Warbird Information Exchange

I am wondering how many WIXers can testify to making their first solo CIVILIAN flight in a warbird?

My oldest Son will hopefully solo in an L-5 this coming Spring. His Grandfather soloed 60 years before in an L-5 in 1945. We want to mark the event. His Grandfather (my Dad) went on to have a long professional flying career (which included a little civilian warbird flying too, (i.e. T-6, BTs, AT-21, P-63, C-47s, AT-11, more L-5s, PT-13/17, P-38, T-34s, and others). My Son's first 18 hours or so (pre-age 16) of instruction have been in an Aeronca L-3.

Let's hear from the WIXers who have saved that one special most important flight for a real warbird, probably not a common thing anymore.
List type, registration, and date if possible.

Lowell Thompson
Kellogg, Idaho

I soloed in a Cessna 150, but I had about 20 hours on the Pilatus P-3 before that.

I was released as a single pilot, without a backseat driver about 3 years ago on the little Pilatus.

I was solo on the Focke-Wulf from the start though, my father did the flight test after the rebuild and he has about 25 hours on it, maybe 30, while I have over 200 now.

_________________
Olivier Lacombe -- Harvard Mk.4 C-GBQB

Well, like Ollie, I legally soloed in a C-150 (N2982V) up at Boeing Field in Seattle.

I grew up, however, flying my dad's actual Korea veteran Ryan L-17B, which was our family aircraft. I had probably hundreds of hours in it (not logged, of course) before I ever took my first official flying lesson.

http://www.warbird.org/L-17/individual_ ... 8-1007.htm

I sure do miss her...