This is a very special airplane to
me. It is the first warbird I
ever flew in. Shortly after I
had returned from Operation Desert
Storm, I met a guy at an air show in
Geneseo, New York. This guy
was at the show to fly, but was also
looking at TBM Avengers because he
wanted to buy and restore one to
flying condition. This man was
Dr. Dave Tinker. Dave (known
by his call sign "Mongo") put me in
the back seat of his airplane and
fulfilled my childhood dream of
flying in a T-6. For that, I
will be forever grateful.
A couple of years later, Mongo
called me and told me he was selling
the T-6 so he could buy an engine
for his TBM project. He asked
me if I wanted to buy it. I
said yes. Fortunately, the
bank agreed with me. This
worked out great. Mongo got
his TBM flying and we managed to
keep the T-6 "in the family," so to
speak. Today, he can fly my
T-6 any time he wants. He is a
great pilot and a formation flying
instructor, so he needs the airplane
occasionally.
The paint scheme on this airplane is
something I did after I bought it
from Dave. I painted the nose
bowl red and put the "buzz numbers"
on it to replicate the paint scheme
of the women who flew this airplane
in World War II, the WASP.
WASP stands for Women Air Force
Service Pilot. These heroic
women did their advanced training in
the T-6 at Avenger Field in
Sweetwater, Texas. Upon
completing their training, they flew
all the essential non-combat
missions that were required,
freeing more men to fly
in combat roles. 1,074 women
earned their WASP wings in World War
II. 38 WASP died in the line of
duty. It is an honor and a joy
for me to tell people the WASP story
wherever I fly this airplane.
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WARBIRD STORY"
