What warbird have you flown or flown in?

[Randy Wilson]

I have been very fortunate over many years to get to fly a number of warbirds. Here is a list mostly from memory of warbird types I've been PIC of.

World War II Fighters/Attack
GM Eastern FM-2 Wildcat - a couple
Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero (U.S. engine)
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (self checkout only)
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver

Military Trainers
North American AT-6/SNJ/Harvard
Vultee BT-13 and BT-15
Beech T-34
Stearman PT-13 and PT-17
Fairchild PT-19, PT-23 and PT-26
Ryan PT-22
Stampe SV-4C

Military Liaison/Observation/Utility
Taylorcraft L-2
Aeronca L-3
Piper L-4
Stinson L-5
Stinson L-9
Aeronca L-16
Cessna O-2
Fairchild UC-61/J2K
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch

World War I Replica Fighters
Fokker Dr.I replica - three
Fokker D.VII replica - three
Paltz D.III replica - two

I've gotten to ride in a number of other warbirds, various bombers and cargo types over the years including a P-51D, B-17G, B-24A/LB-30, R4D-6S and others. Much of this was due to my active participation in the CAF.

I was injured in a major crash once in one of the replica Fokker Dr.Is and it blew up and was lost. Another of the Dr.Is (my own) got flipped onto its nose after landing in West Texas by a dust devil - very irritating but the aircraft was repaired and flown again. I've also had a couple of close calls in warbirds due to mechanical issues, including brake failures and landing gear lock problems. Fortunately all those were resolved without injury to planes or pilots.

These days I mostly help new and younger pilots move up into the various warbirds and leave flying the heavy iron to them. I have been a very lucky person to get to experience all these planes and I know it.

I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season and hope we all fly safe next year.

Randy

[Myles]

Checked out in BT-13 Valiant
Flown CC & F Harvard Mk. IV
Flown N.A SNJ-7 Texan
Flown PBY-5A Catalina
Flown HU-16 Albatross
Flown Hawker Mk. 20 Seafury (from backseat)
Flown PZL TS-11 Iskra (from backseat)
Flown N.A. P-51D (from Backseat)
Flown PT-22 Recruit
Flown MiG-15 Uti (from backseat)
Flown Lockheed C-60 Lodestar
Flown de Havilland DH-82A Tigermoth
Flown PT-13, PT-17 Kaydet
Flown Max Holste MH-1521M Broussard
Flown in N.A. B-25 Mitchell
Flown in Douglas A-26B Invader

[Taylor Stevenson]

Flown:
AT-6
TS-11
C-45
J-3

Flown in:
B-17
B-24
Goose
A-26
P-51
Trimoter
C-47
TBM

[flyingsailor]

Anyone besides me been in a warbird that........
crashed?
engine failure?
had a in-flight emergency?

I was the engineer on FIFI when we had a severe engine fire, does that count? Multiple engine shutdowns on FIFI and on C-130s.

P

Unfortunately I was on the flight with b29flteng in Tulsa when we had the engine fire. I was in the apu section and just heard the discussion over the intercom, which was a bit scary! I remember a number of us had multiple drinks that night.

I have been luck to have flown in a number of aircraft thanks to Old Shep and Randy such as
PT-19
PT-22
BT-13
SNJ (couple of different ones)
awaiting UC-61 and S-105

B-17 MAF to Mesa
B-24/LB-30
B-29
SB2C

want to fly in the A-26 some time

Had the stick in all the trainers B-17 and -24 flew backwards in the SB2C (thanks Randy! that was an experience

CHris

[retroaviation]

Anyone besides me been in a warbird that........
crashed?
engine failure?
had a in-flight emergency?

Well, I've had several emergency landings in various aircraft...Pitts Special, Clipped Wing Cub, Cassutt Racer, etc., and was sitting the right seat of an MU-2 that crashed by landing 60 ft. short of the runway, but Warbird wise, I had a complete engine failure ina T-6 that just happened to occur right over the airport (better to be lucky than good), and I just deadsticked it in. Oh, and I had a little problem with one of the cylinders in a T-6 right after I raised the gear on takeoff one day...




I managed to get the airplane back on the ground safely, but that's kind of a story all in it's own (much like the previously mentioned Pitts emergency I had). But so far......[knock on wood]......I've managed not to bend anything yet. Again, it's better to be lucky than good. I just can't say that enough.

Gary

[jaybird]

Gary- can you describe the Pitts emergency in detail? I'd like to learn what I can from it.

[retroaviation]

Gary- can you describe the Pitts emergency in detail? I'd like to learn what I can from it.

I suppose I could. However, it's a long story (big surprise there, huh ) and would require one of my long and drawn out ramblings that I tend to write on occasion. Also, it should probably go on one of the other venues on WIX...like maybe the Off Topic or General Aviation/Aerobatic section. Some folks get kind of testy when they see non-Warbird related items here.

I'll see if I can get around to it for you sometime. It's not a "normal" emergency, but interesting nonetheless (at least to me).

GAry

So since I started this thread ... Is someone going take me up in a warbird soon? .... lololol

Last edited by Hellcat on Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jack Cook]

I was in a T-6G that departed the runway on landing and the pilot
decided he didn't want to mow a grass seed field and jerked it off at stalling speed.
I remember the nose hight attitude and the whole a/c shuttering. Not fun! I was also in a T-6G
that groundlooped. Very violent!it snapped the right main gear leg. 6s don't do good going sideways .
Also was with JCW in a 6 and blew the 1340 just after liftoff. A huge bang and it seized! It jerked the a/c
about 30 degrees to the left but Jeff recovered and put her down
on the remaining bit of runway We also had a hyd line burst in the #1 accessory section of the B-25.
Watching all the red stuff spray out wasn't to cool
Had to make a single engine, no flap, pump the gear down landing at Eugene.
Watching the gear barely come out and go in trail in't really a good feeling. I'm glad that manual sh*t really works
One time I was shooting photos of Sam Richardson in the YAK-11 from the 25s escape hatch
and his R-2000 tossed a stack and it hit the YAK's vertical fin. Sam's say "What the f*ck was that!!".
Made a pretty good dent!!

Last edited by Jack Cook on Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Roger Cain]

Flown in

PT-17
PT-19
SNJ
AT-6
B-17G
B-25J
P-51D
C-41
C-47
C-53
L-6
JN-4H (Jenny)
T-28
T-34
C-45
JRF-5 (Goose)
HU-16
C-17 (Globemaster III)

[bentwingbomber]

Flown in

P-51D
P-40
AD-4N
B-25

Flown
Harvard II
L-4

But the best by far was backseat in an F7F-3P

What a trip!!

Fred

[Mark V]

Run away prop in a B-25 and a C-54, both landed without incident. You can not taxi a B-25 on one engine!

I hear its pretty difficult even with both available!

[Jack Cook]

It's not easy!!!

[sdennison]

Can't compete on this field...I have been lucky enough to have gotten "rides" in two Mustangs, Aluminum Overcast, and T33driver's Bird.

I will always thank Paul for the fact that the first aircraft I was ever in control of for any period of time, was his TBird. I have also had the luck of flying, sorry, riding in formation with Petie 2nd and Paul Wood's F86. Amazing stuff!

Life is good!

[Jack Cook]

Here's the aftermath of the groundloop