RCU Forums - View Single Post - After your trainer, how long did it take you to fly a war bird?
Old 04-25-2009, 11:38 AM
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FallDownGoBoom
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Default RE: After your trainer, how long did it take you to fly a war bird?

I think the answer to your question depends on your definition of "warbird". At the risk of getting flamed, the H9 PTS Mustang might be considered a warbird (it's got invasion stripes, right?). I've seen guys use those as trainers, or second planes.

Some folks have flown a World Models T34 or the H9 T34 as a second/third plane. If you're flying two/three times a week, and can reliably handle your trainer in 15mph winds, you're probably capable of flying something like this. Flying a warbird isn't overly hard, you have to keep in mind that it won't self-correct to level flight, and you don't have large control surfaces. It's landing a warbird that is tougher. They generally fly faster due to higher wing loading, and have a tendency to tip stall if airspeed gets too low, which is why you have to fly them all the way onto (not into!) the ground.

But if we're talking an out-and-out scale fighter (P40/p47/P51/FW190/BF109) or even further up the difficulty scale, a twin (P38/B25/A26), I'd wait until you've mastered some kind of low wing tail dragger aerobatic/3d airframe that's one step beyond something like a Goldberg Tiger2. Which is probably one or two years of serious flying for most folks.