Why aren't many people into warbirds?

[Solareagle]

It's like offering a Ford Taurus or Dodge Challenger in a driving sim, and people are like "I'll take the Taurus, I'm going to drive around at the speed limit and practice my turn signals. Putting your balls to the wall will only lead to a fine!"

Seriously, I don't know why general aviation is the big money maker. I guess my world of fantasy flight is different than most.

[bobsk8]

Some people don't like wars...

[Solareagle]

That's fair.

[n421nj]

For a civilian simulator, the war bird needs to be equipped with a more modern panel and IFR capable. I know it goes against authenticity but without working weapons there needs to be a trade off. Flying them is fun but I find them lacking in p3d. Having only a compass to navigate and VFR only really limits what you can do. In dcs however, they are a joy to fly and practice dog fighting. It gives you a hint of what those pilots went through during wwii.

[Solareagle]

My first add-on purchase was the RealAir Spitfire for FS9, and then I found the WOP WWII Fighters boxed set and I was hooked on warbirds forever. To bad I will never recapture the joy I had back then. lol

[n421nj]

My first add-on purchase was the RealAir Spitfire for FS9, and then I found the WOP WWII Fighters boxed set and I was hooked on warbirds forever. To bad I will never recapture the joy I had back then. lol

Try dcs world 2.5 and the p51 or spitfire. Your love will return 10 fold.

[Solareagle]

Try dcs world 2.5 and the p51 or spitfire. Your love will return 10 fold.

Wow. I'm checking it out and didn't know they had a selection like that. Thanks for the heads up!

[WB_FlashOver]

I'm with you Solareagle. I started flying sims with CFS 1, 2 & 3 then moved to IL2. Although I was pretty good at the competitive nature of the game and did quite well in online battles it always left me with a lot of stress and tension. I tried FS8, FS9 and FSX on and off for several years but they never really held my interest with their lack of realism. Then I found A2A and the B-17 . I still occasionally flew combat in IL2 for a year or so but the competitive nature of it all just wasn't what I was wanting anymore.

I've purchased most all of A2A's warbirds and COS's and one GA, the Comanche. I love the Comanche but only have a few hundred hours in it. I always return to the yesteryear aircraft and fly history with the Greatest Generation. I find I don't need the challenge of shooting others down but prefer the challenge of keeping my plane flying for as many hours as possible. Give me big round engines with lots of holes or big V's with lots of holes and I'm a happy camper. I would love to see A2A produce a PBY-5A someday. That would just about complete my simming experience.

As for the navigation of it all I rather prefer to hop in the P40 and scoot along VFR following a heading, roads and terrain features. In the P-51 I almost always fly DVOR and even NDB at times. Most all my Connie flights are DVOR and yes, NDB at times. I wish the P40 had ADF and VOR installed but that is the challenge, isn't it?

Cheers
Roger

[MarcE]

Some people don't like wars...

I hate war and I hate violence but I do have guns.. and I love the AT6, P51 and Spitfire, I certainly miss the P47. Bit neither do I need to point my guns at human beings nor do I need to load my P51 with bombs.

Sometimes it‘s a good thing to seperate the technical aspects from the actual purpose shooting and flying are fun. Killing probably not so much.

[guillaume78150]

I guess this relates mainly to the way you fly. I use to travel, one up to five hours flights, mostly VFR, VOR and ADF nav and ILS approach when available. In this context, Comanche or Bonanza are the perfect tools.

[bladerunner900]

I like history. Ancient and Medieval mostly. When I paint an aircraft I like to find out more about who and why they flew them. You can learn a lot from history. All about the moral ineptitude of certain human beings and the price we all have to pay countering them, when they get delusions of grandeur.

So I guess the answer as to why aren't many people interested, would be because most people do not know why warbirds exist in the first place. Any aircraft can become a warbird, when there is a war on.

Steve

[n421nj]

The B17 is different though....I can fly that all day long without wanting to squeeze off a few rounds from the guns. Dropping bombs is fun too. I guess because it is more like a transport ship and less like a fighter.

[TBryson2]

I’m a US Marine, not a Marine aviator. Perhaps I have a different mindset. I enjoy the lines, grace and power of combat aircraft. I think they are some of the most beautiful and magnificent machines ever created. I have never seen combat and thank God for that. I do not condone senseless violence, and yet, understand the necessity of stopping evil and wicked men who see no problems with making the innocent suffer. I do not have to “kill” another, but enjoy target practice and to hone my skills.

GA aircraft, on the other hand, offer me the peace and serenity of “normal” flight just for the sheer enjoyment of flying.

For me, I’ll fly anything!

TB2

[Hook]

A lot of people are into warbirds. Your question should probably be "Why isn't everyone into warbirds?"

Well, you can't load your entire family and their baggage into a P-51 for a simulated family vacation.

You might as well ask why anyone would fly a Piper Cub when they can fly the SR-71. Or maybe more to the point, why would anyone drive a Mercedes 540K when they could be driving a Formula One car. While it wouldn't be much fun taking the Taurus around an oval racetrack, it also wouldn't be much fun taking the Blue Flame around town on city streets.

Why fly the Connie across the ocean when we can fly a Concorde? Sometimes it's not about speed but about style.

There was a time in my life when an A2A P-51 would have been the only thing I flew if it had existed. There was a time when the only thing I flew was an F-16 and I bought every F-16 sim until Back to Baghdad but I balked at the $99 price tag at the time which broke the buying streak, which means I had Falcon 3.0 but not Falcon 4.0. Typical prices at the time were $40 max. I scratched the warbird itch a long time ago and these days I prefer bush planes.

Hook

[Ron Attwood]

There are thousands, well hundreds then, of 'warbirds' being flown all over the world just for the heck of it. Surprisingly, none of them are shooting anybody.