Warbird Flying

[Centralize]

How does one become a warbird pilot??

[Prof Denzil Dexter]

One possible solution to that age old question would be "Buy yourself a warbird"

or..

1) Start flying old tailwheel aeroplanes, such as Chipmunk, Harvard, Tiger Moth, Yak50. Basically anything that takes skill and judgement to fly. Take care with engine handling, fly formation, become competent at aerobatics, gain respect.

2) Get lots of experience on said types around the bazaars until your face gets known.

3) Wait...................and if you're good, you'll be invited.

[Steepclimb]

Meanwhile join an online air combat simulator like Aces High. There you can virtually fly all the warbirds you like with surprising realism. Find out why the Corsair was called the 'Ensign Eliminator'. Even the virtual version bites fools. See the skies once again filled with Spitfires, Typhoons, FW190's and all. Take part in maximum effort raids, escort bombers or find out why the Luftwaffe feared attacking B17's. Or watch as a carrier task force puts up a wall of flak just like you've seen on the newsreels. Then try and fly through it. Of course there's also remarkable dogfights ore one on one duels.

I'm hooked already as you might have noticed. Sometimes it's incredibly immersive particularly as every other aircraft there is flown by another human and they want to add you to their scoresheet.

Give them a try, some offer free trial periods. One other thing in case you think it will be filled with expert teenagers. Remarkably the average age seems to be around the mid thirty mark most of whom know their stuff and argue endlessly on message boards about the comparative capabilities of the favourite aircraft

[seafuryfan]

I'll endorse steepclimbs enthusiasm for Aces High. I started playing it a year ago and still play in the (free) head to head arenas. It took me a while to get used to the game, and even longer to master just one aircraft type.

I now have great recreational fun in furious dogfights (free-for-alls or 'FFAs'). It's almost a shame to shoot down Spitfires in my Zero, but theres nothing like a good deflection shot, whatever the type. Having said all that, you're always learning, and it's great to team up with different types to figure out best tactics.

A bit off the thread question I know, but there you go. Steepclimb, I fly as Dr Lecter in the h2h rooms if you ever stray out of the Main Arena.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Most people I know who have got into that line of flying have been one of:-

(1) Qualified Engineers who work for companies (or are associated with voluntary organisations) operating such aircraft, and are also capable pilots in their own right.

(2) Ex-military who got to know the right people.

(3) Rich with time on their hands.

Your best bet is to try and get yourself into one of these categories. I've been trying to achieve (3) for years, but failed dismally.

And lets be honest, there's nothing wrong with playing computer games, but no amount of experience in that direction is going to get you into the cockpit of a real Spitfire.

G

[MLS-12D]

Let's be honest, there's nothing wrong with playing computer games, but no amount of experience in that direction is going to get you into the cockpit of a real SpitfireExactly right. Computer games can be good fun if you are into that sort of thing (and I may be one day, when I eventually lose my medical), but they are no substitute for the real thing.

Good advice Prof Denzil Dexter. When there's a will, there's usually a way!

[Saab Dastard]

I spoke to one of the flight crew on the DC3 at the Redhill show in August - he said that to even think about being able to fly it I would need a minimum of 500 hours tailwheel (Chippy, Harvard etc.) plus a twin rating with min 50 preferably over 100 hours twin time.

Oh yes - and know the right people and be very lucky! :p

HTH

SD

[foxmoth]

I don't think the DC3 is what most have in mind when they are talking about flying warbirds!

[Airbedane]

I posted the following on a thread in 'Private Flying' entitled: Warbird Flying - What Does it Take. It's still valid:

How do you get to fly warbirds - be at the right place at the right time, with the right qualifications, recognise what it is and grab it as it goes past.

Here's some routes that have worked in the past for colleagues:

RAF FJ, Conningsby F3's, BBMF. They don't require any tailwheel experience, they'll teach you what you need to know. However, most of the pilots are station execs, which means you'll have to work hard, be sucessful in your RAF career, and wait some time before you are eligible...

RAF FJ, TP, get some tailwheel experience, possibly Harvard at Boscombe Down, leave RAF and join Rolls-Royce, fly Rolls-Royce Spitfire, or should I say Spitfires as they are rebuilding MN-E, the Mk XIV that crashed about ten years ago.

RAF pilot (not necessarily FJ), TP, volunteer for Shuttleworth Collection, wait a long time, but they'll teach you what you need to know and eventually you'll fly the Shuttleworth Spitfire, Lysander, Gladiator, Hind and Hurricane and a lot of other interesting types as well.

RAF FJ, volunteer for a civilian flying unit, such as North Weald, that uses service pilots to teach civilians, teach warbird owners formation etc, eventually persuade an owner to let you fly their warbird.

Spend a lot of money on taildragger experience - Tiger Moth, Harvard, Yak, etc, have a great time, maybe at airshows, and wait for the opertunity to arrive and hope you spot it as it goes past.....

Become a Pop Star and buy your own - Dave Gilmour and Gary Newman did it, so why can't you....


Does that help? Maybe the last two don't, but the rest could work.

A



PS: Can anyone help by creating a link, I'm afraid I don't know how?

PPS: You don't need to be lucky, all you have to do is create your own luck. I know it's easy to say, but it can be done. It was 22 years to the day from my first solo (in a C150) to my first flight in a Spitfire (MkXIV). It all came together in the last 6 months and it arrived through being at the right place at the right time with the right experience..........'nuf said..............

PPPS above thread in Private Flying was around 16th May this year.

[Man-on-the-fence]

Airbedane

Here it is

Warbird Flying - What does it take, Link to Thread on the Private Flying Forum (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90170&highlight=Warbird+Flying)

[Airbedane]

Hey......What a star you are!

Would you let me know how to do that when we meet at Old Warden?

A

[Man-on-the-fence]

Airbedane

No problem. I Look forward too it.

[MLS-12D]

I spoke to one of the flight crew on the DC3 at the Redhill show in August - he said that to even think about being able to fly it I would need a minimum of 500 hours tailwheel (Chippy, Harvard etc.) plus a twin rating with min 50 preferably over 100 hours twin time. Oh yes - and know the right people and be very lucky!Actually it is not all that difficult to get a type rating for DC-3s (which I agree is not most people's definition of a warbird), if you have the money to pay for it. Although I understand that South Coast Airways (http://www.southcoastairways.com/) is no longer in business, you can still go to Pioneer (http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/flights?9734) in N.Z., Royal Aviation (http://royalaviation.com/dc3_flttraining.htm#DC3_pilot) in the USA, or Gateway Airlines (http://gatewayltd.com/) in Canada.

P.S. See also Airliners of America (http://www.airliners.org/), which offers training on the Martin 404.