Warbird Information Exchange

While searching for something completely different I found these anecdotes about an old tanker pilot no longer with us. Sounds like he was made from that kind of mould you break after using once, the kinda guy we don't see anymore these days.

http://firepirates.com/ornbaum/mike.shtml

http://firepirates.com/ornbaum/

T J

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Make my day, punk!

I certainly enjoyed reading the stories you linked to.Thanks much

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Hang The Expense

Don Ornbaum was quite a character.I first met him in 1964 when he was flying a B-17 and I was loading tankers in Santa Barbara when I was 16 years old.He always treated me as more an equal than some annoying kid,which is important at any age,but especially so as a teenager.

Don gave me my B-17 type-rating checkride in 1975 and he really made me earn it.By that time,I had 4000 hours in Beech 18's and a 200 hour fire season as Bob Forbes' B-17 co-pilot in Tanker 65.When he signed off my B-17 type-rating,Ornbaum told me that there were a few things that he wasn't going to tell me about flying B-17's until he was through flying them.He was telling the truth and it took me five years of left seat time in B-17's before I figured out most of the tricks that he kept to himself.

I miss old Don.

From my story I wrote about Catch 22
One day when I was flying #4, I saw #3 hit the wake of #2
and go sliding out to the right. #3 corrected back to the
left and hit the wake again, this time sliding to the left
and aimed right at the control tower. He only missed it by
raising his left wing. After we landed we heard what it
was like from the view point of one of our pilots at the
base of the tower. "I watched it coming at me and was
dumbfounded. The pilot saw that he might hit the tower and
lifted the left wing, then I was knocked to the ground by
a little feller and he left foot prints on my chest..just
like in the cartoons". The pilot speaking was 6'5" and
265lbs.

That pilot was Don

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GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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Hey Larry and Stoney,do either one of you ever fly a 17 anymore?I was just wondering.

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Hang The Expense

I remember Don from his occasional trips down to Hemet-Ryan...and yes, he was indeed a charactor. My Dad had a few stories about him, really wish I'd have taped them before his passing.

***Nice to see you back Larry

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...not a complete idiot, some parts ARE missing!

I never got to fly a B-17.

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GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Don't feel bad Stoney, I didn't either. Closest I ever came was sitting in the nose of Tanker E61 for a "once around the numbers" flight when I was 7 or 8 years old. PIC was Larry Hill, who became a life long friend and mentor. By the time I got into the business, all the B-17's were gone.

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...not a complete idiot, some parts ARE missing!

The last time that I flew a B-17 was in June 1983.That was when I filled in for a couple of months flying Evergreen's Tanker 22 out of Alamogordo.Here's a picture of T22 at Silver City in 1980 from Tanker 68,which I was flying that year for TBM Inc. on a sub-contract to Black Hills Aviation.T68,incidently was Don Ornbaum's airplane as both T68 and earlier as T78.It's now Memphis Belle N3703G.Tanker 22 is now in Evergreen's museum in McMinville.No,I didn't take Don's job,he just switched to flying a DC-7.




I also ran across a picture that Norman Stubbs from TBM Inc. sent me a few years ago of TBM's tanker pilots doing their pre-season instrument training in an Aztec at Porterville.From left to right: Stu Kunkee...Dave Kelly...Bob Forbes...Buck Radcliffe...Bob Curry...Bill Davis...Don Ornbaum...and Ron Gillespie of Porterville Aviation.I'm not sure of the date.Sometime in the late 1970's,I think.Unfortunately,the majority of these guys have gone west.

My lifes dream was finally answered at 31 years of age and got to fly 03 gulf while working for Dave Tallichet.22 years later I was in her again.She has been a lucky bird through the years for sure. Thanks for the answers guys.I'm trying to get my 13 year old to fly on her but no luck so far.I think if he does it will set the hook.

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Hang The Expense

Your tagline is one of the best.

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Hang The Expense

Here's Kunkee and me, don't remember the guy in the middles name, check out the nose jack!!

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GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Hi stumbled on this forum on my way to something else. Like anyone who ever met Ornbaum I never forgot him. I was Larry's Co-pilot back in the 90's prior to that I worked or MacAvia(Sis-Q) and I met
Don for the first time in Winslow Az. He was coming back from Florida. stopped for fuel and Oil. Took one of our drums. We had lunch and Ornbaum held court.. As Steve Howland, my first Captain said:
"Trouble is most of his stories are probably true.." Then, Larry and I ran into him working at the Tanker Base at Stead...Same 'ol Ornbaum.. Also remember the load of 115/145 that we got there too.
The DC7 was meant to run on that....
Also, I remember Dave Kelly, Ornbaum, Jim McGowan, Red Barner, Gene Walstrom. and others. Kelly
was Butler's Chief Pilot,when I worked there, Red the same at MacAvia. Had McGowan as a Captain
for a while. He never let his copilot fly. But he could make a DC6 talk.Learned a lot by watching...

Saw your posts when I entered Larry Hill in a search on the forum -- he was my stepdad and I'd love to see any photos and/or stories that are floating around out there. He died in November 2001. I used to go out to Chino with him a bunch, and went to Burbank occasionally when he was there -- mostly spent time out at Chino, though.
My name's Sue, by the way.

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Daviemax
Researcher of Post-War B-17 History
Maintains database of B-17s used from 46- on.