Dudley Henriques wrote:
"Stephen Harding" wrote in message
Do restored warbirds have some sort of security system added to
keep unscrupulous members of the public such as me, from taking
one up for an unauthorized flight? Some sort of starting "key"?
What about current military aircraft?
In theory it could be done, but the pilot doing it would have to be REAL
good! :-)) Just the pre-requesites are daunting to say the least.
First, the pilot doing this would have to be good enough to actually fly the
airplane, which not only requires specific skills but is aircraft specific
also. That means the thief would have to know where everything is in the
cockpit....probably in the dark .
A self inspired night checkout in the average warbird would kill all but the
most "inspired" I can assure you!! :-)))
I was hoping you or Vlado would comment.
Well I'll take your word for it. But I recall an American pilot shot
down in Europe during WWII stealing a FW 190 (IIRC). He got the thing
started and into the air (in the dark), but flew it back to England with
the gear down since he couldn't figure out how to raise it.
Is basic flying of a WWII aircraft *really* that much more difficult than
a Cessna 152? We're not talking about doing loops, barrel rolls and split
S's. Just run the plane back to my secret hideout where I'll only look and
admire it as *my own*, as if a piece of art!
A lot of the guys have a padlock setup on their canopies or doors in the
case of multi-engine stuff. Some aircraft canopy design allows for a hole in
the canopy track you can padlock. I never used one. Security was usually
supplied for me/ and/or the airplane was inside all the time.
But figure an aircraft worth $1 million plus, and airport security that
could not be more competent than a Nazi LW base during wartime! Seems
the opportunity for lifting one of these aircraft wouldn't be too challenging.
As you point out, flying it, might be a bit different.
Still, you spend $1 million for your P-51, or, like Glacier Girl, something
like $4 million on the restoration, seems adding an ignition key to start
the thing wouldn't be too prohibitive (although you might lose the "Most
Faithful Restoration" Award as a result).
Generally, the feeling in the warbird community when I was active was that
with normal security, you really didn't spend all that much time worrying
about someone stealing the airplane.
I think aircraft theft in general is rather rare. But still, we're talking
about millions of dollars of value here.
There have been cases in the military of enlisted people "borrowing" an
aircraft for a joyride. I remember one incident back in the fifties when a
crew chief was taxi testing an F86D and decided on the spot to fly it. They
got him back down somehow and promptly arrested him. Some other idiot "stole
a B25 down at Keesler and got it into the air somehow. He lost an engine,
then tried a turn into his dead left engine at about 100kts. Needless to
say, he morted as the airplane went into the gulf off the beach at Biloxi.
Bottom line....it's possible......but considering the fact that the pilot
would first have to be current in type and motovated to steal the airplane;
the available window for potential would be theives is quite small I would
imagine.
I suppose so. You could never fly it safely on your own after you
successfully stole it, since there aren't that many, and the sudden
appearance of a newly painted P-51 (and even more so the more rare
P-39, P-40 or P-38) would no doubt raise suspicions.
The thief would have to be the type that just wanted to possess something
rare and beautiful for himself, like a piece of art, where he gained
pleasure and satisfaction just looking at it (as opposed to spending
a bundle on insurance, oil, gas and maintenance per hour of operation).
I guess having a P-38 painted up with "Glacier Girl" in my yard as a lawn
ornament would probably attract attention.
Well there are lots of F-16's around! Could I grab one of those without
too much problem?
SMH
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