these planes are in absolutely pristine condition and flown on a regular basis. After all, isn't this what we all want? BTW, I keep my membership in the CAF current because we have some younger kids who want to learn about aircraft so we work on bringing the MiG 15bis back to really nice static condition. I've learned to stay away from politics and flying aircraft since you can't seem to have one without the other.

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

Ahhh, there's some of that airline pilot hatred I was wondering about:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=35361&p=353801#p353801

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I've been an observer and sometime participant in Warbirds since the late 1960's. It was common to see abandoned Warbirds at small airports, I even saw a very battered AT-6 sitting in a landfill. These planes were purchased cheap and flown till the owner ran out of money and dumped. There was a high level of hostility towards Warbirds in the GA community. No one would have believed there would be flying ME-262s or heaps of wreckage rebuilt into flyable planes. Warbirds are more numerous, and better thought of than ever before. I had people treat me well, and people treat me poorly. They never were really affordable to own and operate for most people.
CAF 1983 to 1989
California Warbirds 1984 to 1991
front seat time in AT-6
backseat time in MKIXT Spitfire (slight)
backseat time in dual P-40N
various "tuna" rides

Mike