YOUR GUIDE TO THE WARBIRD EXPERIENCE
Is there an aviation enthusiast alive who hasn’t wished that he or she could taste what it was actually like to be at the controls of a World War II fighter or manning the gun positions in a bomber—preferably, without being shot at? No, that individual doesn’t exist. The visceral attraction of the warbird is universal, and at one time, that was quite frustrating.
One has to go back only a couple of decades to find a time when it was next to impossible to even get a ride in something like a Mustang, much less receive flight instruction. Plus, there were so few B-17s and other bombers flying that dreaming of hitching a ride in one wasn’t even worth wasting the mental energy on. That, however, has changed—big time!
Today there are numerous operators—some working out of fixed facilities and others literally barnstorming around the country, giving rides or instruction in a wide variety of warbirds. This is the result of an interesting intersection between warbird operators and the regulatory agencies, specifically the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Regulations Rule
Esta historia es de la edición August 2018 de Flight Journal.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2018 de Flight Journal.
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Scourge of the Allied Fighters
IT HAD TO BE THE MOST HELPLESS FEELING in the world: you're at 25,000 feet over Europe knowing that your primary function is to drop bombs-or flying escort for the bombers while being a slow-moving target for some of the world's finest shooters. However, you have John Browning's marvelous .50 caliber invention to give some degree of protection. Unfortunately, you're absolutely helpless against flak. Piloting and gunnery skills play no role in a game where sheer chance makes life and death decisions. For that reason, the Krupp 88 mm Flak 18/36/37 AA cannon could be considered WW II's ultimate stealth fighter. You never saw it coming.
ZERO MYTH, MYSTERY, AND FACT
A test pilot compares the A6M5 Zero to U.S. fighters
Fw 190 STURMBÖCKE
The Luftwaffe's \"Battering Rams\" against the USAAF heavy bombers
American BEAUTY
\"Forgotten Fifteenth\" top-scoring Mustang ace John J. Voll
BANSHEE WAIL!
Flying Skulls over Burma
KILLER CORSAIR
Albert Wells, Death Rattlers Ace
BACKSTREET BRAWLER
A young man, his Hurricane and the Battle of Britain
Still Flying After All These Years
One of the oldest airworthy J-3 Cubs
NOORDUYN NORSEMAN
Canada's rugged, fabric-covered workhorse
A good landing is one you can walk away from
NO, THIS IS NOT A SCENE FROM A MOVIE where the hero staggers away from a \"good landing\" on Mindoro, Philippine Islands, after being shot down by a Japanese Zero.
