Dear Forum ,
I have read this thread with much interest, and i wonder if it is only us crazy europeans who have many who are fascinated by old aircraft, etc.
you ask , what possible use would a scrap old 1960s type fighter jet would be, well, in my country, many including myself, have a love of old aircraft, and would love the chance to teach people of all ages about history, in a non biased way, for instance..
I have been searching for many years for a old scrap... yes SCRAP cockpit or nose section from a derelict fighter plane ,purely because of my love of vintage classic aircraft , the F-6 /F-5 etc or MIG types are my favourite,and all the history, stories , about them, the battles, and the brave crews who flew them in combat .
What would i do with such a item..I hear you say ???.. well I would restore the cockpit section for display , around my country, so children, or even adults, could sit in it, and learn all about the aircraft type, for instance, if i had a old PAF aircraft of the type used in the India-Pakistan wars , i would have the nose of the aircraft restored, and taken to many shows, with some information boards all about its history etc.
In my country of the UK, we only seem to know about the big world war in the 1940s with the japanese/germans, many far off wars are not taught about in schools, and the famous air aces who flew in those wars,and there bravery .
By showing a object like a Nose of a aircraft , that is mounted on a purpose built trailer ,with all its history , would be a fine way to let people have a hands on veiwing of a long forgotten aircraft, and all the history that surrounds it, and because the public at these events can actually sit in it, and touch, smell etc, they are more inclined to remember it, and so hopefully it would Spark a new great interest in aviation for some of them.
nothing sinister, or terrorist , just a plain interest.
Sadly in our country, to try and find these aircraft is very hard, I am not a huge wage earner, and cannot afford it, as here they demand is quite high, and the cost of these far outstrips its scrap price, and at the end of the day.. it is but scrap..
I would like to leave you with a picture of a restored cockpit , at one of these shows in England,But could someone please explain how i can download a phot onto this post ??.
and I Imagine to you might seem a very strange hobby, but these relics are restored and cherished, and the good side to all this, is ,it is all our history ,so we may be a little mad, but surely there is no harm in preserving a bit of heritage for future generations, ??..
many thanks for reading this post, i hope you can understand my logic ??.. and Frustration.. all i ever wanted to do, for over 20 years , is to restore, or have the chance to restore, a nose from a single seat old fighter plane, to display and work on and be proud of,... that day still hasnt come, and when i hear of old aircraft ,just the sort i have been looking for , are up for scrap in another country, and i cant secure the nose from a scrap one.. it really makes me want to bang my head against the wall.. I imagine ,you all read this and will think I am a madman, but No.. its just my life long fascination with aircraft . something I will have forever in my heart .. a Passion for old Aircraft .