After getting out of college, getting married, and raising a young family, I didn't keep up with it much, other than the occasional trip over to view the static display and the occasional takeoff and landing at the Burnet show. The CAF was kinda the first Collective warbird club. There were still a lot of WWII vets that were young enough and familiar enough to have turned wrenches on, or flown these aircraft in WWII. They were in their 70's, and still pretty spry. I think losing that generation, their knowledge, and the fact that when they were young, they did this for 24/7 for four years with a gun pointed at them has cost most of the loses. They were all trained by the US Government with no regard to cost, and had literally repaired or replaced thousands of parts on these planes. It is hard to translate that knowledge over to the younger generation of pilots and mechanics. CAF has been around long enough to have the most experienced pilots and mechanics, and the largest knowledge transfer, probably contributes to their safety record.
CHIEF