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.