Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Old Warbirds

Thanks for posting.

Saturday was a nice day here in the Mid Atlantic so flew the Archer up to Mifflan County PA for the monthly EAA breakfast. Nice turnout with maybe 40 planes but no "warbirds" but there was the plane that every Naval and Marine Aviator started on was there. I realize that I've never flown an open cockpit plane. I need to remedy that.

I saw Merle Gustafson flying Angel of Okinawa at an air show at Barksdale AFB. A truly gifted pilot flying a superb aircraft.

They had a PT-17 there and it was being taken out on a flight.

The gentleman who I was talking to explained that perspective pilots had 10 hours of flight to prove they had what it took to become a pilot.

That's still true, mostly. It turns out that 10 hours is just about what it takes to separate the could-bes from the never-wills. It takes most pilots right at 10 hours to solo - or not. And if you haven't by then, you probably never will.

Great photos of great planes, good sir. (And the plane I strapped on in combat is that one right under my name at left.)

The little airport I fly out of has a lot of warbirds owned by one guy who flies them regularly. He has two P-51s, a supermarine spitfire, a super corsair (the last one flying), and a bearcat. Another guy at the field has a Storch. Plus lots of other cool toys with wings or blades.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville is also excellent.

Midland, TX had a nice one too.

Used to be called the Confederate Air Force.

Now they’ve changed it to the Commemorative Air Force 😡

We can’t have that name used anymore for fear of pissing someone off.

Naval Air Mueseum in Pensacola is a place you can wander for hours and wonder at the planes. Highlight for me is SBD divebomber that survived the Battle of Midway and the Pearl Harbor attack and was rescued from Lake Michigan. Stand by the planes and see if you can hear their whispered stories of days gone by.

The EAA is about to start here in Oshkosh , I hear there will be a C-130 stopping by and F-14's keep doing flyovers. The Warbird flyovers are pretty impressive, especially when you can watch them from your boat.

So I wasn’t even close 😂

Thanks RR

Well I remembered what that wood & canvas plane was at the Pate Museum:

Badass, Cert! Thanks for sharing.

The Pima Air Museum in Tucson has a nice collection of warbirds and historical aircraft. I recommend going in the late fall to escape he summer heat.
Paul B.