Welcome to the first edition of Warbird Digest. I believe you
will find this issue of our new publication to be full of
interesting articles and photographs. Allow me to give you a
little background as to why we launched this new venture.
I
have been involved in the warbird movement for nearly twenty
years. During my misspent teenage years I could be found at the
Elkhart, Indiana airport watching Ray Stutsman and his crew
assemble the imported Spanish T-6s and restoring his various
fighter projects. During that time I dabbled in researching the
history of these great airplanes with the goal at some point to
work in an aviation museum or for an aviation publication. I
wrote several articles and contributed articles to several
warbird magazines during that period.
I
attended college intending to study history with an eye to join
the staff of an aviation museum. During a hiatus from college I
was privileged to meet and work alongside some of the greats of
the warbird industry, who were benevolent enough to take an
overly ambitious young man into their fold for a brief time.
After I
returned to college and completed my degree in
history, I quickly recognized that locating a
position within the aviation museum community was
going to be difficult at best. Looking in other
directions, I pursued a career in technology,
eventually laying the foundation for the creation of
a small technology services company. While pursuing
my professional goals, I never lost sight of my love
for warbirds and my respect and admiration for those
involved in the movement.
For the last several years I have had the privilege of flying a
T-6 with a great number of fantastic fellow pilots from around
the country at various formation clinics and airshows. Most
recently I have added a Beech C-45 and have had some very
memorable trips with my family throughout the United States.
Through all these flying experiences, I am still an enthusiast
at heart. I love flying and I appreciate the history of the
aircraft we are given the opportunity to operate. The
combination of my love for flying, for history, and for the
people of the warbird movement has culminated in this
publication.
I
hope that you will find Warbird Digest different from other
warbird focused publications. We have developed this new
quarterly journal to serve the needs of the warbird movement,
from the enthusiast to the pilot. It is written by warbird
people for warbird people. Whether you are a pilot, crewman,
restoration specialist, mechanic or enthusiast, I believe you
will find the articles in Warbird Digest to be of interest.
The advent of the internet and the various warbird themed
message groups dictate that we will not be a “breaking news”
magazine. While news items will not be ignored, Warbird Digest
will be a feature orientated publication. Our focus will be on
machines across the spectrum of the warbird movement. We won’t
cover just the fighters and the bombers, but will also dedicate
plenty of space to the trainers, transports and liaison
aircraft, all of which make up this great warbird community. Our
goal is to focus on the people and their machines and not on the
in-depth history of particular aircraft types. Safety and
operations will be an important element of Warbird Digest, and
we will cover the work that the various warbird organizations
are undertaking to defend our right to fly these classic
warriors. Finally, we won’t forget to feature the hard working
men and women that keep us in the air.
I
believe that we have assembled a great team of people from
around the world to bring this publication to you. We welcome
the contributions of others who wish to participate. If you have
an interesting story that you feel the broader warbird community
would enjoy, we would like hear from you.
I
hope that you enjoy the fruits of our labor. Please e-mail me
with your comments, suggestions and criticisms. I would like to
know what you would like to see in future editions of the
Digest.