oshosh84 wrote:
I think im about the only young guy in my area with an interest in warbirds. I know several people /w interest in aviation, but I haven’t met anyone in my age group with any interest in Classic a/c and warbirds. Is the general interest in aviation evolving along the lines of newer, lighter, faster, and be damned with the old?
Without new blood, are warbirds and antique airplanes doomed to go the way of the Curtis Jenny? (Correct me, but I don’t think any are flying anymore"
Excuse the grammer.
When I first grew interested in warbirds there was little or nothing online about them, granted this was a dozen years ago and the Internet was just being discovered by people and the world wide web was just starting to be spun. This prompted me to start the Luftwaffe Resource Group in 1996 which led into the Warbirds Resource Group soon after. One of the goals of this site and it's numerous and varied sections wash to provide information to those who sought it, regardless of age.
One of the things I realized was that I had no friends that had even an inkling of the passion I have for the subject and that sent me searching online for a mailing list or a discussion forum. I discovered the Warbirds Worldwide forum mere days before its demise as well as the subsequent Vintage Aviation Forum. I chose to create the VAF Refugee center that later became the WIX. The fundemental purpose of the WIX is to provide a place for like minded individuals to come and discuss warbirds and to create a community around that. The wonderful community that has formed here in the last 5 years is one comprised of individuals with a passion for warbirds regardless of race, sex, age, religion or geographical location (we even allow Mainers

We judge you not on what you are but who you are, as a person. There are teenagers here that have spoken with more clarity and respect than some individuals twice thier age. It's irrelevant wiether you own a warbird or if you just admire them, you have a place here.
And speaking of ownership, one of the things I have striven for is to bring the different levels of warbird people together so that we can all share in the passion that we all have. I thank all the owners, crew chiefs, mechanics, curators, and all the rest who have warbirds as part of there lives for sharing thier lives wuith all of us. It brings all together and allows us to realize that we aren't the "weirdest" person in the room, well at least not for reasons relating to warbirds
And lastly, our community brings us together in a literal sense as well. Just check out our
gathering gallery to see those of us who have met at airshows and museums and have developed real life friendships as well as vitual ones. Some of my best friends have been found through the forum. So take a chance and announce when you are going to an aviation event, you might just make a new friend
To sum it up, welcome to WIX

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