Vintage beauties...

[Sock]

Vintage aircraft to be exact.

[ozzy72]

I think the replica market is trying to fill that niche. But I agree, I'd sooner see one in the air than gathering dust.
That said RAF Hendon is a bit like Mecca for me (They have 3 Spits, a Vulcan, a Lightning, and loads of other yummy things )

Ozzy

[Politically Incorrect]

IN THE AIR!
If they are airworthy of course!!
But I too can see both sides of the story. When you take into consideration the amount of money put into restoring something like that all it takes is one gust of wind or a little mistake then money and more importantly a life(lives) are lost as well as history.
So it is a hard opinion to make. I do think that she belongs in the air! And even though you can still appreciate the grace and beauty in a museum nothing beats the rush you get seeing any warbird in all her glory soaring the skies!!
Also most don't realize that the insurance companies have allot of say so of what you do with it!

[Hagar]

I think it depends how rare the aircraft is. I'm a big warbirds & vintage aircraft fan & love to see these old birds flying. I'm looking forward to seeing some again when the display season starts & while I have the chance. Most warbirds are tricky to handle & will bite given the opportunity. Some were notorious for this when they were in service & killed a large number of rookie pilots. In the UK alone we've lost many unique aircraft over the last few years due to an unfortunate spate of accidents at air displays. Some of these were the only airworthy example of their type which were either completely destroyed or so badly damaged they will never fly again. Even worse than this - many of the crew members were killed.

At least some of these accidents were put down to pilot error & it's quite possible they will never find out the cause of the others. I would hate to see these aircraft banned from flying but I think the display pilots will have to be extra careful. I'm sure they're well aware of this without me saying so. To the best of my knowledge no members of the public have been hurt so far. If this were to happen it's quite possible the only place we will see these aircraft in future is in a museum.

[Meinas]

I think the planes should fly,  no replica has satisfied me like the original (still have yet to see a P-38 replica),  however its very sad to hear a vintage plane crashing and no hope repair , sooo my theory is.....

vintage aircraft should only fly only when I am the pilot in command

[loomex]

Sock,
  You have made an interesting point. "to be or not to be, that is the question". Hamlet said this in referance to killing ones self(if I am wrong, I am sorry, thats what I think he ment). The same goes for an owner of a plane. To fly and risk the chance of a crash, or to sit in a museum never to move. Two years ago I watched a B-17 fly over the Elmira-Corning Airport. It was an awesome sight. But like a lot of people, I also want to touch it, feel the history so to speak. It is a hard choice I am sure, for an owner to park it or to fly it.

[Sock]

I think the replica market is trying to fill that niche.

Replicas are great, don't get me wrong but, They're just not the same as the real thing!

[Meinas]

Don't forget good weather.

only need good weather for flying excessively-illegally low

[HawkerTempest5]

There is some debate here in the UK at present about the best way forward for the Warbird movement. Some feel it is time to restrict them to basic displays. Last year we lost two rare examples of classic Warbirds, one resulting in the loss of both crew. This is very sad.
Personally I feel that it is important to keep these magnificent aircraft flying, but maybe it is time to look at the way they are displayed. Watching a Spitfire flying fast and low or pulling tight turns and loops is a truly awesome sight, but if flying slow and steady is what it takes to keep these planes flying, then so be it. Maybe operators should take a look at how BBMF display their aircraft.

[Hagar]

Maybe operators should take a look at how BBMF display their aircraft.

Speaking of that reminds me of a display at Worthing last year. The weather was terrible with a very low cloud base. The Red Arrows had cancelled their display the previous day which is very unusual & shows how bad conditions were. This lasted the whole weekend. I was very surprised to see the BBMF Lanc show up at all & even more surprised at the low level at which they displayed the aircraft. This was over the sea & no danger to the public but one engine cutting at the wrong moment & that wonderful old bird would have been in the water. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it & I'm sure the crew knew exactly what they were doing but it made me wonder at the time.

I took some photos with my old camera which I forgot all about. I'll take them in for developing & post them here if they came out.

PS. If they come out I should also have some shots of a RAF Tornado inverted at zero feet. It was so low that I could swear the fin left a wake in the water. This was the best display of the whole weekend & made up for the disappointment.

PPS. One thing that impressed me was the number of people that turned out in those awful conditions to watch a short flying display. Not only that but everyone seemed to recognise the Lanc & knew all about it. Some of the older ones were quite emotional talking about what it meant to them. I met a lady at a Shoreham show who had badges of the Lanc all over her. I naturally asked her about this & she told me her fiancee had been killed on one about 2 weeks before WWII ended. She follows the BBMF all over the country in his memory. She told me the tribute at Shoreham to RAF Bomber Command & the words of the commentator made her cry for the first time in many years. This alone makes keeping it flying important to me.

[Politically Incorrect]

I met a lady at a Shoreham show who had badges of the Lanc all over her. I naturally asked her about this & she told me her fiancee had been killed on one about 2 weeks before WWII ended. She follows the BBMF all over the country in his memory. She told me the tribute at Shoreham to RAF Bomber Command & the words of the commentator made her cry for the first time in many years. This alone makes keeping it flying important to me.

This is what it is all about!!!! And sharing the grace, beauty and history with generations too come!
This story coincides with the one about the F4 I posted in the Photos forum.

[Woodlouse2002]

I say keep them flying for as long as it is safe to do so. Although I like them flying I'd far rather see one in a museum than in a crater.

[flyboy 28]

Vintage aircraft to be exact.  (I know what you where thinking!!  )

*shudder... shudder...* :-/

[Scorpiоn]

This is one of those conflicting issues.  I don't know anyone who'd like to see an aircraft on the ground versus in the air.  I say fly 'em all and make sure evrythings workin' before you do!  But the reality of the matter is accidents happen from what the name suggests, a fluke.  I suppose this is one of those things that must be examined in a case by case basis: there is no universal rule.  I can not explain the feeling I get when I see a F4U make a simple, broad, turn (The most complicated aerobatics done at shows here are aileron rolls and turns, and it should stay that way), although I suspect most of us have experienced it with their own favorite aircraft.  It would be a shame to lose that.

PS: On a related note, at the last airshow I went to, the one F4U they had was out due to a wing spar issue.  Good thing they caught it in advance!

[Hagar]

The main problem with preserving any vintage aircraft in airworthy condition is the cost & ever-decreasing lack of spare parts. It's possible to build a basic airframe from scratch but you still need engines, propellers & all the other accessories that go up to make an aircraft. Some of these components are difficult to get hold of & maintain. Even a set of replacement engine hoses can cost a small fortune & that's if you can get hold of them. The people with the necessary skills to maintain these components are disappearing as they retire. When they die there is nobody to replace them. This leads some restorers to take unnecessary risks. One approved engine overhaul facility that shall be nameless was reponsible for the loss of several warbirds & some crew members in the UK until this was discovered during the subsequent accident investigations.

Then you have to consider that apart from a few respected professional display pilots, many people that fly these old aircraft have comparatively few hours on type. The loss of several irreplaceable aircraft in recent years has been put down to pilot error caused by this inexperience. The sad loss of Black 6, the only airworthy genuine Bf 109 G-2 Trop in the world, is one example. The pilot concerned was a very senior RAF officer with many hours in his logbook. Fortunately he survived.
http://www.franka.clara.net/Black6_update.htm