An old warbirder flies west

[Jack Frost]

In the 1/31/08 Paris TX paper:

Isaac Newton 'I.N.' Burchinal Jr.

Isaac Newton "I.N" Burchinal Jr., 79, of Brookston passed away Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008.

Bright-Holland Funeral Home has scheduled graveside services for 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at Evergreen Cemetery.

Burchinal, the son of I.N. "Newt" Burchinal Sr. and Mavis McDowell Burchinal, was born July 14, 1928, in Paris. Known as "Jr". he served in the United States Coast Guard and was an accomplished pilot. He founded Flying Tiger Air Museum in the early 1970s where he collected, restored and taught flying lessons in vintage World War II Warbirds. He had flown as a stunt pilot for Universal Studios, and his planes were featured in several movies including The Great Waldo Pepper, Baa, Baa Black Sheep, and Midway.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Sherry Lugo.

Survivors include a son, Samuel Burchinal of Brookston; daughters, Gloria Davis and husband, Lee, of Duncanville, Nancy Pringle of Marshall, and Tammy Shetler and husband, Kevin, of Biardstown; eight grandchildren, Ryan David, Jason Davis, Zac Pringle, Tracey Burchinal, Spencer Burchinal, Skyler Burchinal, Bethlin Burchinal and Levi Shetler; and four great-grandchildren.

To leave a message or tribute for the family please visit www.brightholland

funerahome.com and select the guestbook icon.
Published January 31, 2008

[Ztex]

Wow...How did this escape our attention?

Sad to hear that he has passed on.

The Warbird community owes him a debt of gratitude for the airplanes he saved and the pilots he trained.

[Forgotten Field]

He was quite inspiring when he was actively running his place. What happened to his airplanes? I heard there was a Corsair, Mustang, etc. What did he have and where are they today.

[Jack Frost]

IIRC, Junior did some hard time for suppling a B-25? for a dope running operation. I imagine his assets were liquidated in the process. Where they went, I'm sure the WIX'ers will dig it out.

[Ryan Keough]

He was quite inspiring when he was actively running his place. What happened to his airplanes? I heard there was a Corsair, Mustang, etc. What did he have and where are they today.

I know that Fighter Factory has his A-26, CF has his PT-17 and had his T-33 (Texas). Here are some others:

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 92433.html

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p38regis ... 26981.html

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 30737.html

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 86698.html

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/texanreg ... 16203.html

[Matt Gunsch]

Kermit has his B-17, 44-83525

[warbird1]

Wow, what a sad day. I remember flying over his airstrip at Paris thinking what a neat collection he had.

He kind of dropped off the map in the last 20 years. Does anyone know if he was still actively flying during any of that time?

He was one of the "pioneers" who saved a lot of rare warbirds during his time. We owe him a debt of gratitute for all he has done for the warbird movement.

[warbird1]

His Corsair was one of the first 2 seat models flying before it became "in vogue" to convert to 2 seats. IIRC, his was sold to someone in Dallas and it burned down in a hangar fire at Addison in about '79 or '80.

Does anyone know if that Corsair had dual controls?

[RickH]

Ryan. the T-33 purchaser turned out to be bogus as some here in Houston expected. It is sitting safely in its hangar.

[Coert Munk]

Thanks for passing the message!
IN Burchinal jr once owned our B-25, have a picture from that period
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 29507.html

[Paul Krumrei]

I posted a message on the board,

[Jake Fendermen]

Sorry to hear that Jr. had passed away. I met him in 1979 when my wife and I visited the Paris museum in an attempt to get some P-51 dual time. Jr. had said in a letter that the Mustang had just came out of annual and was in top shape and ready to go. When we arrived and looked at the plane we saw that the back seat area was awash in hydraulic fluid and in no shape to fly. He said his T-33 was over at the bigger airport and we could get some time in it if interested. Off we drove to the Paris airport where we found the T-33 would not start and had air intakes full of pea size gravel. Jr. went off to lunch for an hour and a half as we all stood around wondering where he went off to. Finally when he returned he mentioned we could get a back seat ride in the AD-4N that was parked on his dirt strip. After giving Jr. $200.00 the wife and I strapped into the 2 fuselage back seats and off we went for a quick 15 minute ride around the museum strip. On his second low approach from about 2-300 feet agl Jr. pulled up and rolled the big Spad at midfield. The noise and exhaust smell in the back seats were almost unbearable, but it most certainly was worth the money. He was one in a million and like Earl Rienert, a true visionary.

[Jim Beasley]

I met "Jr" in 1978. I was 10 and was trapped in my Dad's Aerostar 600 and persuaded him to turn left at Texas on a X-country trip to stop at Harlingen and try to find a P-51. Sure enough we stopped and saw one for sale with the registration N51JB. It seems that Jr had just sold it to Jerry Baker, and I somehow convinced my Dad that it ("N51JB") was a good omen and that he had to buy it. So he did and now it's 2008 and N51JB still lives on. Jr was sure a neat guy and godspeed to him. Jim Beasley Jr.

[krlang]

I met "Jr" in 1978. I was 10 and was trapped in my Dad's Aerostar 600 and persuaded him to turn left at Texas on a X-country trip to stop at Harlingen and try to find a P-51. Sure enough we stopped and saw one for sale with the registration N51JB. It seems that Jr had just sold it to Jerry Baker, and I somehow convinced my Dad that it ("N51JB") was a good omen and that he had to buy it. So he did and now it's 2008 and N51JB still lives on. Jr was sure a neat guy and godspeed to him. Jim Beasley Jr.

Great Story Jimmy,

Godspeed Jr!

[famvburg]

Maybe had the subject had something about Burchnal's passing, I'd have read it. ISTR seeing this subject & figured it was just another generic obit. Anyway, I too met him in '78. He stopped at VKS on several different fuel stops in the Corsair, B-17 & he had someone else fly his T-28 in here for fuel. I don't recall if he brought anything else in. The -28 was either a B or a D & was white with a yellow stripe on the tail & maybe wingtps, too. I have a pic buried somewhere......

He was quite inspiring when he was actively running his place. What happened to his airplanes? I heard there was a Corsair, Mustang, etc. What did he have and where are they today.