Warbird Information Exchange

This is my first day on this forum and my first post so greetings fellow warbird fans! My interest in warbirds started when I went to work at the New Castle Airport (ILG) in Delaware. During WWII it was the New Castle Army Air Base a major hub for the Air Transport Command and home of the 2nd Ferrying Squadron. The first summer I worked there, the Collins Foundation arrived with Nine-O-Nine and All American (Now Witchcraft). As I toured these aircraft I had an overpowering feeling that I had been there before. It was much more powerful than everyday dejavu. Could it have been the hours of watching public television as a kid and seeing every WWII related show and movie? Maybe but man it really moved me. From that day on I was hooked on WWII aviation. I researched the history of the New Castle Army Air Base, I've worked at the former Naval Air Station Wildwod (Now Cape May Airport, WWD) and I currently work at the former Millville Army Air Field (Now Millville Airport, MIV). I've attended or worked at dozens of airshows, have had the honor of meeting many fine men and women who lovingly restore and take care of our living, flying history. Working at an airfield with a decent concentration of warbirds on site, who attend our annual air show and who fly through regularly, has taught me to keep my camera with me every day. While I love photographing the aircraft, it's the people I enjoy the most. Both the veterans and the current aircraft owners. The stories are pricesless and now I am passing my love on to my 2 and 1/2 year old son who knows every major aircraft of WWII buy looking at a picture, model or up close. At this year's air show, he had the jaws of a lot of pilots wide open as he toddled around one of the hangars saying, "Daddy, look a Corsair...Look Daddy, an Avenger... Mustang... SNJ... Thunderbolt...". The next generation of warbird fans has been established.

Apollolanding,

Welcome aboard...it's always great to hear from new members! It's also good to hear that I'm not the only parent around here whose kids have been indoctrinated into warbirds at a very young age.

John

Welcome aboard Apollolanding ! Hey, I had one of those too ! A 2 1/2 year old who knew em all. He's 22 now. Boy we had fun at his first airshow. Had to tie a rope on him to keep him from running all over the ramp.

Looking thru my great uncle's wartime photo album really put the hook in me. Every time my family went over to visit with his, he would just look at me and nod towards the back of the house, where he kept his album. I can still remember running my fingers over the piece of flak he had taped inside and wondering what it was like to have done what he did. So, my vote goes to the sacrifices made by the vets. That is only because the dang vote counter wouldn't let me pick more than one!

For me, it was the combination of a couple of things. I grew up in the 70s where Black Sheep Squadron was on the TV. While not historically accurate in many ways, it sparked the interest in me as a kid. The second big thing was going to a flea market and finding an old WWII airplane spotters guide (the kind many civilians owned to help identify friendly vs enery planes). It was a real bargain at 25 cents and I thumbed through that thing endlessly, memorizing all of the types and being thrilled by just how beautiful some aircraft were.

Before long, I started to soak in the history of the air war in WWII and was hooked from there. My Dad was kind enough to take me to the CAF airshow every year in St. Paul, MN...so I gained a great appreciation for the thrill of seeing the real thing in the skies (instead of just in B&W photographs).

With the exception of a few years in my late teens and early 20s (when I was distracted by the things that distract young males at that age ), I have been a warbird nut ever since.

BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP Chicks,Booze,Fights and Warbirds.What could be better to a 10 year old The historical stuff would come later.

Here, Here! that show (re-runs I'm affraid for me) and my older Brother running off to the Navy really sparked my interest. I just loved the aircraft, later on when serving in the Navy I learned just what our freedom costed.

Tim

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www.tailhookstudio.com

TOTALLY!

I would also always watch the Sunday morning war movie at 10am... every sunday as a kid. I read every Martin Caiden book I could get my hands on. My first model was an F-4 and I painted it just like the Gunfighters, whom Dad was stationed with at DaNang. My first airshow was in '81 and I was 10. I bought 2 CAF books and the pages got so dog eared from constant page turning. (actually I was thinking about those 2 books the other day wondering where they were)

I drew and painted scenes of air combat. We went to the AF museum and got another book of aircraft, that I read and reread and reread.

I was in 4-H and built models... two of which went onto the state fair, and both got blue ribbons there. (B-25 and then a B-29)

But as I turned 15, I started to work more on cars. Never stopped loving warbirds though. Then onto college, became a graphic designer.

About '97 I started collecting SpecCast P-51s. That got me back into it I think. (I have about 25 diecast planes now).

In 2000 I got divorced and took up swing dancing to get out and meet people. People were dressing up in vintage clothes and uniforms. Cool! So I got a uniform, 15th AF.

Then in '04, joined a rockabilly band and found out two of the guys (brothers) were reenactors. So last year was my first time at an airshow, all dressed up in flight gear. It was a blast and my first airshow in about 8 years (with warbirds at least).

Well there you have it... my life story. Almost.

I guess the biggest draw for me is the aircraft, and the stories of the men and women through the war, all the history. They weren't called the greatest generation for nothing.

I remember seeing COLOR pictures of Warbirds for the first time (they had all been black & white before) They were from some place called Oshkosh,like the kids jeans. I had no idea that Warbirds were still around and flying Then my dad took me to the Bradley Air Museum (now the New England Air Museum) before the tornado hit. I could not believe that really Warbird were that close About 80 miles. I started bugged my dad every year to go back.Then when I was old enough to drive I started going solo or with friends. Now I live close-by.