My thoughts about WWI aviation

[Willi Von Klugerman]

I don't know what it is about WWI aviation that stands out from everything to me.To me its just a feeling that makes it difficult to describe.Perhaps its just the mythical beauty of aircraft made from wood and fabric battling each other.Its just interesting how they were fighter aircraft in such an early time,it was like an era of its own.All the elements of WWI aviation sets upon a mood which strikes a cord on which,you want to be a part of it.Its deadly beauty.

I am just one of the few people in my generation that is struck by this wonderfull place in time.It becomes obsessive,as not a day passes without me thinking about it.I am proud to be a teenager who thinks about WWI aviation all the time,as its just another way to remember the valant airmen who bravely fought in the skies of The Great War.How its unbelievable that my strong and loyal interest of it all started as a young child,reading those few old books about it from the book shelves of an elementary school library.
Ironicly,I have few dreams at night about it,but there was one mentionable one that I can't explain.It was an Albatros,flying above the country,with the whispering words "Stark...Stark...Stark..." What was this "Stark",I never heard of him.I latter found out that there was a German ace by the name of Rudolph Stark,one of those lesser known aces.Was he someone that I knew from a past life,or the person I was?I think about it occasionally and I had not to disscussed it in this forum until now,but I choose not to disscuss this anymore,its best left in your mind then in public.

How I wish to fly in a WWI bird,such beautifull aircraft.But that would have to wait for some time,for I need to have a well paying job for such a need.I occasionally paint scenes of WWI aircraft.Though I can never draw out an Albatros neatly,even when I use a model for a subject,I just can't,it has too many curves that I mess up.But I manage to make a decent watercolor of Bertholds wonderfully painted DVII.

WWI aviation is a wonderfull subject and Im so glad its a part of my life,which will be a part of me till the end.

[Ginger.]

Hell Willi, you remind me of me!
While my mates at skool were obsessed with football or fast cars, I daydreamed of flying an SE5 high in the empty blue over The Salient. I'm 52 now and just as much in love with it all as I ever was.
Out of interest, have you ever read Rudolph Stark's book 'Wings of War', it's a classic.

[Willi Von Klugerman]

No but its in my books to get list.

[IMPERIAL QUEST]

Wonderfully put Willi. I compare my passion for WWI aviation to engaging in a secret love affair with the most sensual and beautiful woman that I could imagine; the difference being...my wife doesn't get her heart broken.

WWI aviation offers me an escape to my childhood years that I had lost contact with long since and thought that would never find again - when everything was full of wonder, amazement and surprise. When I read about this time period, or hold a piece of aviation history from my collection, I forget all of life's problems, and for a brief moment, I am a child again.

This is how I think of that wonderful time -

High above the fog of a European battlefield, I fought the vibration of my engine, caught the wind in my face, tasted gun powder and blood upon my teeth - and smelled the fear of the my foe lingering heavily amongst the clouds...it was a magnificent and terrible time.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

nice that you have such enthusiasm for ww1 aviation, but willi, you do worry me with so many threads you have going here at once. do you take any time to go out and goof around with the kids your own age? please don't miss out on real life experiences and the limited days of your youth. limit your time behind the computer screen and books and get out there and be a teenager.

~ advice from a mother of kids your age

[Willi Von Klugerman]

nice that you have such enthusiasm for ww1 aviation, but willi, you do worry me with so many threads you have going here at once. do you take any time to go out and goof around with the kids your own age? please don't miss out on real life experiences and the limited days of your youth. limit your time behind the computer screen and books and get out there and be a teenager.

~ advice from a mother of kids your age

Unfortunetly nobody my age lives near me.But early next year,I'll be owning a motorized bicycle which gives me freedome to ride to town and socialize with friends.Naturally I'll be in my flying gear while riding,just keeping the WWI flyer spirit

[Willi Von Klugerman]

Heres an example of what I mean by demontrating from this photo.In this photo the group of pilots,carefully listening to their leader as he reviews the flight plan,the Albatros' engines are roaring,the insignia,the two ground crewmen talking to each other,its elements in these photos that makes WWI aviation interesting!

[Pete Hill]

Hi Willi,

Whilst I agree with what Cadet-Leader said, I fully understand what it must be like for some-one like you. I grew up in a rural area and I did not fit into the narrow confines of the youth culture in my local area. By 'narrow', I mean that it was basically football, alcohol, under-age sex and.....um.....well, that's it. And if you weren't loud, brash, aggressive and wanting to get blind-drunk at least twice a week, then you were viewed as something of an outcast.
Having a different kind of interest, especially one that you were deeply passionate about, often marked you out as 'different' and not in a good way. It can make things very lonely sometimes. Interests and pursuits that involve intellect, sensitivity and mental stimulation are generally not valued very highly amongst Australian youth, especially in rural areas.
Follow your passion, Willi. Just don't forget the fresh air and your friends. Even one close friend is better than a hundred fair-weather acquaintances.
Just one thing for when you get older. If and when you get married, don't let your work, interests, pursuits and hobbies get in the way of giving due attention to your spouse. That's a mistake that I made and it's ended up costing me dearly. Just something for you to think about. Kind regards Pete.

[crankcase]

Originally Posted by Willi Von Klugerman

...
Ironicly,I have few dreams at night about it,but there was one mentionable one that I can't explain.It was an Albatros,flying above the country,with the whispering words "Stark...Stark...Stark..." ,which will be a part of me till the end.
...

The interpretation of dreams is a tricky business: "stark" also means "strong" or "powerful" in German, so this may have been a way of expressing your admiration for the pilots and planes back then.
marc

[crankcase]

... do you speak German?
marc