Re: Is North American Top Gun (NATG) Gone?
Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:04 pm
As a child, every year we were in Florida during spring break as my sister played college softball in the area and my dad was (still is) a coach at the college. So on our day off one of the years, we finally stopped by KISM and went to the flying tigers museum. Every year we stopped by so all the visits sort of blur together...
The first time I was there was before the Hurricane hit and destroyed the place. The Liberty Belle was still there being finished up, which it later flew out later in the year. WA was flying, but we didn't stop into the trailer.
I remember the aircraft were all kept in white temporary hangars and the office was in a trailer.
The next year I believe was the year after the hurricane hit. The museum really didn't have anyone there, but you could still tour the hangar yourself.
I believe this was the year I first flew with WA. I flew with Thom in the white SNJ. I think I was around twelve years old at the time and I think I had to sit on a phone book or something lol. I did the 15min flight at first.
The next year I think it was right after WA opened their new hangar. They only had the first one though. They also still had the Bell Helicopter, though I think it was reprinted. I did the Half hour with Acro in the Yellow and red SNJ again with Thom on my second flight.
Those were my first two Warbird flights and my first two general aviation flights in general. I would have flown more, but the rising costs of the flights prevented me.
Now, I'm a Commercial Pilot SEL/MEL working on warbirds of my own (well not personally owned but emotionally
). Would love to get a T-6 at our museum one day and when I do, I know who our instructor is going to be.
Planes that I remember seeing there over the years, but had also gone away over the years include:
**Abandoned civilian aircraft including a baron of some sort.
**Next to those was a Huey fuselage
**There was a civilian painted C47 which was involved in an accident with a truck that smashed into it which later went to the Mid-West to a jump association that now has like three C-47s.
**There was an Embraer Banderite there next to the c-47.
** Rude invader was still there
** a lot of aircraft hulks were there including at least one Corsair II
Lots of memories and pictures from there
The first time I was there was before the Hurricane hit and destroyed the place. The Liberty Belle was still there being finished up, which it later flew out later in the year. WA was flying, but we didn't stop into the trailer.
I remember the aircraft were all kept in white temporary hangars and the office was in a trailer.
The next year I believe was the year after the hurricane hit. The museum really didn't have anyone there, but you could still tour the hangar yourself.
I believe this was the year I first flew with WA. I flew with Thom in the white SNJ. I think I was around twelve years old at the time and I think I had to sit on a phone book or something lol. I did the 15min flight at first.
The next year I think it was right after WA opened their new hangar. They only had the first one though. They also still had the Bell Helicopter, though I think it was reprinted. I did the Half hour with Acro in the Yellow and red SNJ again with Thom on my second flight.
Those were my first two Warbird flights and my first two general aviation flights in general. I would have flown more, but the rising costs of the flights prevented me.
Now, I'm a Commercial Pilot SEL/MEL working on warbirds of my own (well not personally owned but emotionally
). Would love to get a T-6 at our museum one day and when I do, I know who our instructor is going to be.Planes that I remember seeing there over the years, but had also gone away over the years include:
**Abandoned civilian aircraft including a baron of some sort.
**Next to those was a Huey fuselage
**There was a civilian painted C47 which was involved in an accident with a truck that smashed into it which later went to the Mid-West to a jump association that now has like three C-47s.
**There was an Embraer Banderite there next to the c-47.
** Rude invader was still there
** a lot of aircraft hulks were there including at least one Corsair II
Lots of memories and pictures from there
Re: Is North American Top Gun (NATG) Gone?
Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:19 pm
Since Warbird Adventures has been mentioned...I was actually at the hangar today. Thom just got back from racing in the brand new European IF 1 league. If you didn't know it, Thom is also the owner/ pilot of Precious Metal, the Unlimited class Reno Racer. She's the only surviving Griffon powered Mustang and has contra-rotating props. She lives in the hangar and we do the build on her there in front of the public eyes. In 2013 we did extensive airframe mods and put a flashy new paint job on her. If everything goes well, we should be putting an engine back into her in just a couple of weeks to take the next step towards finishing up this season's build program. WA still has a T-6 flight program, as well as actual flight instruction from Thom himself. PM's exploits can be followed on the Facebook page for the team, and WA has its own actual website.