When did you first become interested in Warbirds?

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Me dad joined the RAF in 1937, by the time I knew what the RAF was we were at war and I was hooked. As a youngster I always thought that as he was in the air force he was a pilot, he wasn't, he was groundcrew, most of the war he worked on bombers guns, Heyfords, Whitleys, Halifax and Lancasters. I watched the air war over London and worried whenever I saw a plane in trouble. Still do...........
 
Mom was in the civilian Ground Observer Corps in the 50s. She had a book of aircraft photos for identification. Looked through that for hours. Then in the early 60s the local airshow had a P-40 and a P-51. I'm reasonably sure this:
Kittyhawk I AK905 - CF-OGZ on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
is the P-40. I've narrowed the P-51 down to 3 -
44-73877 44-74435 or 44-74446.
Built many, many models - been to Reno 10 times - Abbotsford twice - Moose Jaw races the one time, etc.,
 
What got me started?

I met a new kid to my Junior High School. He built WWII models. I wanted to learn. My first set was a Revell Battle of Britain set. I still have them.

Then I wanted to learn more about the history of the planes I built models of. Then I learned of more planes I wanted to model. On and on and on and continues to this day.

I grew up with the Vietnam Air War. I wasn't impressed at first. I wrongly thought that missiles ended dog fighting. But I have learned.

Then I went into the Active Air Force in 1971. That was still during the Hay Day of the Century Series.

A bit later I subscribed to Air Classics.

That is the sum of how I got interested.

I have been in many War Birds. I have ridden in a PT-17. WOW! And a ride in a Blackhawk around Camp Victory outside of Baghdad, Iraq with full "battle rattle".

I have ridden in many USAF birds during my military service.

T-29, KC-135A, C-5, C-141, T-39, C-9, C-130.

Many memories.

Bill G.
 
I watched those magnificent men in their flying machines
in the 60's and later The Battle of Britain in the 70's, when I was old enough and it came on the telly, made Airfix kits from age 9. My Granny bought me my first one and I later joined the ATC 1528 Torquay sqd. Flown Chipmonk and Stampe. I have a photo somewhere that needs scanning! Should have joined the RAF but did not.
 
uhh i might but all i know is that is a club is if you have sex over 35,000 feet in the air
 
As far back as I can remember. My Pop was a B-17 driver in WWII, flew P-47N's after and RF-51's in Korea. But, I don't think my interest is anything I can attribute to him alone. It was just in me and being the son of a man who was intimately tied to it was a real boost.
 
My Dad told me story's of flying gliders as a young man in Japan during the war...and I had an uncle who was with the 14th Air Force in China (I don't remember what he did), and one of my Great Uncles developed photo recon equipment out of Dayton OH during WW2 and the "Cold War", and my dentist flew fighters in the Pacific somewhere...and their was an airfield near my home in NJ that had Mustangs flying out of it (I'd love to know why), so it was always around me as a child.
 
I've always been a little interested, I knew about what you'd get out of the Encyclopedia Britannica about each major aircraft type.

It was only last year that I began to research obsessively.
 
I always used to build paper air planes and got into aviation then I saw a show about those five avengers that were lost in the bermuda triangle. Then I looked some up and I was hooked.
 
New t the Forum Here:
Live in London Ontario and 1st came interested in WWII warbirds after going to the Hamilton Warplane Heritage museum. Have now become addicted to the sweet sound of Merlins or Allisons. Not a Pilot myself but wish I was.
I do see they have a place in Kissimee where without prior experience one can get to handle the stick of a P-51 Crazy Horse...but costs 3,000 USD
I think I will settle for a ride in a Harvard near home here in Tilsonburg
 
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