When did you first become interested in Warbirds?

[Pflueger]

Yep, "Saving Private Ryan" is pretty decent for newby. "Kelly's Heros" is entertaining - love the Don Rickles character, Odd-Ball (isn't this the Donald Sutherland character?) kinda gives me the creeps though.

Speaking of the Duke, I must also add "Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Fighting Seabees" (excuse spelling) to favorites list. The scene at the end of "Sands" where Sgt Striker bites the bullet still makes me weep like a baby.

 

[Marcel]

Anybody ever do a poll of best/worst WW2 films?

Yep, there's a thread somwhere about best WWII movies.

 

[ThunderThud]

I think I was 5 0r 6 years old and i used to watch shows like Combat and 12 o'clock high! and Gommer Pile!I used to drive with my family past GRUMMAN AND REPUBLIC and see all the planes take off! I used to listen to the radio and hear about the B-52 that went down in Vietnam. and watch the war on the news! Then i saw a model case at a library and joined a model club( Long Island Scale Modlers), thats were I met Gebreski By this time I was 11.

 

[helmitsmit]

I became interested in Aircraft when my late granddad told me stories about his time as a sheetmetal worker for the RAF. He work on the desert air filters for Spitfires and mosquitos. I still have both as my favourites today. I also like the sound of the Merlin so that helps!

 

[Elvis]

I think I first became interested when I ran across some old pics my Dad took back in the 40's.
I'd ask him what this plane was and what that plane was and he'd start spinning the stories.
Great fun when you're like 4-5 years old.



Elvis

 

[milford maniac]

I first became interested in warbirds as little boy in the early 1960's when my father told me of his exploits as a tail end Charlie in Wellingtons during World War 2. I use to a little lad go off to a local toy shop and buy a model aircraft take it home and my older brother would make it without asking me and go off to work. I am interested more in combat aircraft of the Second World War era than any other era; but I do confess that the quantum leap in design in performances of the 1950's when Greta Britain still had a mighty aircraft industry is also of interest to me.

As a small boy on holiday in Cornwall I was fascinated by the Avro Shackleton, RAF St. Mawgan was close by and the roar of the engines as the aircraft were climbing was tremendous.

My personal favourites of the world war 2 era are the Vickers Wellington; because of my father, the Hurricane in all it's marks, the Kittyhawk, Hawker Typhoon, Me 262, the P51 and Ju 87.

 

['Lil'tyger]

MY DAD LIKES WW2 AIR CRAFT I GAUSS HE GOT ME IN TO IT THIS PAST YEAR HE TOOK ME TO DAYTON OH. TO THE WRIGHT AIR BASE/MUSEUM.PRETTY COOL .THEN MY UNCLE FLEW ME TO OSHKOSH WI.AIRVENTURE 07..THAT WAS REAL COOL

DUDE THOSE ARE REALLY GREAT DRAWINGS KEEP IT UP

 

[wingnuts]

Milf said: "As a small boy on holiday in Cornwall I was fascinated by the Avro Shackleton, RAF St. Mawgan was close by and the roar of the engines as the aircraft were climbing was tremendous."

Milf, I spent most of the time between 1965 and 1970 on Shackletons, not at St Mawgan but at Kinloss, Khormaksar (Aden) and Ballykelly.

The last flying Mk2 (AEW2) Shackleton is currntly in the US and will be, relocated to the Pima Museum in Tuscon, Arizona. It's flying days will be over.

There is still one Mk3 flying in South Africa

 

[wingnuts]

There are some good videos of Shackletons on Youtube... I can't put the links up right now as I can't access Youtube while i'm at work.

 

[Elvis]

DUDE THOSE ARE REALLY GREAT DRAWINGS KEEP IT UP

DUDE, NO NEED TO YELL.
We can read you just fine, even when the caps are off.


Elvis

 

[therritn]

My interest in warbirds started in 1976 (when I was 7 going on 8) when Baa Baa Black Sheep (later renamed Black Sheep Squadron) first premiered on TV. Then a month later one of my friends gave me a model plane for my eighth birthday. Since that time my interest in warbirds has never diminished, and my favorite warbird of all time still is the F4U Corsair.

 

[Catch22]

I can't really tell you when I first became interested in Warbirds. My dad gained a love of the Corsair and WW2 from the same show therritn! He built me a Corsair model when I was born, and we have tons of books, so for as long as I can remember I've been interested.

 

[GreyWolf]

Well I got into aviation at a very young age. my fasination started with drawing byplanes of the first world war and going to airshows with my dad. the drive to see more and more lead me to photography and started learning as much as I could. now I work as an aviation tech. but I do love to get as much aviation history as I can and do alot of art and photography editting to feed my love for it all.

Salute Wolf

 

[Nostalgair]

Hi all,

I've loved warbirds for as long as I can remember also.

My father was a fighter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force and flew 201 missions in Korea. His favourite aircraft was the Mustang and I must admit to sharing his admiration. He continued to fly them in the 1960s in civil life, towing targets for the military. As a child I would sit in these iconic aeroplanes living out daydreams and 'checking my six'.

I've been a warbird fan ever since.

Cheers

Owen

 

[Hollywood]

My Dad flew B-29's in the 20th AAF 313 wing 505th group 484th squad from Tinian North field which at the time was the worlds largest.......
So as far back as I can remember there was a balsa model of his plane "Lil Spook" #84-06 sitting on his Dresser in Mom and Dads bedroom that he built from scratch and he has an album of photos which I've posted a few here so it was natural I became a Warbird "nut"......

P.S. Guess which plane got my vote for the Top Heavy Bomber hahahahaha...
It was an obvious choice anyway........

 

[claidemore]

My interest started when I was about 12 years old after reading a book about the different WWII fighters. Like any kid, I daydreamed about flying them,and chose which one I would like to fly. I remember falling in love with the Spitfire, thinking the Yaks were pretty cool looking, but chosing the P51 as my mount of choice because that particular book listed it as the fastest.

My interest was re-kindled as an adult when I was introduced to WWII combat flight sims. Since then I've become a more serious student, attended a few air shows, checked out museums and read a lot of books, including some rather boring techinical ones.

I used to say that there was only 4 things worth talking about in any detail, women, horses, hunting, and fighting. Now theres 5 things.

 

[Evil_Merlin]

When I was walking with my dad in Vermont in the early 70's and found the wreck of a P-51 that crashed up there years ago. It was stripped to the bone, but you could still see what she was.

My dad was a crew chief on F-100's from the late 50's till his retirement in the late 60's. He really helped me foster the idea that anyone could fly and if I wanted to do it, I could.

I was only 4 or 5 years old, but that image of the aluminum bird stuck in my mind forever.

I built all the plastic models I could, read even more books, studied WW2 in detail in high school, minored in Military Aviation History in college and did my thesis on the impact of the Fw 190 Dora and Ta-152H/C on aircraft combat during the 1940s.

In my early highschool years, I rode my bike nearly every day after school during the spring, and every day during the summer and made friends with all the pilots, washing planes, cleaning hangars and such. Soon one thing lead to another and I was flying with the guys, learning by doing, I did ground school, got my medical and just kept flying.

And thats me. Now since I cannot afford a real warbird, as much as I'd like to! And in New England no one really restores them, I do the next best thing, I build large scale RC models. Mostly German and Russian, and boy do I have fun researching, contacting old factories, pilots and digging into any data I can.

 

[pbfoot]

My interest started when I was about 12 years old after reading a book about the different WWII fighters. Like any kid, I daydreamed about flying them,and chose which one I would like to fly. I remember falling in love with the Spitfire, thinking the Yaks were pretty cool looking, but chosing the P51 as my mount of choice because that particular book listed it as the fastest.

My interest was re-kindled as an adult when I was introduced to WWII combat flight sims. Since then I've become a more serious student, attended a few air shows, checked out museums and read a lot of books, including some rather boring techinical ones.

I used to say that there was only 4 things worth talking about in any detail, women, horses, hunting, and fighting. Now theres 5 things.

have you seen the Hampden they are restoring out there and you have Y2K spit resto at Comox?

 

[Rook58]

Can't remember a time when I wasn't fascinated with all things military in general and warplanes specifically - I was drawing pictures of WW2 aircraft a lot in grade school and read everything I could find about air combat in WW1 (also drew about a million pictures of Snoopy and his bullet-riddled doghouse...)

 

[Concorde247]

Its difficult for me to say exactly when i started my interest in aviation, but I was still a kid at primary school, I made lots of models of all types, then at a later age, went on to all the flight sims for the PC. I go to the RAF museum at Hendon a lot, and have been to the imperial war museum at lambeth, my library of books fills several bookcases, as do my DVD's Videos. I used to repair micrographics equipment at the PRO in kew where i was able to see all the squadron order of battle books as well as the combat reports. My interests are mostly around WWI WW2. I have done a bit of flying myself as I used to go paragliding on the southdowns near brighton, it was the cheapest form of flying that i could afford - but as it is dependent on the weather conditions we were grounded a great many days spent a fortune in the amusement arcades on brighton pier!!

The interest in aviation is still as strong as ever even at the age of 42! and although my "new" job is shift work, i still love my Dvd's books on my rest days...

One thing i must do every year is to go to the Flying Legends Airshow at Duxford take the time off specifically for it!! for me its a definite MUST