I vividly remember one day I was walking home from school. I was about 11 years old and all of a sudden I heard this wild, wild ROAR of engines. Overhead came two warbirds, at very low altitude. I remember them both to be Spitfires, I could be wrong.
Anyway, they were so low that I could see one pilot wave back at me while I was jumping, waving and screaming at them, it was truly an awesome sight (not awesome in the Californaian way, but truly awesome).
I ran home and told my grand parents. unfortonatley we never got to see them again, altough we were on the lookout.
I was struck with plane-o-mania from then on.
I totally agree that the remainder should be flown, though with great care (I can't imagine that theyre pushed to any limits at all). It will inspire more to get into aviation and the history behind too. The more people know of the war and get to think about it, the less they will be eligable to take part in another.
Later, my grandmother told me how it was when the British Lancasters came over to bomb Germany. It started at night by a low hum, which would grow into a regular noise which would last a very long time. then silence and a few hours later, the same vibrancy of the houndreds of engines over head. Off course there was no way of greeting the British pilots but the sound itself was a great boost of morale to our people (Danish).
<S> To all restoring warbirds and those building replicas!
