What in heaven has happen to our great little forum

[Clark J]

I'm lost as what has happen here you would have 20 open threads, many items For Sale ,,,it's like this place has up and died !!!! Hell it was the first place I would go to every morning to see what was new. I know many of us have lost the collecting bug but shit this place is like a F"in morgue !! We would have 3-4 new jackets from members that had just purchased a new jacket,,,, The latest GW /DD production jacket would show up every couple of months,hell JC would even post . Is there a new place everyone has gone or is it just done ?? just wondering if this place is the new buggy whip forum...... Has everyone gone over to hr FL ?? I guess it is just the cycle of "life " but we had a great group here,,sorry to see it go .Clark.

 

[ausreenactor]

Ask the mods..... They have 'shaped' it well and truly in the last couple of years.

 

[Skip]

I'm not an original member, more a Johnny come lately, and I'd say I was an relatively active participant for the first year and maybe a bit there after. But I now have all the jackets I require and other priorities have, as they do, surface. And of course one changes as one grows older. I noticed a change in 'style' not long after when things began to get a bit 'heated' between certain individuals. I'm not passing judgement, as I barely know the ins and outs of what goes on here let alone behind the scenes, nor am I an aficionado on VJ's, I just have an interest that stems from my interest in WW2. But since then, even more so lately, things as you say are going through a bit of a drought. Maybe some of the originals have moved on due to fading interests, as Andrew (Australia) posted not to far back (Fading Fascinations), or other commitments, or as we age other things become more important, maybe the interest in 'that' era has waned until the next movie or historical milestone comes along again, who knows.

The information, as exhaustive and discussionable as you like was, and always is, good, what its really about I guess. But things don't seem as vibrant, where there used to be a little passion, now it seems its going through the motions to some degree?? Not meaning that the members aren't contributing because they still are old (as in original, not in age!!) members and new alike, but some of the characters, that make it interesting have been kicked out or left, which kind of leaves it a bit bereft of entertainment, Like sitting in the Simpson desert and feeling the hot wind evaporate any sense of moisture, one feels little dry and wasted.

Who knows, is this a question one can really answer, as each person, each member is unique and is here because of their particular reasons? Like energy, or one of those laws of thermo dynamics, everything is in a perpetual state of winding down. It takes time and energy to input to keep the VLJ universe energised, but thats really up to members like you and I. There are quite a few here I think who keep the ball rolling, I guess I'm not one of them, but if the interest is here it will keep going, but like life it will adapt to the members who are giving the most.

Empires come empires go, the victors write the history.... not sure if that is relevant but there is a meaning in it.

 

[Roughwear]

I post less now in part because I am not buying jackets like I once did. I have all the original and repro A2s that I want. Besides few originals in my size even come up for sale these days. There are now a range of Facebook jacket groups where members are posting rather than here. I try to visit here once a day and still contribute to post, but it is not like the old days and when people start a thread about a jacket they have just bought and very few reply, they stop posting here. It's a real shame. The buy and sell section is still quite active with members trying to sell jackets here before resorting to other means.

 

[John Lever]

One of the main reasons I think is that jackets are now so expensive no one buys as much anymore. Also ebay is not what it was. The fact that it's summer in most places where the majority of members live is also a factor.
I agree with Andrew to some extent about Facebook but some of those groups are also very quiet.

 

[Roughwear]

I do not dispute anything you say John. The price of jacket is certainly a factor and yes some FB groups are quiet at the moment. I also think some people's interests have changed over the years, and they visit here less often.

 

[Silver Surfer]

coincidental that it slowed down soon after a coupla members were shitcanned? i maintain that those guys were pita, but always put some coins in the slot. like we mortals, nothing lasts for ever.

 

[Rutger]

Most everything has been discovered, shared and said. The controversial members are gone. VLJ has become an immense and valuable archive, to which only can be added new developments in the area of repros. Meanwhile, I still feel great joy whenever putting on one of my flight jackets.

 

[PeterB]

I also am a newbie and did notice its fairly quiet here. I do agree that ebay is not as good as it used to be for buying jackets as it used to be. G1s which i collect in particular i would be struggling to get the ones i got in really good nick. The examples on lately really need some restoration.

Plus during the summer even here in the UK we dont really wear them

 

[CBI]

Yep, its dying.

For us long-timers, perhaps its the underlying, long-standing ego driven negativity, oneupmanship and nitpicking that rears its ugly head at a moments notice. I hate it. In the past: great place to buy and sell (mainly since other options are not as good anymore), some nice nice people, good knowledge. What burned me the most is when trouble makers were removed from here and others complained saying the bad guys kept things "lively". Now, anything more than a basic thread and simple "nice jacket" response is open to ridicule. Feeling the need to carefully write an even "quick" post makes it all not worth it. Great info on jackets but not well organized for the new folks. Somewhat the same issues with FL but its still active. The other forums I visit don't seem to have these issues.

I still check in but for the love of jackets, not the forum.

Again, there are some great people here.

 

[Peter Graham]

I've been on this forum in it's various guises since my son was a baby. He's 15 now. Over the past few years it's got quieter and quieter. A lot of the real characters have gone for one reason or another. I'm not going to get all political but for various reasons I think people have less money nowadays so there's less buying going on so less discussion. On a personal level, my interest in WW2 has changed from collecting to researching and visiting historic sites so I have less to contribute here. This new format has thrown me a bit too. I'm only coming back to the forum after a fairly long absence but it means a lot to me and I'm going to make an effort to have more input from now on. I owe this forum a lot. I've met good friends through it and I don't want to see it die.

 

[Roughwear]

Very well put Peter. You are right about less money being around for jackets these days.

 

[Marv]

Due to the content being discussed on this thread, I thought I post a photo of a (new to me) another A2 which I have just purchased.

I've only got the one at the moment I'm afraid.

The jacket is a GW Dubow 20960 in russet horsehide size 46 with a NOS Triple marked Talon zipper to which this fit is trimmer than my GW Roughwear 27752 in the torso, anyway have a look and see what you all think.

 

[Jason]

Call me ignorant but... I reckon it isn't that bad. Oh sure, the forum doesn't seem to hum along at the pace as it used to with posts of this & that, and I'd just put that down to being summertime in the northern hemisphere.
Like others, my focus has changed (shifting interests, health, competing demands for free time etc) but aviation is, and always will be, in the blood. Nothing will change that, and nothing will change my fascination with the mythical powers of a flying jacket. Lets say it has become a more balanced, less obsessive interest these days.
Peter & Marcels photos of battlefields of the past & other related items of interest are very well received. Keep 'em coming!
Andrew's seemingly endless collection of as-close-as-dammit pristine condition jackets was always good to drool over. Time for another montage, Andrew?
Something else I do miss is members posts of their jackets in everyday use. The fusion of old & new in such photos is fascinating.
So yeah, perhaps things have become a little quieter around here, but hardly a ghost town yet.

 

[Roughwear]

Due to the content being discussed on this thread, I thought I post a photo of a (new to me) another A2 which I have just purchased.

I've only got the one at the moment I'm afraid.

The jacket is a GW Dubow 20960 in russet horsehide size 46 with a NOS Triple marked Talon zipper to which this fit is trimmer than my GW Roughwear 27752 in the torso, anyway have a look and see what you all think.

Nice one Paul. I believe this was Geoff S's jacket. It looks to be in lightly worn condition and fits you very well. Are you going to be wearing it on Saturday?

 

[Marv]

you are correct Andrew, I did get the jacket from Geof a thoroughly nice chap and will be wearing it to legends on Saturday I think.

 

[Roughwear]

Well done Paul. I look forward to seeing it.

 

[airfrogusmc]

Clark, I still drop in once in a while and good to still see a lot of the old timers around. I only own 1 flight jacket. Priorities have changed for me. Still a good place with some great people.

 

[johnwayne]

Yep certainly quieter than for some time but nevertheless I still visit more days than not, poss because I'm not really into other forums as quite frankly I don't know how many of you find the time! While I've got enough jackets I still keep an eye out for perhaps 'something special' although even then I'm not so eager to go for it as I might have been a few years ago - maybe I'm just more fussy now and the choice is greater perhaps now there are that many more repro's that crop up. I must say too that I really do think new repro prices have got ridiculously exorbitant - I'm not disputing the craftsmanship req'd but find it hard to believe people pay what they do.
Cheers
Wayne

 

[STEVE S.]

I just stay too busy. Now that I'm making jackets, doing resto/repair work on top of what I have going in the paint shop, I don't have much time left. I've now had 3 days since New Years that I haven't worked on something, so sometimes go a couple weeks & never get past all of my emails on the computer.