Garth wrote:
Franklin wrote:
I do have to say that even though I had little interest in this thread at first, I find it a bit more entertaining now. As long as it stays civil

I'd like to hear opinions from other WIXers on the shuttle being a warbird, not warbird debate.
Actually, the path I was going down with on that question had to do with the pertinance of a Shuttle discussion on a "Warbird" discussion group.
If the definition of "Warbird" (and therefore the pertinence to discussions on WIX) is as you state, then we really shouldn't be having any discussions about NMUSAF (so no Swoose, no Memphis Belle threads, etc), NASM (no Flak Bait desecration threads), NNAM (look at those kewl Blue Angels A-4s hanging from the ceiling! threads), etc ... because the historical military aircraft in their collections are still owned by the government/military.
Now I realize that I'm a relative newcomer here, but it seems to me that if the operational definition, for the determination of pertinence on WIX, of "Warbird" is the well-researched, well-defined one you put forward, then maybe the name of this site should change its name to represent the broader discussions that are (and have been, since well-before I arrived) taking place here.
[/jonathan swift mode]

I get your point with your above statements. Very well valid, but even though as one fellow put it here in another thread, this is one dead horse of a debate, but at the same time I find it interesting that when I really think about it from a true sense of what I perceive
warbird to mean, I would have to conclude that all government owned vintage military aircraft either flying,
of which I can't think of any off hand, or static in museums, would not be considered a warbird but rather a retired military artifact, and if you were at the NMUSAF or any other government owned museum, that you would not actually be looking at
warbirds but an aformentioned retired military artifact, and in this particular debate, a retired NASA artifact. Not a retired
warbird ... of course this is IMHO
