When did you first become interested in Warbirds?

[wingnuts]

Glad you also liked the Zeke too Major ... always one been one of my favourites. Here's another.... most of the pilots who flew the RAF fighters in WW2 would have trained on one in one of these.... still plenty around, see them regularly flying over my place from RAAF Point Cook.. site of the RAAF Museum here in Melbourne.

DH82 Tigermoth

[majorwoody10]

man...i want a tiger moth from santa this year ..ive been extra good too...

[Messy1]

I have been interested in planes of all types since I was a little kid. I remember when we would drive my dad up to Fort Dodge, Iowa for summer camp in the Iowa National guard. I remember going back to pick him up, and he was usually getting off of a C130 I believe.
I also am sad to say that I really got interested in warplanes ever since I saw Top Gun and Iron Eagle when I was little. Wanted to be a fighter pilot, and a astronaut. Since then it has all been down hill!!!!!

[Pflueger]

Believe it or not my early interest was probably most piqued by me dear ol' mother. She was/continues to be big WW2 buff and had me and my 2 brothers very much into military history by the time we took our first steps. Mom is a big "Duke" (John Wayne) fan, so gotta admit to watching "The Flying Tigers" and the "Flying Leathernecks" over 100 times by the time I was 12. Despite her love of the Duke classics the lady does know her stuff.

Also mus admit to watching other old cornball standards like "Mosquito Squadron" (my personal favorite), "Twelve O-Clock High," "The Dam Busters," "Operation Crossbow," etc at every opportunity (still watch'um as a matter of fact). Anybody ever do a poll of best/worst WW2 films?

[Messy1]

I was a huge fan of the old war movies. I do like most of the John Wayne war movies! For me though it is hard to beat Saving Private Ryan, although I think Band Of Brothers is my all time favorite.
Another favorite of mine is Kelly's Heroes with Clint Eastwood. Still a war movie, but kind of a humorous one!
The title escapes me right now, but the one where John Way Played Spig Weed is another favorite of mine.

[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]

Originally Posted by Pflueger

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]

Originally Posted by 'Lil'tyger

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