I'm a bit hesitant...

[sdennison]

There's a Geico commercial where R. Lee Armey plays a therapist with a whiny male figure on the couch whining about why he's sad. Really Funny.

Outstanding commercial!!!!!!!!!!! My wife is a therapist and laughed her butt off.

Now, try running a 100 lapper in a Sprint car with normal underwear, two layer nomex long johns, three layer nomex drivers suit, head sock, helmet with a skirt, & three layer gloves in 100 degree weather with 105 heat index at Eldora Speedway in Rossberg Ohio on a Sunday afternoon. Still have the scar from the butt burn created by the oil tank under my seat.

I will sweat in the cockpit any day if I can fly, especially if it is a warbird. There are "profilers" in every sport that think they deserve better. Too bad.

[mustangdriver]

ah...I was typing a response...its not worth it. Mudge, start carrying Midol with you...next time you hear that toss a couple at them.

jim, who has been flying the B-24 for the last week in 100 degree heat with a bunch of guys that love what we do and don't complain about it.

Your sign off made me smile man. Very cool. Almost sounded like the closing of a WWII letter home.

[The Inspector]

I'd always heard that a Yorkshireman was actually a Scot with all the love and compassion beaten out of him-
aaaaannnnnnnndddddddd ttthhhheeeeyyyy'vvveee ggggooootttt ttthhhat bbbrrroooaaadd ffflllattt wwaaaayy oooff sssspppppeeeeeaaaakkkkiiiinnnggg ttttoooo.

[JDK]

I'd always heard that a Yorkshireman was actually a Scot with all the love and compassion beaten out of him-
aaaaannnnnnnndddddddd ttthhhheeeeyyyy'vvveee ggggooootttt ttthhhat bbbrrroooaaadd ffflllattt wwaaaayy oooff sssspppppeeeeeaaaakkkkiiiinnnggg ttttoooo.

There's a poster who is never going to come back alive from North of Watford, now...

[The Inspector]

[Second Air Force]

I call BS...its an honor to fly these aircraft, and I can proudly say we do it everyday, hot or cold. Its not about us.

jimh

Well put, Jim.

I feel much the same from the viewpoint of a mechanic--my work week is spent in a large hangar that doesn't have the benefit of air conditioning. A lot of my weekends are spent in an even hotter hangar working on the Fortress, usually with a crew of volunteers that could be doing other things than sweating. I rarely hear anyone complain about it or feel we deserve "special treatment" for doing something we love to do. It's exactly as you said--it's not about us.

Scott

[cco23i]

O.K I am going to chime in as a crew chief here in ARIZONA! WAAAA! Grow up, try being in 120 plus in the desert (no not an American desert) and after you spent 6 to 8 hours working on an airplane you go in for a "cool down break" only to find the ding bat suddenly decided to do his annual check up of the AC system! YUP, now that's a reason to complain!!

Scott

[Enemy Ace]

It may be hot,
it may be sweaty,
it may even be miserable out there,
BUT IT STLL BEATS THE HECK OUT OF HAVING TO DO YARD WORK!!!!!!

[Robbo]

I'd always heard that a Yorkshireman was actually a Scot with all the love and compassion beaten out of him-
aaaaannnnnnnndddddddd ttthhhheeeeyyyy'vvveee ggggooootttt ttthhhat bbbrrroooaaadd ffflllattt wwaaaayy oooff sssspppppeeeeeaaaakkkkiiiinnnggg ttttoooo.

There's a poster who is never going to come back alive from North of Watford, now...

James, you can always tell a Yorkshireman...... but you can't tell him much.

[JDK]

James, you can always tell a Yorkshireman...... but you can't tell him much.

Mmmm. While I've generally liked my time in Yorkshire, and most of the people, I recall one particular Yorkshirewoman that applied to.

[whistlingdeath77]

I would trade any hot day for the chance to pilot some of those wonderful birds. It's the price you pay if you want to fly these things at shows.
We can't have them in the winter, no one would come!
Jerry

If there was corsairs in winter....i would go! Whats the odds of having b-17's next year? Too much money or not enough of space would be the downfall i guess. The belle is in Ny and the collings foundation is in mass,( yes i know you already know that!) I was thinking of the close proximity and small traveling distance of these planes coming to startford

[k5083]

Just a thought on the idea that the pilot's griping is BS because it is an honor to fly the planes and we should tolerate a little discomfort.

Understand that the honoring thing is a personal feeling. Some fly/fix/work with warbirds to honor someone/something, or consider it an honor to do so. Others do not. For plenty of operators they are just nice toys. The sometimes-voiced suggestion that operators "should" feel they are honored/honoring quickly gets tiresome, often sanctimonious.

Look at it from the perspective of an owner who just feels he has a nice toy that people want to see, spends his weekends letting them see it, probably at an economic loss to himself, and sometimes with a good deal of discomfort. I'm not pro-whining, but it makes it a little more understandable than if you assume, wrongly, that everyone is on a mission of honor. Obviously, our comeback to these owners could be, "If it isn't comfortable enough for you, or you aren't enjoying yourself, keep your toy and stay home." But is that really what we want? Seems to me that whatever can be done to make operators happy, within the tight economic constraints of airshows, that increases the number of nice planes on the field is all to the good.

August

[Django]

Flight crews *should* get special treatment. It's no different than a band at an event. I can't speak to being on a flight crew, but as a musician, we get taken care of 99% of the time at any show we play.

[Mudge]

Flight crews *should* get special treatment. It's no different than a band at an event. I can't speak to being on a flight crew, but as a musician, we get taken care of 99% of the time at any show we play.

Why? Are they some sort of "royalty" because they fly an airplane or play an instrument? Does the band pi$$ and moan about the working conditions in front of the audience? If the flight crews/band members have a problem/complaint about the way they're "taken care of" they should take it up with the organizers of the event, not air their complaints in front of the folks who've paid to see them perform. The paying customers can't solve the problem (imagined or otherwise) so what purpose does it serve other than to make the complainant look like a spoiled child?

Mudge the verbose

[Django]

No, and he shouldn't have said anything like that in "public". That wasn't my point.

Royalty? No, but you ARE there to see them (us) perform. Ever hear of a "green room"? That's the special area for "talent". It's universally accepted that the venue take care of the performers. It's not a new idea.