Stephen Harding wrote:

Looking over recent photos of the P-38 "Glacier Girl", and reading
all ($$$) that was involved in its restoration, I was wondering...

What's stopping me from laying low during the next air show
and in the early hours of the morning, climbing into the cockpit
of my favorite warbird, and flying it off to my secret hideaway
runway and storage facility where I also keep my illicitly gained
Rembrandts, Van Goghs and pre-Columbian Indian art?

I have read of some British and American pilots, shot down over
Nazi occupied Europe, stealing LW aircraft to make their escapes.
Obviously no "keys" required for startup.

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?

When was the last time you've strapped on a P-38 and took it up for
a spin? Even in the unlikely event that you've flown warbirds, the
operative word here is "proficiency."

As an aside, I often leave my bird unattended at major EAA airshows
(such as Airventure in Wisconsin or Sun 'n Fun in Florida).

While I'm gone, there's nothing stopping anyone from taking it up for
an unauthorized flight...

http://www.dcivideo.com/trikes/Tampa_Trike_Flying.wmv

But even if Yeager himself attempted to fly it without a checkout, it
would be tantamount to suicide!