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Warbird Addiction


frixon28

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Hey everyone,

As I have just started my PPL I have ran into many people wishing that they "dream of owning a warbird" or "I'm going to get a P-51 Mustang!" or insert favorite plane here is going to be mine and I'm going to be a fighter pilot! To that I say rock on and follow your dreams! But when I ask them if they are going to join the military they just shy away or change the topic. Having an interest in Experimental Aircraft I always see these scaled down P-51's, or RV-8's painted with Normandy Invasion stripes, and whenever I ask these people if they where in the military they always say no. Their is dedicated forums to warbirds and owning them and most people their have 0 military experience. Even in flight Sims like this, why is everyone so addicted to warbirds and the military but never serve or have a real connection to that? I by no means am trying to be rotten or start a flame war of any sorts on how someones lifestyle is better than anothers, I just want to hear everyone's opinions on why the public is so interested with warbirds or anything military(such as reenactments). Personal stories are greatly appreciated and inputs from real pilots would be amazing!

 

Sincerely,

Frixon28

 

Edit - While I appreciate everyones answers, what I am really hoping for is some thought on the large amounts of WW2 replicas and painting civilian planes to look like P-51s (not that there is something wrong with that). I also cleaned up the original question to bring this thread to where I wanted it to be. - Frixon 28


Edited by frixon28
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I think the obsession with war machines is a reflection more of the fact we are product of Darwinian competition, and war is really for us the most ultimate manifestation of competition. Their beauty is spawned from the purest functionality, as unlike in our civilian lives where merchandise are rife with superfluous novelty and trivialities, war only rewards superlatives -- the cheapest, the fastest, the hardest hitting, the highest flying, the most efficient, the most enduring.

With that said then, it's the ultimate fantasy to be able to take that and then fly it according to your own wishes. in a sense, it's the gratification of bending it to your will, a sort of taming of the beast.

 

Actual service relies on a whole different sentiment. It's a job. You're not there to cavort however you want with your favorite airplane, you're there to prosecute a mission and further the national interest.


Edited by probad
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Dose it really matter? you don't have to be an F1 driver to appreciate cars. Having a passion for aviation, no matter what your background has always been a thing. Sure military experience has its benefits, especially applying for a job but in the end...

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you don't need to be a military to have a passion for aviation (even military aviation). Some of us have a family situation and want to keep it stable, some of us (like me) have tried to be fighter pilots but failled, so trying something else, still in aviation sector etc.. I work for a public company which takes care of military equipment, i'm not military, but i work on Mirage 2000 for the french air force. Reasons are multiple, and personnal to each of us I think.

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Despite you saying you aren't trying to start a flame war or anything, that's an incredibly poor, arrogant attitude. Only people who are military or former military should have an interest in military hardware and military aviation? Really?

 

As probad and goldsmack said above me. Serving in the Military and having an enthusiastic appreciation for military hardware are two very, very different things, which sometimes overlap. Military aviation is the epitome of purpose built, absolute efficiency at a given task. "We need a plane that is very, VERY good at killing things on the ground, don't care how ugly it is, just make it happen" and *Poof* the A-10 is born. Things like that is why people like us, who have never served, appreciate military hardware. On top of that, many of us also have family and friends who have served, flew, sailed, lobbed mortars, etc, etc.

 

Your sense of entitlement and elitism: that only *you* should be able to be a military flight enthusiast because you are (planning to be) a military pilot, is not something that's going to win you many friends. But I suspect you are still young, and will out-grow this idea once you realize that not all people are in a position to, or have the ability to, or even don't *want* to serve in the military because there were other things in life that we wanted to pursue. Yet we still have *enormous* respect (and envy in the case of pilots) for those who do.

 

I certainly don't mean to belittle you, but you might want to sit down and rethink that attitude. That being said, good luck in your endeavors in flying, and good luck with your dream of military aviation. It's going to be a long, hard, road I'm sure. Keep at it and don't give up dude, it'll be worth it, you will get to fly the most lethal, highest performing, machines on earth.

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Hey everyone,

Thanks for all your replies. Some of this are interpreting it as if im bellitling or trying to be entitled, this is not true and im sorry if you honestly thought of that. What I am trying to figure out is why is there so much interests in warbirds within the aviation community (this is an military aviation subforum), and what makes people so interested in them specifically. I am trying to figure out what makes people so into these kind of things. Looks at ww2 reenactors. They go to painstakingly precision to reenact a military unit, yet many of them have never served. I am just trying to figure out why they are so interested in it, not that they cannot be!

Sincerely,

Frixon 28

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Despite you saying you aren't trying to start a flame war or anything, that's an incredibly poor, arrogant attitude. Only people who are military or former military should have an interest in military hardware and military aviation? Really?

 

As probad and goldsmack said above me. Serving in the Military and having an enthusiastic appreciation for military hardware are two very, very different things, which sometimes overlap. Military aviation is the epitome of purpose built, absolute efficiency at a given task. "We need a plane that is very, VERY good at killing things on the ground, don't care how ugly it is, just make it happen" and *Poof* the A-10 is born. Things like that is why people like us, who have never served, appreciate military hardware. On top of that, many of us also have family and friends who have served, flew, sailed, lobbed mortars, etc, etc.

 

Your sense of entitlement and elitism: that only *you* should be able to be a military flight enthusiast because you are (planning to be) a military pilot, is not something that's going to win you many friends. But I suspect you are still young, and will out-grow this idea once you realize that not all people are in a position to, or have the ability to, or even don't *want* to serve in the military because there were other things in life that we wanted to pursue. Yet we still have *enormous* respect (and envy in the case of pilots) for those who do.

 

I certainly don't mean to belittle you, but you might want to sit down and rethink that attitude. That being said, good luck in your endeavors in flying, and good luck with your dream of military aviation. It's going to be a long, hard, road I'm sure. Keep at it and don't give up dude, it'll be worth it, you will get to fly the most lethal, highest performing, machines on earth.

 

Hey,

If you could quote part of my messages to show where I am being elitist it would be greatly appreciated and help me from ever again having a bad attitude. If I could give you my own advice I would recommend in order for you to have a bad attitude you should stop trying to make fun of random people you dont know and wont ever meet by saying they wont ever have friends with their current attitude. Also please dont say your not trying to bellitle me after making me sound like im apart of the DCS 1%, that attitude wont get you many friends. You grinded your axe and I grinded mine time to move on.

 

Now, I dont understand where your getting this idea that im being elitist and entitled. Do i ever say that "because you never served you cant own a warbird"? I did not think so etheir. If it was not for our fantastic historians (which every warbird owner truly is) than pieces of history like these aircraft would not be known by future generations. I have read my post and your post over many times and i still wonder if i should have put down my intentions to join the airforce. If I didnt would you have tried to villanize me still, i dont know. I never said that the military was better, or that if you didnt serve your a bad person, or anything of that sorts. I was/still wondering why so many people have serious addictions (including myself) to these legends of the skies. To end this off to you Im sorry if your interpreting it as myself being elitist, I am honestly not trying to be, but thats up to you if you want to listen to what I actually said thats fine by me, just dont put words in my mouth please. Perhaps if you quote where you think im being elitist we could solve this better.

Sincerely,

Frixon28

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Not a real pilot here, but If I was, I would fall into the same category. Talking specifically about WWII warbirds, for me it's the same reason why I'm very interested in vintage cars while having sub-zero interest in modern vehicles (I don't even have or want one), or why I'm interested in vintage firearms, while not giving a damn about modern ones. Their raw and brutal power and simplicity plus dependence mostly on operator's skill rather than modern electronic gizmos makes them in my eyes more fascinating, challenging and "manly", compared to computerized equipment of XXI century. Plus, I'm just interested in WWII history as well.

 

That might not answer Your question fully, but then I'm not sure what Your primary question actually is :D. Is it about civilians being interested in military gear, or about people being interested in WWII military gear (warbirds, reenactment)? Because, these are separate, unrelated things.

 

P.S. - as for the "elitism" part, not sure about Gekoiq, but I had somewhat similar impression to the others in this thread - probably from You boasting about military family & Air Force ambitions, while talking about "lame excuses" of the others. That does give a bit of a "I'm better than these dirty peasants" feel to the message.

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Is it such a stretch for you to imagine that people may want to selectively experience war? They may only be interested in experiencing and learning about the mechanics of the martial art, or the formation tactics, or the logistical aspects -- without having to deal with messy details of the real thing like, oh, the fact you don't get to do it all over again afterwards and obvious ones like your buddies not being there tomorrow.

 

The military isn't interested in waging parts of war, and it's also not interested in anachronisms like musket lines and P-51s. It's not going to train a superbug pilot to be an expert on how to squeeze the most out of a Bf-109 or an infantryman on how Phalanxes were employed.

The authorities are those who put time and effort into the subject matter and it so happens this time and effort doesn't always happen to mesh with what the military wants you to put time and effort into.


Edited by probad
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It's like my iaijutsu teacher always said, Its to keep alive the history and the art of something lest it be lost to time, even though it may be impractical in the modern age....and cause "swinging" a razer sharp Katana at a damp rolled tatami mat is a great way to relive stress.

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Not a real pilot here, but If I was, I would fall into the same category. Talking specifically about WWII warbirds, for me it's the same reason why I'm very interested in vintage cars while having sub-zero interest in modern vehicles (I don't even have or want one), or why I'm interested in vintage firearms, while not giving a damn about modern ones. Their raw and brutal power and simplicity plus dependence mostly on operator's skill rather than modern electronic gizmos makes them in my eyes more fascinating, challenging and "manly", compared to computerized equipment of XXI century. Plus, I'm just interested in WWII history as well.

 

That might not answer Your question fully, but then I'm not sure what Your primary question actually is :D. Is it about civilians being interested in military gear, or about people being interested in WWII military gear (warbirds, reenactment)? Because, these are separate, unrelated things.

 

P.S. - as for the "elitism" part, not sure about Gekoiq, but I had somewhat similar impression to the others in this thread - probably from You boasting about military family & Air Force ambitions, while talking about "lame excuses" of the others. That does give a bit of a "I'm better than these dirty peasants" feel to the message.

 

Hey,

Thanks for your information filled comment. Yes I agree with you I made I did come off a little arrogant, and it was a little personalized. The "lame excuses" was me going on a bit of a tangent because I know quite a few people who say they know everything about the military and aviation and how their the best yet when asked if they want to join the military they always come up with some really BS exscuse and change the subject. So sorry about that I shouldnt have gotten that personoal. In regards to your last sentence, hah! I am the dirty farmer peasant! I believe my question is a combination of both of how civilians are so incrsdibly interested in military gear (just look at the majority of the gun community) and people love reenacing killing each other and flying weapon systems (also known as warbirds).

 

Sincerely,

Frixon 28

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It's like my iaijutsu teacher always said, Its to keep alive the history and the art of something lest it be lost to time, even though it may be impractical in the modern age....and cause "swinging" a razer sharp Katana at a damp rolled tatami mat is a great way to relive stress.

 

This is a great, simple comment and is very good answer.

Sincerely,

Frixon28

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Is it such a stretch for you to imagine that people may want to selectively experience war? They may only be interested in experiencing and learning about the mechanics of the martial art, or the formation tactics, or the logistical aspects -- without having to deal with messy details of the real thing like, oh, the fact you don't get to do it all over again afterwards and obvious ones like your buddies not being there tomorrow.

 

The military isn't interested in waging parts of war, and it's also not interested in anachronisms like musket lines and P-51s. It's not going to train a superbug pilot to be an expert on how to squeeze the most out of a Bf-109 or an infantryman on how Phalanxes were employed.

The authorities are those who put time and effort into the subject matter and it so happens this time and effort doesn't always happen to mesh with what the military wants you to put time and effort into.

 

Hey,

So you think its just that certain people like certain things and just want to do that?

Sincerely-Frixon28

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