Best Aircraft in many different roles

[Lightning Guy]

Building a P-38 replica wouldn't be too hard. The important thing with a replica is that the exterior looks like the original. The interior could be simplified.

 

[evangilder]

Hey Gemhorse, I find it to be a fascinating and fun place to volunteer. Having a passion for aviation and history is nice, but joining and organization that is full of people with the same passion is awesome. I sometimes forget these guys are in there 80s when I see them walking around as spry as the younger guys, lifting heavy stuff, etc. We have annual dues to be part of the organization, but it's worth every penny. Just to get an opportunity to chat with a guy that has been there is amazing.

There is a Wing in Australia and another in New Zealand as well. These are CAF affiliates.

Adler, the CAF wings in Europe are in France and Switzerland. I am sure there are other fine organizations within Germany that are probably doing something similar. Obviously, there are some things in German law that place some restrictions on certain parts of that history, but aviation is neutral, neither good nor bad. It is how and by whom it is used that makes it good or bad. I will ask around the museum and see if anyone knows of German organizations like ours. One guy down there is the son of a German aircraft worker that was bombed by B-17s during WWII, and he joined the CAF the very day he went in and saw the B-17! His son is a regular volunteer. We have a few Germans there, so I think they would know best.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I appreciate it that would be awesome. Any information would be great, I will also do a search on the internet and see what I can find.

 

[Nonskimmer]

I want evan's job! 8)

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah he has a great one. I would enjoy it just as a hobby.

 

[evangilder]

Wait, it's not my full time job, though I wish it was! I just volunteer down there, and I pay to volunteer. So it's just a hobby for me. Funny, when I joined the air force with the guaranteed electronics, I got to pick from a list of openings. My first choice was aircraft electrical systems. Instead, I got radio relay! Now I support computer network test equipment. Oh well, guess it wasn't my path!

 

[Nonskimmer]

I know it isn't your full-time job, it was more a figure of speech.
I'd still love it though. 8)

 

[evangilder]

Yeah, it's pretty cool! The cool thing about the CAF is there is so much to do, you can find always find someting interesting. Beleive it or not, I am also the wing's computer operations officer as well. I try to keep that to a minimum because I am there for the airplanes. You guys thing YOU have old computers. They have some real dinosaurs down there!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Are you still in the Airforce? I would pay to volunteer for the CAF.

 

[evangilder]

No, I have been out since 1988. The CAF has annual dues for the national charter and the local wings have dues as well. It's about $200 a year, but well worth it. You can check out their main HQ site at:
www.commemorativeairforce.org

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeah I will, $200 is not a lot of money to spend on something you love anyhow.

 

[evangilder]

Exactly! For the guys I have met, the stories I have heard and the things I have had a chance to see, it's worth WAY more than the $200.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Most deffinatly. Do you travel and do shows in other locations.

 

[evangilder]

I would like to, but I have a 3 year old son, so I don't travel with the air show crew these days. They do shows throughout the air show season and depending on the show, some or all of our flyable aircraft attend. The farthest east they tarvel is to Texas for the big show in Midland. I have yet to attend the arishow in Midland, but plan to do so when my son gets a little older. That is the main CAF show and it is the largest WWII airshow in the US, maybe the world.

This past Midland show, Paul Tibbetts was there, and past shows have had some big names there, including Bob Morgan. That is the only show here where they fly the B-17, B-24 and B-29 at the same time! I have only seen that on video. It must be quite a site and sound to witness!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

When I lived in North Carolina they had a B-17 and a B-24 fly into Ashville Airport and it was quite neat. We got to go and climb through them and sit in the turrets and cockpit and stuff it was quite interesting.

 

[evangilder]

If they were flying together, it was most likely the ones that belong to the Collings foundation. The B-24 has 2 different paint schemes, one side is "Dragon and it's tail", the othe side is "All American". The B-17 is "Nine-o-Nine". I got to see those back in April. They are indeed something to see.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I think that was them but I could have sworn that one of them had a Schlitz beer theme as its nose art. Dont laugh this was taken from an actual nose art theme from WW2. It was a half naked woman with Schlitz beer. But I do know the B-17 was Nine O Nine. This was back in 1994.

 

[evangilder]

I would have to go back and look, but I think the woman featured on Dragon and It's Tail is holding a beer, now that I think about it. Let me check, I am sure I took a picture of that artwork.

 

[evangilder]

No, not there. I am not sure about the Schlitz art...Hmm..

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I have pictures of it but unfortunatly they are not digital and I have them at home in Germany, when I get back I will scan them and post one for you to see.