Warbird Information Exchange

The CAF livery question brings a few questions to mind. When, who and what warbird decided to chose a military paint scheme over the civilian paint schemes way back when? And what was the Governments regulations on ex-military aircraft being painted back to military paint schemes. Also are there many warbirds today that are still painted in civilian schemes? Not counting the air racers.

As long as there have been privately owned warbirds, some of them have been painted in military colors. There isn't any one person who started it.

Some prominent examples from the 1950s, though are Frank Tallman, who kept his warbirds in military colors largely because that was what movie work required, and Ed Maloney, partly for the same reason and partly because he was the first person in the US to get serious about having a flying air museum.

A few aerospace companies in the 1950s operated warbirds as bits of their coporate heritage, e.g. Republic had a P-47 (the razorback now at USAFM), and they were generally in military colors.

My sense is that many Spitfire operators in the UK went with military colors right from the beginning.

August

It's a very vague question, understandably! First thing is what's permissible varies from country to country; and I mean both legal and what you might consider culturally acceptable. Certain ideas and things may be legal, but not a good idea - and vice versa.

Good post, August. However, IIRC in the 1950s most, if not all UK ex-military types were in civil schemes. Swordfish and Fulmar were in Fairey colours, the Hawker Hurricane and Tomtit of Hawkers were in civvies (the Hawker Hart went military) and there were several Spitfires privately owned in civil schemes with registrations painted on, from Mk.I, II and the Rolls Royce XIV G-AGLT.

IIRC, today in the UK you need an exemption to paint an aircraft in a military scheme without showing the civil registration. You can, I think paint it as you wish without military markings, but showing the registration. In Australia it's something similar, but they carry the reggo in small under the tail.

Leaving aside the usual "it's mine to do as I wish" statements, ex-military aircraft would normally carry genuine and sometimes still current military identification markings. For that reason, rightly and understandably, most militaries and governments are wary of letting anyone carry those on the private machine. It is like using government headed paper. A good example is the ex-Canadian T-33. I'm reasonably up to date on warbirds, but if Paul turned up in it locally, I wouldn't know it wasn't still a Canadian military operated aircraft. We all know Paul's a real gent, but the chicks need to be aware he's not a nice Canuckian air force pilot, but an unleashed private owner.

I've always like a well thought-out civil scheme on a warbird, and the y can look great. G-FIRE and the Flack stable in the UK were one of the latest, greatest examples of that.

HTH

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Are there photos of those aircraft JDK? ... I'd like to see them.

Oh, no.

Yes there are. I'll see what I can do off the cuff on the web.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Most of what I've got isn't scanned or useable on the web. Here's a handful.

The Fairey operated Swordfish LS326, in Fairey's house colours of Blue and silver, with the Fairey badge on the tail. Should be back in the air this year, we hope, having been flying for many years with the Royal Navy Historic Flight. (My collection.)



A couple of the rare Spitfire TR.8

By the late, great Charles E Brown, in Vickers ownership, I think. Via Peter Arnold.




Later (Via Gordon Riley)



Hawker Hurricane PZ865 'The Last of the Many' as G-AMAU. Royal blue & gold. From the web.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

And not forgetting G-FIRE

From Webshots.



And G-FURY

From pbase



Questions on 'what happened' to them can be answered by a moments Googling.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

You don't see many airplanes, civilian or military, with polka dots.

I'm just sayin.....

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Eric

"I spent most of my money on alcohol, women and skyraiders....and the rest of it I just wasted."

Except the Forming ships or Circus Leaders of the 8th AF in WW2. Like 'Pete the Pom Inspector'.

One of Hawkins & Powers' Super Privateers had polka-dots on it at one time. I remember reading a book somewhere that claimed one of the crew slapped them on after consumption of much ethanol-based beverages on a Saturday night. Guess life gets a bit monotonous out in rural Wyoming..

SN

Thanks James. First, I've never been associated with a "good example" of anything--that's something my mother always wished for. Second, I'll keep my leash on and try not to confuse the chicks about my freelance aircraft ownership status.

I think most folks well versed in aviation would check for the two inch US civil registration numbers/letters near the aircraft's tail feathers. I'm told if I take my airplane to Canada for any air shows I'd have to apply temporary 12 inch registrations numbers/letters so as not to be clearly recognized as an unleashed private owner. Anyone know about if this is true?