Hello

[Oldwarbird]

Hi there,i'm new here but i've been interested in aviation for some time.It's a mania i got from the stories of my grandfather who was a bomber pilot in WW2 in FARR and i've been fascinated ever since.How to spend more time ariund here since it's vacation.Cheers all:)

[GregP]

Hi Old WarBird and welcome. Nice to have a Romanian member. there are some very intersting Romanian aircraft to discuss like the IAR-39, IAR-80, and the IAR-81 series.

The IAR-81s especially seem like ideal warbirds to maybe make a new production run today and sell to the warbird collectors of the world. Since we mostly fly from paved runways these days, it would have to have a tailwheel instead of a skid, but that is minor and I'd LOVE to see one in the air!

The real question is what engine to use ...

Anyway, welcome!

[Mark J]

Hi Oldwarbird

Could you tell us about your grandfather and the aircraft he flew.

cheers

[Double T]

Welcome OWB.
I too am a fan of the IAR-80/81 series of fighters. I look forward to hearing your perspectives. Don't be shy now...

Tim

[Oldwarbird]

Thanks,my grandfather went to an aviation academy,or oherwise known Scoala de Aplicatie pentru Aviatie 'Aurel Vlaicu'(Scool for Apllication in aviation roughly) and participated at some major battles especially in the East.He fist flew a bomber in 1942 and it was a Savoia S79,which he said was one of the worst planes he ever flew.Anyway,by late 43' he was flying a Ju88.Before bombers he flew on IAR-37s.He never flew 81s or 80s,but nevertheless had many mission as a bomber pilot.He received the Mihai Viteazul Cross and the Military Cross 2nd class and also the Iron Cross 3rd class.After the war he was discharged with the rank of liutenant.That's about it.
My opinion on the 80s is that they were good aircraft when they were designed but despite many say it was obsolite by the begining of the war i don't belive that,with a speed of 510 km/h, an operational hight of more than 10000 m,and a range of 1000km it wasn't all that bad,maybe it didn't have enough firepower,but it did it's job quite well.
Many historians don't give do much credit to FARR,but it isn't fair.We had a very 'mixed' type of aircraft,but so did France and many other nations.
Anyway,i to would like to see one fly again,but we shoul first modernise our current aviation,which still uses the antiquated mig-21s..