Plane lands on highway in TN....pilot killed

[Skyline]

Previous post

erj-145mech,

I was referring to a previous post where the writer lamented over museum warbirds not being able to fly. His post claimed that warbirds should be "doing what they were meant to do". My reply is that they were meant to kill people. If I were to follow his logic then perhaps they need to be unleashed in Iraq. I think they have a different purpose today. One of being a cherished historical monument and that they should not be allowed to be placed in harms way for the benefit of a selected few.

Skyline

 

[Fury220]

Will no one acknowledge the fact that we are loosing them at an alarming rate? Once they are gone it's over.

Show me some real statistics to substantiate this claim. I've heard the opposite...that an increase of interest has led to a surge of restorations. This, in turn, leads to more "flyable" warbirds (instead of rusting/rotting/wasting away warbirds...which is, IMHO, a huge waste).

It makes me sad every time I read another article about a smoking hole that was a rare piece of history. You guys are like loggers. They are not happy until the last tree is down. They never stop to realize that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Greedily killing the one thing they love most one at a time.

So we're like loggers now? I don't understand this analogy. None of us want to see all the warbirds end up as smoking holes. We all agree that they are a "national treasure" and whatnot. Our difference in opinion lies in *WHAT TO DO* with said "national treasure." I say: save a few of each example for museums (as is being done now) and fly as many as possible under public domain (as is being done now). This increases awareness, allows for nostalgia/appreciation at airshows/events, and puts the warbirds in public hands (where there's more money available for restoration).

The alternative is for the US Gov't to buy them all...in which case they'll mostly end up wrapped in plastic in the Arizona boneyard. This would be the greatest waste of all.

 

[Skyline]

More War Birds

Show me some real statistics to substantiate this claim. I've heard the opposite...that an increase of interest has led to a surge of restorations. This, in turn, leads to more "flyable" warbirds (instead of rusting/rotting/wasting away warbirds...which is, IMHO, a huge waste).



.[/quote


Fury 220,

Man I hope you are right about that. Maybe you could provide some statistics.

Skyline

 

[Yank McCobb]

You've provided plenty of statistics that prove you are nothing but some loser jackass that can only live, see, breath and speak negativity. I know because of that old saying "it takes one to know one". But you take the cake.

Crawl back into your hole with your misery. No one is interested in anything you have to say. At all.

 

[erj-145mech]

I'm in the vintage aircraft restoration business, and I can attest to this. There is a move to remove gate guards and substitute them with fiberglass and composite replicas in order to restore them. This is primarily due to the value to the relics. There are more licenced and airworthy Flying Fortresses now than there were 8-10 years ago. You see more about warbird crashes because they make for good story with the press. The SBD that I helped to restore was a derelect in the weeds behind an A&P school. When we finished it, we increased the Dauntless population by 33%.

The company that I worked for previously purchased a gate guard in Argentina for around $400k, and we put in another $1M in order to get what we wanted.

Aircraft like this have been on the airshow circuit for years so that many thousands of people can view and appreciate them without having to go to a museum. Airshows are the number one spectator sport in the United States. The CAF, the Collins Foundation, the EAA among others have aircraft on tours throughout the USA so that others may appreciate this national resource.

Remember, flying is still safer than driving statistically. So, should we take the '57 Chevy Belairs off of the road because they don't meet today's emmision standards? I have three Chev Corvairs in the garage, should I put them up on blocks, and not enjoy them as they were meant to be?

 

[TonyC]

Will no one acknowledge the fact that we are loosing them at an alarming rate?

No.

You guys are like loggers. They are not happy until the last tree is down. They never stop to realize that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction.

Poor analogy. Trees are a crop. They regrow. The last tree will never be down. There is no metaphorical seed of destruction.





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[PolarTwins55]

Skyline,
If I oh so generously gave you my P-51(i wish), you would promtply take it to a museum, correct?

 

[Skyline]

Opinion

Hey guys,

It is just my opinion not the word of GOD. Calm down. You are in no danger of loosing your warbirds. I am not negative just have a different view from all you high on aviation types. Grow up. Get over yourselves. I guess that I am a threat to you somehow. Perhaps I should take it as a complement, or maybe I am touching a nerve. In any case I am glad to have reached you.

Skyline

 

[Skyline]

Yank

You've provided plenty of statistics that prove you are nothing but some loser jackass that can only live, see, breath and speak negativity. I know because of that old saying "it takes one to know one". But you take the cake.

Crawl back into your hole with your misery. No one is interested in anything you have to say. At all.

Dear Yank,

Apparently you are a fan. The ideas I present are just my opinions. I don't think that I am negative. My only crime is that I don't wear rose colored glasses. By your response I can only guess that a part of you agrees with me. Thanks for the fan mail.

Skyline

 

[FN FAL]

It is a sad thing that the pilot died but these confederate air force and rich guys are steadily crashing our national heritage. I would like it much better if these things were firmly tied down in a museum.

Skyline

I was thinking the same thing about your mom, but then I realized she was French.