Your First Warbird Flight

[RareBear]

First flight was in a Ryan PT-22 out of Kissimmee, FL, flown by Richard Thompson, in the 1970's. We were friends in high school. Only other flight was in an AT-6D in 2007 out of Summerville, SC.

I lost contact with Richard after that flight, and if anyone knows his whereabouts, I'd appreciate a lead. I believe he later owned a Tiger Moth, and later a de Havilland jet of some type.

Thanks,

Walt

[RV8er]

April 1985, my uncle paid $50 towards a $75 ride in the B-17 "Chuckie" at a USAAF reunion airshow fly-in thing in Pampa, TX.
WOOT!

I gotcha beat on a cheap "Chuckie" ride. Try 40 bucks! It was 1983, give or take a year, and Sunday afternoon at the Denton airshow... things were winding down and planes were heading for home. Chuckie was living in the big hangar at Gainesville at the time; we (Dad, twin brother and I) were hanging out watching the crew get her ready to go. Somehow it came about that my brother and I could ride along on the trip to GLE, $40 each. Dad paid up, watched us take off, then hopped in the truck to drive to Gainesville to pick us up... what a guy. Thanks Dad!

As for the ride itself, it was short, maybe 25-30 minutes, but nothing short of awesome. It was just the cockpit crew plus the two of us; we had our run of the whole ship! I got the bombardier's seat in the nose for takeoff, then back to the tail gun, then everywhere in between. I didn't have I camera with me, but I still remember... it was a pretty big deal for a coupla 13-14 year old kids.

My next warbird ride was after the Breckenridge show around 1986-87; hitched a ride back to Addison in a TBM Avenger, 7001C... I think Guy Joe was in the front seat, and then there was Aubrey Hair tucked in on our wing in the CAF Corsair. And did I have a camera with me on that ride? Nope! Grrr.

[Chappie]

I've seen some folks here with first trainer, fighter, and bombers flights. Although I have flown with a fighter (FM-2) I'm still hoping someday to fly in a fighter. When I was growing up my three favorite airplanes were the Pitts Special, P-51, and F-16. I logged about 15 hours in an S-2B back in the late 90s, flew 1.1 hours (including supersonic flight) in an F-16D at Cold Lake CFB in 2005.......all I got to do now is fly Crazy Horse or Collings' TP-51C to complete the triology!


Chappie

[airnutz]

Some time in the mid to late 1980s, I was at the Breckenridge air show with three of my air show buddies. The announcer came over the PA system and said that Doc Hospers was offering rides aboard Chuckie for $75 a person.

Was that when he had it set up for something near 20 accomodations...ala skydiver belts and cushions? 75x20=$1500...not bad for those days..
First warbird ride, was an L-19 in 1962.

[Myles]

My first Warbird ride was in this Harvard IV, owned at the time by Bob Clopton of Windsor, CA and flown by Lynn Hunt of Santa Rosa. The plane was based at the Santa Rosa EAA Chapter 124 on the west side of the Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rosa, CA. Lynn has had a few posts about his B-25 restoration on WIX. This was in May 1977. In the background you can see a Cessna 195. In the hangar in the background is the late Lloyd Hamilton's Hawker F.B. 11 Sea Fury, Baby Gorilla. Behind the mobile home on the wash rack is the center section of another Sea Fury which was soon to become Furias. Top right on a hardstand is Lynn's Cessna T-50. I used to work on all those Warbirds and get rides. Of course, I washed them all too. What fun it was.


http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s184 ... I/1jpg.jpg

[snjflyer]

First warbird ride was in the summer of 2004 with Paul Ehlen in his SNJ-4 at the Wings of the North air show at Flying Cloud airport in MN. He told me to hop in. A 4 ship was going to do 3 passes and break to land. It was a fantastic ride. Mind boggling to see the 4 planes come together and move as one.

In fall he told me he was selling the plane since his P-51 was coming out of restoration. I said I'd buy it. Come spring he asked if I really wanted to buy it and I said yes. And so I did. I'd never flown a tail dragger before and now I had a "6". Took lessons in the Super cub, then the Stearman. In October I finally flew the 6 for the first time. Put 2 hours on it, then winter hit, put it away for the winter. Now 400 hours later, still enjoying every flight in it. John

[Tom Moungovan]

I spent the summer of '63 in and around Anchorage and was offered a ride in a B-25 that was due to be converted to an air tanker. Noisy but nice, especially for a 17 year old.

Also in the 60's were flights in F-4C 654 and an F-106B while stationed at Edwards AFB. We had 3 Phantoms and I still remember the tail numbers of all of them...409 (the hangar queen), 654 and 743.
The F-106 was the only one that we had and I only worked on it a very few times in my 3 years there, but the crew chef was a good friend of my boss, the late Ed Lagerstrom. There was also a great ride in a Huey to Barstow and back with a Major that I shot with on the base rifle team.

Last edited by Tom Moungovan on Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Mudge]

First warbird flight was in a B-25 at Kirtland AFB in 1959. Second was a T-33 same place, same year. Third was a P-51 in '05 or '06.

Mudge the geezer

[cwmc]

I was almost 2 in 1960 when Dad took me up in Jim Laugel's T-6G out of O'Neal's Airport in Lawrenceville, Illinois. I looked up the N number and it's long gone.
It had a beautiful four color civil paint scheme in cream, salmon, brown and orange. They bought it out of DM for 850 bucks in 1958.
Chris...

[jdvoss]

In the mid-1950's I was an Air Explorer Scout and our troop was invited for a tour of Norton AFB in San Bernardino, CA. At the end of our tour they took us all up in a Curtiss C-46 Commando for an "orientation flight". Was that neat or what ??

[DaveG]

In November of 2000, I volunteered to help with "crowd control" for a small Veteran's Day event at McGhee-Tyson airport in Knoxville. The Missouri Wing of the CAF brought their B-25 "Show Me" along with a TBM-3E Avenger. The Berlin Airlift guys brought the C-54, and George Lancaster came in with his A-26, "Spirit of N.C."

It was cold and there weren't many visitors because it hadn't been advertised well and was tied in with a larger event some distance away. Anyway, there were some media flights scheduled in the afternoon. As the flight time approached, the organizer noted that there was an open seat on the Invader, as somebody was a no-show. He asked if anyone was interested in going up...



After a sweet 20-minute banking, turning, thundering FREE flight, I was back on the ground feeling like the luckiest guy around when they told me there was an opening on the C-54.

Now THAT was a great day.


ps: I saw the "Spirit of N.C." and the C-54 again this weekend in Monroe, NC. I smiled.

[johnny gearpin]

MAAM's B25 @ WW2 Weekend 6 years ago... Just a volunteer at the right place at the right time. Russ and Tim Flew me around and gave a great ride for this pie-eyed guy (felt like a kid).

Side note next year rode in Yankee lady and stole a few kisses from my girlfriend now wife in the bombadier compartment in the nose

[tom d. friedman]

mine was b- 25 bomber "pacific princess" in 2003 at the corair gathering in mt. comfort, indiana, operated by challenge publications. wangled a ride in the princess due to my mag articles in air classics & warbirds magazines. i was in the top turret w/ nothing but a cheap disposable camera shooting pics through the plexi of jim read in his corsair for an aerial shoot for 1 of the mags. unbelievably the pics didn't turn out 1/2 bad!! i was up a good hour, cost nothing. it was exhilarating!! my buddy asked for my car keys prior to flying in case something happened. a prudent thought!!