Warbird Information Exchange

Flown in:
P-51D's
P-38
T-6
B-25
B-17
L-17
L-19
Fi-156
"Interstatencadat"
B-24

As the Driver:
TF-51D
TF-51D
B-25
T-28
T-6
PT-26
T-6
L-17

How did you fly in a P-38?, is there a two seater out there? ... that would be the ultimate ride ....

B-25J Special Delivery -joyride over the Sinkin'Sandbar
B-17G Thunderbird- airshow flight
Rick Sharpe's Huey -joyriding

Technically I was on board a warbird that experienced an engine failure but we were sitting in front of the hangar cleared to taxi doing run-ups when the Bird's #3 began to clatter and rattle. Scrub the mission and call the rebuilders.

Randy, I'm with you on the excitement thing!
Gary, that's quite a unique flowerpot.

Wish list: name something!

Canso42

Myles,
What PBY?

Doug Ratchford 'Canso42'

In Jan. of 2004, my dad proposed to my stepmother. He did so by arranging a C-47 to fly to Austin and meet my stepmother. I ran in and told her "Look what dad bought!!" After she had a near heart attack, we walked to the airplane and she went to the cockpit where dad was sitting. He then asked her to be his copilot.. I know its romantic and all, but that’s not the part of the story that I'm after... Well we crank the engines and took off, but a few minutes after takeoff we notice smoke coming from the number one engine. We turned around and made an emergency landing, but we couldn’t make the right-hand turn off the runway, so the newly engaged couple and I had to push the tail of the C-47 as the pilots tried to angle it onto the ramp. Long story short, the valve stem broke and knocked around in the cylinder until the head of the cylinder broke off. Bad omen on the marriage? Nah. They're still together, plus her dad was in the USAF so she understands warbirds and their..."quirks"

At one of the early Midland Airshos dad was in a 12 ship in the T-6 and his cylinder blew. He made an emergency landing at Odessa Slaymire (Spelling?) with a 20mph tailwind.

Another time, dad and I were on our way to OSH when all of a sudden the engine started going "cough, cough.." the kind of noise that can't be cured with Ricolas. Oil was everywhere, and we lucked out because the Neosho (spelling?) MO airport was right below us and we were at 10k ft. We never quite figured out exactly what went wrong... (The mechanics probably knew, we forgot to ask.)
Coughing engine + Oil under your seat = not good.

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

By the way, dad didn't buy the C-47... If he had, I wouldn't be going to college...

_________________
Taylor Stevenson

Sorry, I'm a knob...but that is sad to see. I feel for the bird. But, what do I know?

_________________
"There are old pilots and bold pilots but few old, bold pilots."

Flown In:

Ford Trimotor
Grumman Widgeon
Stearman
BT-13
T-28

Flown: Nothing

_________________
Matt

Flown in:
C-121
C-130
UH-1
CH-46
AT-6 (some stick time)
CJ-6 (some stick time)
B-17G
B-25H


More to come with reel fly time.

I know a guy who's flown everything. If you don't believe me just ask him.

Photographer in b-17 Sentimental Journey twice.
TBM once.
Herk passenger while dropping special forces at an air show at Williams AFB (when there was one).
Passenger with the Golden Knights in their Fokker at the same show.
About a dozen flights in 135's, photographing the Guard passing gas at altitude.
Back seat in a Mentor taking more pictures.

I was helping out at the airport during a sparsely attending salute to Veteran's Day in 2000 (I think) and it was a kind of wet and cold day in Knoxville and I got a lucky break. The Missouri Wing of the CAF was there with their TBM, the Berlin Airlift guys were there with the C-54, and George Lancaster was there with the A-26 "Spirit of North Carolina." As they were lining up folks for media flights, there was a no-show on the A-26. "Anyone else want to go?" someone asked. "Uh....yeah."

After landing, the same thing happened on the C-54. Again, I was more than willing to serve as ballast or whatever they needed. That was a cool day.

No its not Gary. However, he's probably worked on everything.

Flown:
T-34A

Sat in:
P-51D
T-28A

Want to Fly:
Everything else

Crewed and flown:
Trainers
T-6, 500+ hrs in the back seat, formation and acro
T-28, 1 hr PIC T-28A
Tiger Moth,
T-34
SF-260

Fighters:
P-51,
Spitfire TR9
P-64

Bombers
B-17
B-24,
B-25
TBM,

Transports
C-45,
C-47 co-pilot
C-1A, co-pilot
C-119G co-pilot
C-121

experimentals:
Dragonfly,
Kitfox,
Glassaire
Lancair