When did you first become interested in Warbirds?

riseofnations · 02-13-2007, 02:41 AM

Most machines from the period interest me eg, aircraft, tanks old steam enginges etc., i like the noise, colours and my dad was interested in the stuff. Then i learned my grandad was in the RNZAF and so ive been told time and again that he was supposibly the last guy to fly out of Singapore before the Japs overan it.

By the way if anyone could please vote for my web site at the netguide awards it would be most appreciated. International voters are allowed and the instructions for voting is on my Famous Conflicts homepage. cheers

Heinz · 03-10-2007, 09:12 PM

I like mechanical things I have to admit. Cars, trains, aeroplanes, tanks, ships you name it ill have read about it.

Warbirds probably from a spitfire kit my old man bought me and built.

My Dads father was in the British 8th Army with Monty and my other grandfather was in RAAF.

So I guess thats helped my interest grow

renrich · 04-09-2007, 06:28 PM

I had an interest in WW2 aircraft during the war because I was barely old enough to be aware of some of the types in magazines and newspapers. I really started getting interested in 1955 while working at Temco Aircraft at the same time I was in college. Temco was next door to Vought and there were some F4Us still around on the flight line and I would go out and look at them during lunch time. Also, when I was in high school we used to spend a good bit of time on Padre Island near a Navy aerial gunnery range. Watching those TBMs, Hellcats, Corsairs and Bearcats dive in on the targets was a real thrill.

lesofprimus · 04-09-2007, 06:46 PM

Is the Corsair, the first bird u came in contact with, ur favorite fighter??? Just curious...

Civettone · 04-09-2007, 10:08 PM

I know exactly how that happened with me. The kids next door got some cool posters from aircraft (I especially remember the F-14 and F-4G). They also knew a bit about them, though looking back they knew nothing. Just the stuff that kids now: how fast it was and how many bombs it could carry. But I was impressed and interested.
Then a couple of years later (must have been 13 or so) I saw an ad for an aircraft cards collection. Each month you would receive 60 cards with a picture of an aircraft on one side and information about it on the other side. So I asked my mom if I could get it and then month by month the collection grew until there were about a thousand of them. In the beginning I kinda played with them. Would put my favorite ones on the table which represented my country and would take others to attack it, and then my air force would defend and naturally shoot down the enemy. Later on I took it to another level and started writing down complete OOBs per year. So gradually it became more serious. But I think it took me till I was 18 and I got internet connection before I really started to learn and look beyond the specifications of an aircraft. Up till then the fastest was also the best fighter, and the bomber with the most bombs the best bomber.
And yet I could name the maximum speed of every aircraft of that collection. Something I'm no longer capable of. As Lennon used to say "That's the bargain with it ya know".

Kris

Njaco · 04-10-2007, 08:49 AM

From my dad. He was a former Air Force pilot (short time in the 50s being medical discharge) and he loved building models. I started modelling and it went from there. Didn't hurt that we were also living near the flight path of a local rinky-

airport. I remember how excited my dad and I were to see a flight of three P-51s go overhead.

Still modelling, still interested and trying to pass it on to my kids.

trackend · 04-10-2007, 01:12 PM

My mother told me of my Uncle ( a ww2 Wellington pilot ) and how he had died after only a few missions upon returning from training in Canada so it sort grew from there.

lesofprimus · 04-10-2007, 01:52 PM

Several things molded my intrest in WWII Aviation... The main things were my Grandfather, who flew Corsairs with VMF-122, -112, and -214, and the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC...

My Grandfather was an inspiration, and a funny guy... Told alot of stories... Took me to alot of places.... My Dad also was a pilot also, and I went flying with him and Grandpa twice a month...

The first time I went to the Air and Space Museum, I was hooked.... Hearing the stories, meeting the pilots, and reading some books doesnt make it all click together until u actually can touch the planes.....

Then the Hook sets....

renrich · 04-10-2007, 05:23 PM

lesofprimus, I got a book sometime during WW2 and I remember only two pictures(these were color paintings) one was a Wildcat pursuing a Zero in a dive and the other was a Corsair against a background of clouds. The Corsair was the XF4U and was silver with yellow wings. I got hooked on the Corsair and have read everything I can get my hands on about it.

renrich · 04-10-2007, 05:40 PM

I was in a Piper Tomahawk on the taxiway at Addison airport in about 1980 when looking to my left I saw an F4U that looked factory fresh taking off. I almost ran off the taxiway. LTV had just finished completely renovating one and I believe this was that plane, piloted by,I believe, Paul Thayer, the CEO of LTV, a former Navy and Vought test pilot. I taxied down to the run up area turned into the wind and did my runup check list and called the tower to say I was ready for the active runway. They called back and said to hold as a Corsair was doing a fly by. I looked to my right and here came this big blue F4U about 50 ft off the deck going like the dickens right down the center of the runway. After he was gone I pulled out and took off and felt very insignificant. Unfortunately, in a few months this same plane had an engine failure, crashed and Thayer was lucky to get away with no serious injuries. Thayer had a run of bad luck as he was later convicted of insider trading and spent a year or so in a federal prison.

Eighthaf · 04-11-2007, 02:49 PM

My cousins, who had the coolest models. The TV show 12 O'Clock high, as well. That's what got me started, what kept me around was that I'd found I have a real interest both in the machines and in the history they created.

Pretty geeky; I was maybe six when the bug bit, and you're practically begging to get beat up if you dare to breathe a word of what you do in your spare time (like reading books about air battles).

I didn't care, and I've never lost interest.

Eighth

Lucky13 · 04-19-2007, 03:24 PM

HI group!
I built my first model with my ol' man back in the day when you could buy the Matchbox 1/32 SBD Dauntless, never looked back. I'm also interested in WWI, Korean and Vietnam airwar.

Maharg · 04-20-2007, 03:45 AM

When did you first become interested in Warbirds?

This is a realy difficult question Medvedya, I can't remember ever not being interested in warbirds. When I was about 5 my Dad built me a model of a Fokker D.VII and from them on I have been building models and collecting info on WW1 ,WW2 and Korean War aircraft.
If I could have a wish granted, it would be to fly one of the WW2 fighter aircraft.

Kilroy · 05-02-2007, 10:20 PM

Let's see now HMM!, me and some freind's were playing baseball up in the field up the street from my house when i was about 12/13 yr's old that was in like 63 when out of no where a jet fighter did a high speed low level pass over the field we were playing on, From that moment up until i started wearing glasses i knew what i wanted from life. To be a fighter pilot, but they require 20/20 vision, so that killed that idea

spit_ace'43 · 05-03-2007, 10:42 PM

I've always wanted to be a pilot. When people asked me what I wanted to be, I simply said, "I wanna fly stuff" That turned into flying Search and rescue for the Coast guard and then now that I'm in High School it's "I'm gonna fly the baddest **** in the sky; and I'm going to shoot some motherf*ckers down while I'm at it" Naturally I picked up WWII history because of the historical importance and the intensity of dogfights.