How did you get into historic aviation?

Started as a volunteer with the DAS at Duxford 20 years ago, left Duxford 7 years ago, had a go at earning money from vintage aircraft for a while and now help out a friend from time to time.

Airfix!:)

Spent all my pocket money on them when I was a kid, and that kindled my interest which I’ve never lost, and which finally led to a PPL (sadly now lapsed). I cannot stop myself looking up at any aircraft, no matter what type it is – to me all flight is magic.

Oh yeah – forgot the movies as well. Would you believe I didn’t know there was a Battle of Britain film until I was about 13?!
😮 My favourite up until then was good ol’ 633 Squadron!

When I was about 10 I dragged my mum and granddad around the RAF museum for 3 hours, about 2 hours of which were spent hanging round the Spitfires and Messerschmitt 109 😉

A wee book I got for Christmas when I was pre school; called “Pete The Pilot” about a teddy bear bloke who goes up in a plane and ends up decending in a parachute after an altercation with some geese (still got it!), then Airfix models, and as a teenager, ATC flights in a Chipmunk and visits to Strathallan.
Its the freedom of movement in three dimensions, being remote from the earth, and dancing with the clouds, yup all that romantic stuff, combined with the legends embossed in my mind from films like Battle Of Britain and The Dambusters, from childhood. 🙂

Not specifically interested in one branch of aviation – I won’t turn my nose up at Civil, Modern Mil or Historic. Doesn’t make sense to me how some people don’t like things with a jet in the back of vice-versa, it’s still a plane (a lesson I learned when I opened my eyes to Airliners).

Got into it when my Dad took me to a Helifest (?) at Duxford, then annual trips out to Southend Airshow; particularly remember the Vulcan display in 92, making the ground as she was banking – that was a big influence on getting me into aviation. Afew years of that and I got into model making, then I started collecting magazines (TakeOff and then World Aircraft Information Files!), then we discovered Air Fete on teletext. Attended that since 97, and it really all came together when I got the internet after Air Fete 2001. Found Warplane, then UKAR, then ARC, then places like here and Avi8. “Discovered” the world of Airliners this year with the Concorde visits, which has made the hobby even more enjoyable as there’s even more to look at, take photos of and make models of now! 😀

Made alot of new friends through aviation, had some fantastic days, and got into new things like modelling and photography. Brings everything together for me – my creative side, drawing and painting aircraft, aswell as the photos and models, and gets me out of the house for days at bases and airports.

Was into planes of all kinds when I was really small, then got into sharks and other sea beasties, then by chance I found an old die-cast Spitfire in a box in my room, then I dug out all my old picture books, got a few more aviation books for Crimbo, then started building models with a vengeance! Most of them have been scrapped or thrown out, but a good number of them soldier on!

Next year, when (IF!) I manage to pass my driving test, I’ll be taking up microlighting – and it’s damn good fun!

Re: How did you get into historic aviation?

Originally posted by richb
the ‘thing’ that got us all interested in aviation?

I was born with it. I didn’t know there was an alternative.

First was the book in the image. Found it in my grade school library in 2nd grade so I was 7-8 years old. No one else ever checked it out, but I had it all the time. That sent me down the road. Started building up my own library after that which continues to grow. A visit to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry let me see a Spit I up close. Throw in all the model building and it was a lifelong interest.

Like Skipper44 it jumped levels too. In 1980 I was able to take a semester of college in England and visited the IWM and Duxford. There I saw AR501 up close. The Spit fanaticism took off then, in particular when I started seeing mistakes in the books. I figured that made me sound a bit arrogant, so I thought I’d better back it up. Choosing the XII as my focus I went hunting for pilots which lead me back to England for the 41 Squadron Reunion in 86.

A chance meeting at a local airshow, in the belly of the Collings Foundation B24 sent me on my next project, tracking the story of an MIA B24 co-pilot for his brother. Other Bomber crew projects followed.

Messing with the computer got me doing the profiles. So it goes on and on, but it all goes back to “Great American Fighter Pilots of WW2” 🙂

Dan

I cant remember a time (nor could my late parents or any of our friends) when I wasnt interested in aviation – all of it!!

I guess being brought up under the LHR flight path helped. in later years I have honed my interests a little bit (dont like microlights, started taking photos) but I still pass the aviation nut acid test, if I hear an engine in the air I go running to the window to see what it is.:D

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The next level of interest – my current “complete anorak level” – was kicked off on September 1990. An innocent hillwalk on the Isle of Arran resulted in my stumbling across the wreckage of an RAF B-24 and USAAF B-17 within yards of each other. Nearing the wreck of the B-17 vast amounts of personal affects really brought home the terrible human loss involved. From then on I was compelled to find out everything there is to know about that incident and to remember these guy in some permanent and fitting manner. Hence my current painting and bookwriting efforts some thirteen years later!!!

Hi Skipper , is this the wreckage on Goat Fell , Arran . I walked up Goat Fell years ago and came across some large chunks of aeroplane , I would be very interested in the history behind the crash . Are you planning a memorial ?? , I live in Scotland and will help out if I can , I can be contacted via PM or direct on

[email]ageorge@haemonetics.com[/email]

Thanks

Re: How did you get into historic aviation?

Originally posted by richb
Just been reading the vulcan thread and I was wondering what was the ‘thing’ that got us all interested in aviation?

My dad is a pilot, so i was at airfields all the time, and i realy enjoyed it, the historic bit came in when he bought and rebuilt the At6 Harvard (G-ELMH) and then bought and restored the P-51 Mustang (G-MSTG)

Leah

Richb
I’ve never really thought about this before.
I guess my level of interest in aviation has had two distinct phases to it.
My initial interest was struck when my Australian great-uncle visited me and my family in Scotland in 1976. My “Uncle Doug” (who still lives just outside Adelaide) was the steriotypical big, brash Aussie who happened to fly Lancasters with the RAAF in ’44/’45. Being a six-year-old it didn’t really mean that much to me although he bought me an Airfix Lancaster which certainly kicked of my interest to the level of making further Airfix models and reading aeroplane books.
The next level of interest – my current “complete anorak level” – was kicked off on September 1990. An innocent hillwalk on the Isle of Arran resulted in my stumbling across the wreckage of an RAF B-24 and USAAF B-17 within yards of each other. Nearing the wreck of the B-17 vast amounts of personal affects really brought home the terrible human loss involved. From then on I was compelled to find out everything there is to know about that incident and to remember these guy in some permanent and fitting manner. Hence my current painting and bookwriting efforts some thirteen years later!!!
As it happens, I have recently delved into my great-uncle’s past and found out that he was with 15 Sq at Mildenhall; piloted LL806 “J-Jig” (arguably the highest scoring Lanc of all) amongst a great many other Lancs. Although I have yet to confirm it, I have heard from an RAAF Source that he was also the second highest scoring Heavy Bomber Pilot with the RAAF. If only I knew these things when he was fit and well enough to answer my correspondence!
Regards
Skipper

My dad was a pilot, as were two of his brothers, so I was around it constantly.