So you want to teach Children about Warbirds huh! ...

[Dan Johnson II]

And get those little rug rats out there turning some wrenches so they can earn their keep! As Ron Swanson says "child labor laws are ruining this country!"

My oldest son and I volunteered at the Minnesota Air Guard Museum for a time when he was younger. We spent a lot of time sanding on the bottom wing of a T-33, and tearing out bits from their C-47 that needed to go. I well remember taking a minute and sitting in the cockpit of that bird with him in the co-pilot's seat and just taking in the history.

Oldest daughter did a history day project that involved interviewing Micky Axton, a former WASP pilot. There was always a way to plant the seeds in the kids about aviation history

[DaveG]

Hit em early and often.

I think you've posted this picture of your son before. It's just a great shot and I love his raised eyebrow. Thanks for sharing.

[Noha307]

My thoughts on the subject are tricky as I certainly do not want to enhance or contribute to most of todays children's already over-exposed thirst for killing and destroying everyone and everything in sight via violent video games.

That's just absolute BS the media likes to scare people into believing. In fact studies have shown video games (in healthy doses) help improve multitasking abilities, even slight improvements in visual acuity and problem solving skills.

Perhaps that's true, but it wasn't the point I was making nor the direction I was going. My statement could have been re-phrased to read differently I'll admit. No matter as it's a moot point now, but it sounds great the approach your taking with your students. Great work.

I highly agree with Fight2Fly, but I'm not not going to discuss violence in video games further than that. I would instead like to suggest why not combine them? Warbirds and video games. I always hate revealing this because I'm afraid I'll be dismissed, but being 19 years old puts me in a unique position for this whole discussion. Anyway, you guys said it yourselves, kids today love to play video games; if they're going to, why not have it be on a game about warbirds? I just happen to be beta testing an online game called World of Warplanes, and while I can't say much due to the conditions of an agreement, I would like to say the game is excellent, especially in terms of historical accuracy. If you need anymore convincing, I would also like to point out that the company behind the game, Wargaming.net, is also the one financing the Spitfire recovery in Burma. I've met many young people like myself online who enjoy video games such as these and learning about historical military topics such as warbirds. The games give them a chance to experience these topics in certain aspects they couldn't otherwise. So don't be so quick to dismiss such things - they might be just the solution you're looking for...

[PlanesOfThePast]

I love historic aircraft, and was born immediately after the end of WWII. I enjoy researching and photographing the planes from this era. But trying to interest my daughter, and granddaughters, in aviation history is a difficult task ... Lots of rolling eyes!

It's really a problem of educating the current generation in a quickly diminishing story. Many, unfortunately, do not understand the sacrifices that the previous generations made so that we have the "freedoms" of today.

Last edited by PlanesOfThePast on Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Hemiman]

[cooper9411]

My son growing up had no interest in aircraft, unless he was breaking one of the models I spent hours on putting together. He was more inclined to play NASCAR on his game console until one time in the mid to late 90's I took him to the NMUSAF. Pulling into the parking lot his eyes got wide seeing the exhibits on display outside. As we walked through the museum (WW2 section a few times) I told him about the different aircraft and the people who built and flew them and from what time period they were from. When he got the chance to walk through the B-29 fuselage, sit in the cockpits on display, I started to see the gleem in his eye, even though he wouldn't admit it. I took him to the Cleveland Air Show at Burke-Lakefront and we were both like kids in a candy store. He was amazed at the Huey, Cobra, and the Apache that was on display. Then over the years he "assisted" me at times when I worked on GA aircraft. When we went to do the A-26 In Rockford in 2011 (he was 21 then, in fact he turned 21 there so I had to buy him his "first" beverage) he could not believe the size of it and how small the crew that flew it back then had to be to fit into it. every time I started to assign someone to do a particular task he would step right up and want to do it and honestly without his help the project would have taken longer. Ah yes, there was some father-son quality time being spent. Ever since then every time we go somewhere he asks if there are any airports near where we are going? I guess I'll take the blame for all of this!

[fritzthefox]

Four things excited my imagination about airplanes enough to get a pilot's license: model kits (of warbirds), books (those old Bantam war books), flight sims (primarily with warbirds in them, because blowing up stuff is fun), and a visit to the Air force museum (where I happened to bump into another aviation enthusiast getting his license).

[stearmann4]

I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan, but my wife relayed a recent conversation she had with my sons (9 and 12) after they had just sent the weekend volunteering at the Heritage Flight Museum in Everette (KPAE).

We do have a Cub, Stearman, glider and are blessed being able to fly several other folks warbirds on occasion, but the boys seemed to have learned more about warbirds and their associated history by working on or near them and thus absorbing the associated knowledge and stories.

Of course flying them has a big impact on children, but it's us (adults) taking the time to teach them what it means to hold that 71 year old control stick in their hand, and how many hands have touched it before them, most are gone now, many probably never came home at all.

What a big favor we're doing our kids by introducing them to warbirds and all they represent. I see it as an opportunity to get them interested in history in general, not to mention our Greatest Generation.

I can't figure out how to post pictures on here, but there's some sweet ones of my oldest in a P-51B and the Stearman last weekend: https://www.facebook.com/SilverWingsFlyingCompany

He said he had way more fun cleaning trucks, directing planes and running chocks than he did flying. That kind of stuff gives the kids a sense of ownership and belonging. Video games have little value in our house these days...

Mike-

[Grikka]

i got into planes early from the age of 5 thanks to my grandad and dad and them both spending time building airfix kits, mostly for me until i was a couple of years older to really make a good go of them myself. with my dad passing on a stack of the his old war comics this developed into a wider interest in military history but warbirds were always number one for me.
then perhaps pivotally, one thing that always stuck in my mind was visiting the ww1 battlefields on a school trip at 10 years old and seeing some of the cemeteries.
the sheer size and scale of the human cost became imprinted on me and from then onwards i always sought first hand accounts, books, films that centred on the human side of conflict and none of the glorification

when i had kids...and now have 3,what i always told myself was i would like to share my passion with them if they were interested but even if not, then to ensure they too appreciated the human cost too from an early age
results thus far.
eldest 13 years old, girl. first airshow duxford flying legends 2006. enjoyed the day out but not into warbirds at all! however loves history ...so partial success in my eyes
middle child, 11 years old, girl. first airshow southport 2008. enjoyed the day out but not into warbirds at all. however again loves history..so partial success
neither girl will now willingly attend an airshow but still have to go to various museums, battlefields etc when on holiday with dad i.e they have no choice for just a day!

youngest, 5 years old, boy. first airshow southport 2008. yes all of 7 months old or so...big mistake..never realised the typhoon was so bloody loud and he screamed like hell for way too long. reintroduced him to planes at fantasy of flight at 3 years old along with the rest of the family on family vacation in florida. result...he is absolutely hooked. loved sitting in the cockpits of a few planes, enjoyed seeing the storch fly that day and then willingly joined me and some friends at cosford this year ...with ear defenders this time as the typhoon was not going to get him again!
presently sat next to me reading "knights of the air" a book about air combat in ww1 he pulled from my book shelf and full of questions daily about planes from every nation. can recognise b17s, lancasters, spits and corasairs in my flypast magazines so i think i may just have him hooked. thank goodness a willing visitor to future airshows and possibly a joint passenger for a ride in a bomber when i get the money and time to make it back across the pond

the whole family have been to most of the d day beaches including utah and omaha in the past couple of years and been to the u.s cemetery above omaha to enforce that human side. have to say its one of the most moving things as a family we have ever done, rounded off with a fly past over st mere eglise as we stood in the square with 3 sherman tanks, engines running.

summary of the above..like others have commented i dont think you can force your kids as regards getting into warbirds...its right to share the interest, crucial in my opinion to discuss the wider human side to the conflicts they participated in and all being well you will have at least one child to really share the passion with. there is nothing in my eyes wrong with discussing all aspects of warbirds and military history in general with children from a tender age so long as its balanced and you have the time to answer as in the case of my 5 year old, dozens of questions an hour about the best plane, fastest, most bombs, machine gun bullets, number of crew...etc etc

clive