mazdaP5 wrote:
F-86's and Mig-15's are great, but where are all of the naval Warbirds from the Korean war era? Sea Fury's and Corsairs are most common, but I'd love to see some Panthers, Banshees, even Phantom I's.
Unfortunately, those early jets have a LOT of strikes against them, including:
1) Ancient jet technology, with less than reliable engines, prone to flameouts, compressor stalls, etc.
2) Huge gas guzzling jet engines, which eat up much more gas than their piston bretheren.
3) Rarity of the planes make restoration very difficult if not impossible due to the availability of parts.
4) Ancient ejection seat technology, which makes flying the older jets more risky than modern counterparts, i.e. - L-29's, L-39's, etc.
5) Lack of performance in regards to speed, range, and overall reliability in regards to more modern jets, i.e. - T-33's, F-86's, L-29's, L-39's, etc.
6) Not as much notoriety or "glory" as their piston engined counterparts such as the Corsair, Bearcat, Fury, etc.
7) Much more finicky and harder to maintain than their piston engined counterparts, due to having more complex systems.
8. Not as much demand by airshows and event organizers than the popular piston engined Korean era birds. This translates into no or lesser money for appearance fees to keep the jets maintained.
As much as I would like to see some more early era jets, unless you are a Paul Allen type, it just wouldn't be feasible or practical to maintain one in flying condition, IMO. This is especially true in light of the current av gas crisis.