Warbird Information Exchange

For those of you who fly warbirds around to airshows, how often do you face a situation where weather in the days leading up to the event makes it difficult or impossible to get there, how do you plan for that, and how accommodating are the airshow organizers?

I am thinking of this because the Reading show is coming up in a couple of days. As many of us know, this show once did something to anger the weather gods -- I tend to think the re-enactors must be at fault, although I can't prove it yet -- and it seems to be plagued most years not just by poor weather during the event, but by no-shows that couldn't punch their way through the weather to get to Reading in the days before the event.

This year, the weather looks okay for the weekend itself, but true to form, it is supposed to rain cats and dogs on Friday. I'd be delighted to see the Helldiver there, but not if it has to scud-run half way across the country to get to PA.

Even us non-pilots know the "when in doubt, don't go" rule about weather. We also know that a lot of genav pilots get killed scud-running because of pressure to meet some commitment that, in hindsight, doesn't seem worth risking your life for. I can't help wondering if the need to make the next gig is part of why we lost the POF Hellcat, for example.

I suppose, many times, the weather is more favorable to travel to a show earlier the week before, but that must raise issues of will there be a roof over your plane and your head if you show up on Tuesday or Wednesday. Plus, I guess it's possible that some warbird operators have actual lives, with commitments that don't free them up until late in the week.

In the UK, I would imagine this problem exists less, since pretty much any 2 points in the country are less than an hour apart by Spitfire, so you don't need much of a break in the weather to sneak over to the event.

Anyway, what are your experiences? Please discuss.

August

If the weather is bad, you keep the plane in the hangar, a appearance fee is not worth risking your life for.

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
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A lot of warbird pilots are retired, so they are able to leave a day or two early for a show. Those of us who are still beating the anvil, however, normally have to leave after work on Friday, or very early Saturday mornings. Yes, we depend a lot on the weather being good. Airshowitis is not as rampant as it once was. The mentality of our culture is finally slowly changing. Every "Airshow Appearance Agreement" that I send out as Deputy Operations Officer for the CenTex Wing, CAF, or as Operations Officer for the Yellow Rose Squadron, CAF, has a disclaimer on it, allowing for bad weather or mechanical problems keeping us from making the appearance.

Most people putting on an event don't want you to get there too early, as that increases the show costs for rooms. So it's a dice roll when weather might be an issue.

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Mike

One of my favorite topics.....

I have first hand visibility with some warbird incidents where pilots have been pushing it way too much weather-wise and then everyone wonders why something bad happened. As a lowly VFR 172 pilot I wonder how these events could ever happen at all.

I asked a P-51 ace I know how he flew to Berlin and back VFR on top and then desended through the UK soup with nothing more than a partly working ADF. He is response was "I was 20 and thought I was invincible....."

At the Dixie Wing we go to a lot of shows so weather is a popular topic. As our birds are VFR we adopt a conservative approach to preserve both people and aircraft.

Our rule of thumb is at least 5 miles viz with 5000 ft. Sometimes we go a bit lower if things are improving but increase the limits if things are going downhill. Again , with the rarity of our aircraft and the great desire to keep our CAF family in one piece we have the mindset there will always be another event...friends are harder to come by. My personal test is if we were in a 172 would we launch?

Some other techniques we use:

- We know the weather warning signs around the Atlanta area; if the wind is out of the east or south be careful...

- If we can reposition aircraft during the week if the weather is good we'll try to do that to make a series of events.

- ADDS Java Metars Weather is essential for good decision-making

- Some of our pilots have weather on their hand-held GPS we carry; very helpful for situation awareness

- Even though we tend to go GPS direct to events we use flight following more often than not

- The backseater keeps tabs on the nearest airport should ugly weather come our way

- If it looks really bad turn back..

I know I might get some frosty responses from either old school or press-on-regardless types. No worries, I can readily provide the count of personal friends/aquaintences lost due to poor weather decisions in warbirds if that would help.

Hope these tips save a friend and an aircraft someday....

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Rauhbatz
Commemorative Air Force
CAF Ohio Wing/Airbase Georgia Member
PT-19/26, T-34 CAF Pilot


Favorite quote from Wind, Sand & Stars - A. St. Exupuery "friends are like trees...when they are gone we miss their shade"

Maybe if they started calling it a "boatshow" instead of an airshow... I know what you mean I have been there in past years when planes could not make it due to the weather (Russell Group).

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My favorite weather story...........we were at Fredericksburg for an airshow, we had the Storch, P-40, Tora birds etc. when we were warned of t-storms with hail coming. You who have been there know that hangar space is near non-existant. One large shed was about it, and when we started pushing planes toward it right in the middle parked was one of the re-enactors TANK! I found the owner and told him to move it and he told me he didn't want it to get wet! It almost came to blows, but we did manage to get the planes under cover.