[ARC5] The Warbird Groups

[Paul H. Anderson]

On Mon, 23 Sep 2002, David Stinson wrote:

> George Brand wrote:
>
> > CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!!   Saving my pennies for my flight
>
> Not me.  If the radio gear isn't authentic, or if they haven't at least
> *tried* to get it authentic, I'm not interested.

Um, the Yankee Lady is admitedly a few points shy of authentic.  The
ART-13 tuning units appeared to me to have multiple units of the same
frequency.  Everything else to my eye appeared to be ready to be turned on
and used.  The main 28V supply for the radio room looked ready to turn on.

The exception to this would be the cockpit area, where I think safety is
considered paramount, and for good reason.

> Most of these groups present a hollowed-out shell that looks like
> a warbird, but it's really a replica-  Might as well be fiberglass.

Perhaps true, but I know Yankee Lady is not this way, and I doubt the
Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24 are either, based on articles I've
read about them.

A number of the other B-17s are more modest restorations from fire bomber
duty and aren't fully restored inside.  Given the cost and difficulty in
locating original components, it is pretty easy to understand why.

Oxygen, radio, turrets, gun mounting, bomb bay and so forth are all really
hard to get, much less fabricate.  "Most people" are probably more
interested in the non-radio things I just mentioned, so the radios no
doubt fall through the cracks.

> And if you try to talk to them about the historic technology, you get a
> sneer and nasty remarks about what you can do with the "trashy old junk"
> you want to give them for free.

I'm sorry to hear that you had this experience.

I am willing to see if the Yankee Air Museum would be interested in
bringing the radio gear on line.  I'm not a licensed ham, but I can do
wiring and restoration type things.

> Then they tell you if you don't like it, go buy your own warbird.
> Yeah...right.

That is, of course, a terrible attitude.

> And yes- I used to be a member and sent them my money.
> Not any more, thanks.

Who?  CAF?

> When I look in the cockpit of a (politically) Correct Air Farce machine,
> I see a Cessna.  If I wanted to see a Cessna, I'd go to the local
> airstrip.  And I'm too old to put up with nasty people attitudes.

No one should have to put up with that kind of crap that they gave you.

> I'll save my money, effort and material for the groups
> who care enough to do it right.  There are some out there.

Please do check out Collings Foundation, Yankee Air Museum, Planes of Fame
West in Chino California (the best Museum I've been to - better than the
Smithsonian in many ways), Kalamazoo Air Zoo, and others.  CAF has a
certain reputation, perhaps deserved, perhaps not, of "it looks good at 20
feet" type of work, with more emphasis on getting the machine flying at
air shows.

Paul