You’ve heard it when you’ve been outside doing yard work or standing at the mail box. The sound of an airplane in the distance, but it’s not the normal sound you are used to hearing from an aircraft aloft and it takes a second for you to hone in on it. What is it? The sound of a radial engine or the crackle of a Merlin in the distance? Your next thought is some lucky person is having a good day behind the controls of that machine and you wish it was you!
There are many warbirds and other vintage aircraft still flying today. Some are affordable and others... not so much. It takes a lot to keep an older aircraft flying and much more so for a warbird. They were built tough; however, they still need a lot of maintenance. Thankfully, there are many dedicated nonprofit organizations and private owners with deep enough pockets to keep the more exotic warbirds flying.
Hearing and seeing these old aircraft are some of the reasons aviation is so exciting. It adds something unique and special to a world where commercial flight is growing rapidly, but let’s face it, commercial aircraft are functional, useful tools for getting from point A to point B and they have their own appeal, but not like old iron! That’s why it’s so important to keep the warbird and vintage aircraft population alive.
Can you get in the game? There are affordable warbirds, the North American SNJ, T-28 Trojan, T-34 just to name a few. While 150k-250 might not seem affordable, you can think of it this way, could you afford a second home? A vacation home, condo on the beach or close to it? That is essentially comparable to the initial purchase price. Same thing about general aviation aircraft, if you can afford a brand-new truck or SUV, you can buy a good used four place GA aircraft. If we all get in the game and stay in the game, we can keep these warbirds alive and well for the next generation to take over and all the while be a positive force in General Aviation!
