WIX Archives
Re: How do you do it????
Posted by Graham O on Sun Feb 01, 2004 05:24:06 AM
In reply top How do you do it???? posted by Tulio on Fri Jan 30, 2004 09:14:35 PM
Hi Tulio,
Such a great question I could not leave it alone. I have several answers to the "What do you need?" question but they all amount to pretty much the same thing - the sheer and utter determination that you are going to pursue your love of old aeroplanes and that the will to do so will get you involved in restoring/owning/flying one way or another. This is assuming that you were not born into a silver spoon scenerio, and frankly, few of us have been and the reaility is that this is an advantage.
If you really want to get into owning and flking vintage and warbird aircraft, you've got to make it happen yourself as no one will do it for you. There are some great messages in BDK's posting and the crux of that is....'stepping stones'. Start with something you can manage. If you can find an old beat up Luscombe, T'cart, Champ or whatever, go ahead and make do with that. The rebuild will be like an apprenticeship for you, allowing you to get to know the aircraft, its needs, and giving you the 'license' to go to other owners to seek assistance with advice, parts etc etc. I believe it is a true thing that if people can see you are prepared to work hard to help yourself, they will identify with that and want to see you succeed, and they will help. Get that Champ or whatever it is flying and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it at very little flying cost while at the same time teaching your hands and feet to think for themselves - something that will come into play later when you start flying heavier machines like the T-6.
If you can't afford to get into a project to start off with, then perhaps you need to seek out an aircraft in your area that is in poor condition but the owner can't afford to do anything with it because he has a young family, mortgage, working overtime etc., so go and propose a partnership in which you restore the aircraft - i.e. your time and parts etc., for a half share (you will of course have to generate a rock solid contract that covers all bases - for both partners).
Another option, and one I have had some success with, is establishing a syndicate in which 8 or 10 people throw some dollars in a hat and buy a flying aircraft between them. This reduces the cost of purchase but also the overall cost of ownership (i.e. fixed costs like hangarage and insurance). I did this a while ago with a Nanchang CJ-6a and it worked out so well I started another with a T-6D - both have been going well for some time now and while I own other aircraft, I still stay in the syndicates 'cos they're such good value.
There are even syndicates like this for cheap aircraft like the Champ or Cub. Bring 10 guys together to own and fly a $15,000 classic and you don't have to find too much money to become involved. Put the guys together and you will start flying immediately.
If none of these options appeal, start building a classic type from scratch - like one of the FULL SCALE WW-I replicas. There is not a lot of cost to this in the short term, but a lot of time is required. When I was at my poorest (yep, mortgage, second child on the way etc etc), I'd sold my first restored Tiger Moth and kept aside just $1,000 to start on another. I built a wing rib every night after work (in the spare room!) and a month and a half later, all the ribs were done. Then it was tail feathers, fuselage woodwork etc. You get the idea.
If you do go ahead and build, say, a Fokker Triplane from Redfern or Sands plans, you progressively grow an aeroplane that will have a value commensurate with other antique aircraft (as distinct from modern homebuilt types or scaled replicas), and thus, you have a stepping stone. A good Triplane will sell for around US$55 -$70K. From there you can buy into an average Stearman or a very good T-6 project (with some change). You move onwards from there. Stepping stones.
I do apologise for the long answer but this is a subject close to my heart and I'm pleased to have been able to help a lot of people into aircraft ownership by laying out this advice. It comes back to what I said. You have to have a burning desire to own/restore/fly aircraft. If you genuinely want to, you'll find a way. I would make it clear too that for those who love old aircraft but are happy to sit back and watch while others do the hands-on stuff, there is nothing wrong with that. In my view this whole movement is about appreciating these machines, the history they represent, the joy that they can give. Whether you restore, fly, build R/C models or 1/72 scale kits, go to airshows, watch airshow videos, it's all the same - everyone is appreciating the aircraft in their own way, and are thus contributing to the old aeroplane scene just as importantly as anyone else.
Keeping aiming for that aircraft - you will get it! Good luck!
Graham O.
: Okay, I already know the answer (I think) but I would like
: to get input from others, like myself, regarding this sit
: uation:
:
: I LOVE airplanes. It is not just a hobby, it is a passion.
: It has been like this since I have had the earliest memor
: ies. I grew up in a country with limited resources, and my
: family was not wealthy by any definition.
:
: So, I work hard, and honestly, but the dream of ever ownin
: g any airplane -much less a true warbird- is just that, a
: dream. Economic realities dictate that it would be a very
: expensive and prohibitive proposition, to even attempt to
: own one.
:
: So... how do the people who own warbirds manage to do it?
: How do you manage to make such an incredible amount of mon
: ey, that it allows you to invest so much in airplanes, the
: ir upkeep, your flight training and so on (discounting mil
: itary training, of course)? What is the secret? Is there a
: secret? Do I need to learn a secret password and hand-sha
: ke in order to join the fraternity of the owners?
:
: Please note that I am writing tongue-in-cheek, but with da
: shes of reality and despair thrown in to flavor the mix.
:
: Saludos,
:
: Tulio