The Skysport Bulldog is a very pleasant aircraft and reasonably priced. It has a military look and feel, but it is not really a warbird, despite the paint scheme. Stearmen and Chipmunks are not warbirds either, but I believe that you can fly dual in Martin Shaw's Stearman at Old Buckenham and in Chipmunks at various places including Wycombe. I have not tried a Stearman but Chipmunks are delightful.
Few if any real Warbirds are rentable: they tend to be on permits to fly, and you would have to be very lucky to be allowed to "borrow" them solo. If you go to Wanaka in New Zealand you can do a Tiger Moth to Harvard to Mustang programme. There are possibilities for JP, Delfin and Hunter flights at North Weald and Kemble, but no solo without joining a group.
If you are looking for something different from the average club rental, than as Ninja Bill says the Cap 10 is a delight to fly. Test Pilot, Fighter Pilot and instructor David Robson describes it as the best light aircraft he has flown in 40 years of flying, but note that it does not have the heavy metal feel and smell of a warbird.
Last edited by FNG; 9th July 2004 at 10:04.