[simpits-tech] Spitfire 944...

[dabigboy at cox.net]

Great story.....it's cool that someone that age got around the computer-side of things enough to apply his skills to a joystick and monitor. I would love to chat with someone like that about tactics. I spent some time flying Warbirds III back in the day, had an absolute blast.

What I find curious is that many of these pilots were, by any definition, seasoned and expert pilots in the war, but then got out and didn't do much else with aviation. My grandfather is one example....he flew B17s and B-29s in WWII, did some transport (officers etc) flying also. He continued to serve into the Vietnam conflict, and in fact was shot down while flying as a passenger over Laos (our first POW in that region, in fact). As far as I know, he was pretty much done with actual flying after WWII.

My dad became a pilot before I was born, and has never healed from the bite of the flying bug....apparently he is a carrier for the disease, because I have been completely in love with flying since before I can recall :) He is still an active instructor (only in simulators now). Interestingly, he served in the military, but was NOT flying at the time. That came later in his civilian life.

My grandfather used to ride along with us and take the controls now and then when I was younger. He still expresses a love of all things airplanes, and has a lot of knowledge about procedures in the old planes, characteristics and appearance of different models of aircraft, aviation history, etc. He even did pretty well last year taking the King Air up in X-Plane with my simulator (back when it was a desktop unit, as opposed to the car-sized gargantuan I am wheeling around now.....). But he did not pursue flying after the war. I've met a lot of folks like that...strange.

Matt

---- Brian Sikkema <brian at sikkema.us> wrote: 
> > Many years ago (late 90's) I used to play an online air combat game called
> > Air Warrior III.
> >
> > There was a guy on there that pretty much laid waste to all comers.  His
> > K/D ratio was just insane.  Probably well north of 100:1.
> >
> > Turns out the guy was an 83 year old former P-47 pilot.  Spent his early
> > years shredding anything that moved in the Italian countryside.  It got to
> > the point where he'd show up and people would just scatter.  He *loved*
> > the chase.  I suspect he was one of the guys that coined the phrase, "you
> > might as well stop running, you'll only die tired."  If he decided you
> > were on the menu for that afternoon, you WERE.  It was just awesome. :)
> >
> > I think my personal best was about five minutes before he turned me into
> > an expanding cloud of hair, teeth and eyeballs. :)
> >
> > I suspect he's passed by now, but I hope he lived long enough to see the
> > advent of Aces High. :)
> >
> > g.
> >
> 
> Now THAT is a cool story! :D
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