Warbird Information Exchange

Hey Brother Tom, I didn't know you lurked in this neck of the woods, welcome.

In no particular order:

NAA T-6 Like a Labrador retriever, always ready to go and doesn't hold it against you if you don't visit for a few months. An easy airplane to fly but difficult to fly well, will humble you when you need it.

Northrop T-38 Short on thrust and fuel, a low aspect, highly loaded, swept symmetrical wing which will really teach you the relationship between lift, drag, AOA and yaw. 1960's simple, a great trainer.

GD/Lockheed F-16 Straight up, straight down whatever you want, like riding on a magic carpet. The ultimate lightweight fighter.

Airbus 319/320 Comfortable, fuel efficient, fly by wire, stirrups and a lunch tray. A pretty nice way to cross the country.

And the runner up... Daher/Socata TBM-850 Fast and fuel efficient with well harmonized flight controls, the PT-6 is a great engine but could use a FADEC in this application and the G-1000 model is tail heavy.

What are your favorite 5?

KD

Given my 1.1 hours stick time in the F-16, I can agree with that statement. However Ken, I am surprised the Black Jet did not make your list.

Chappie

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Brrring. Dispersal? TWO SECTIONS SCRAMBLE!!

<<< What are your favorite 5? >>>

T-6 Just a sweetheart in the air and always a challenge to land. When I was 19, I can vividly recall flying from Folsom Lake back up the canyon to Auburn. I was in the backseat of Tinkertoy with my father flying. I recently did that same flight in Tinkertoy with my 11 year old son in the backseat. I had 110 hours when my father soloed me. I am hoping to get the chance to teach my boys to fly it someday.
Taylorcraft St-100 (L-2) 65 HP Franklin. No radio. I had lots of hours in the T-6, but this airplane taught me how to really land a taildragger. A friend said I could fly his ST-100 as much as I wanted. "What if I wear the engine out?" "No problem, I have a 100 HP engine waiting to go on it." I flew it with the door off all summer. The speed was about the same as a car on the freeway, so I would try to keep my shadow on a car on the freeway for as long as possible. I was building hours to try to get a flying job.
BE-3200 "Jetstream" - My ground school instructor referred to it as the "Junkstream" and he was probably right, but 1100 hours in this unstable airplane with no autopilot taught me more about hand flying IFR than I ever could have hoped. My next airplane was the EMB-120 "Brasillia". We were instructed to use the autopilot and I could feel my instrument skills slipping away. I could never hope to be that good again.
Boeing 757 - My first Jet. Gobs of power but don't touch down in a crab when lading in a crosswind. If you do, it aligns itself with the runway in a quick and uncomfortable manor. Wing down into the wind and opposite rudder, just like a small airplane does the trick.
Christen Eagle - Lots of aerobatic capability. Just point it where you want it to go.
Honorable Mentions
Breezy ride during Air Venture at Oshkosh
1 flight in an Ercoupe. Stone simple with only a control wheel, throttle and single brake pedal. Plus the windows roll down in flight.
A-36 Bonanza - Great family cruiser. Our grandfather bought ours new from Beechcraft in 1988.
Sea Fury - One ride with Brian Sanders in 924G to check the smoke winders at Reno. Point it at the ground, 380 knots indicated, pull to the vertical, roll.....I can hardly wait for my first flight in N85SF.

What's your top 5 .... anyone ?

Hi Ken,

is it possible do get in touch with you via Email oder Message here on the Forum?

I have a few questions about the Sea Fury Restoration.

all the best from germany
phil

PM sent Phil