A WARBIRD LEAVES TOWN... SAD, BUT GREAT!!

Heidy-Ho, Blogging Buddies!  Welcome!!

Since my post about my flight in one of the beloved Stearman twins, I figure most of you have discovered my love of aircraft... especially older planes that served during World War II.  Wikipedia will tell you "the term "warbird" was originally coined to describe piston-driven aircraft from the World War II era [but] has since been expanded by some to include all military aircraft no longer in service."  I prefer the original definition but it really doesn't matter to you nor should it.  That's not our point of discussion today.

After returning to southwest Louisiana, I have been to the local (regional) airport many times.  There have been a couple of fly-ins (2009 and 2010) I have posted about, not news to those who have been reading for a while.  The spousal-unit has a private pilot's license and worked on jet aircraft while in the Air Force.  He loves flying almost as much as I do... I think.

At any rate... he has managed to score a "job" (unpaid but without strings!) working with a gentleman at the airport on a locally-owned airplane that needed work done.  While there, he found that some folks from California were coming in to work on a plane that has been in the hangar since we have been here.  Being the social butterfly he is (wink, wink), he went down and chatted them up a bit.  Turns out they were planning to get it airworthy and return it to California.  More on that later.

So... I popped by the airport to check things out after the spousal-unit made sure it would be alright for me to post about them and their work.  I didn't want to interrupt their work but I was really interested in where she (the plane) was going and what she would be doing.

I met Carl Scholl, owner/partner of Aero Trader where Warbird maintenance and restoration takes place.  Check out the web site!!  Very nice man who explained how his military C-45 (configured as an AT-11 trainer) ended up in our lovely burg.  Long story short... Carl and the guy in the pilot seat at the time (Dennis Sanders) lost an engine while flying from Lakeland, Florida, to Chino, California.  I believe he mentioned they threw a rod.  (Hope I have that right, Carl!)  This was right after Hurricane Rita pounded southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, less than one month after Hurricane Katrina.  That was late 2005 for those of you who don't keep track of hurricanes.  Why land here?  It was the closest airport.  Yep.  Just a stroke of luck (bad for Carl but good for us) landed this lovely plane here.  Carl did get an engine for the plane a couple of years after the original unplanned landing... but timing just didn't allow for the completion of all necessary repairs and the continuation of the original flight to California.  So... she sat in the hangar corner, rubber going flat and looking a bit forlorn, for over five years!  Folks around here kind of got used to having her around.

But she was not forgotten!!  As Carl said, she finally made it up on the priority list and her turn to receive attention was here.  Carl brought Jeff and Matt out with him to get the work done then have them fly her back to California.  They are both big fans of the B-25 warbird which is Carl's company's main interest to restore.  Matt told me he owns four of those lovely girls!  I think that's just GREAT!!

I asked Carl whether they would be restoring the AT-11 to her former glory?  That's not really the plan for her BUT... the good news is that she will be kept in flying condition.  He mentioned she might become the "courier" plane used to retrieve parts from a location about 140 miles away from his company's hangars.  A short flight sure beats a 3-hour drive, right?  I'm sure she will love doing work for her owner.

I'm going to leave you with some pictures taken on my initial visit (August 29th) and at her departure (August 31st). Goodbye, lovely girl. We'll miss you here in southwest Louisiana!!





Mr. Carl... the "Top Dog" of this operation!!



Matt (at left below the right engine)... Jeff (at right kneeling near the left engine prop)... Carl (far back in white T-shirt!) 

From the front sitting at the hangar door

My intrepid California Fly-Boys... (L-R) Jeff, Carl, and Matt

August 29th - Test Flight Landing - Picture perfect (photo by spousal-unit)

GREAT JOB!!!  Ready to tweak and take her home (photo by spousal-unit)

August 31st - Matt (pilot seat) and Jeff (co-pilot seat) get ready to go home! (Photo by spousal-unit)

We'll miss this beautiful girl (photo by spousal-unit)

After a perfect take-off, Matt & Jeff did a high-speed pass for us just barely above the runway.  Very exciting to hear her go by. (Check out the shadow of the plane on the runway... I don't know how the spousal-unit got this shot!!  BEAUTIFUL!!)

A final goodbye (photo by spousal-unit)

Until next post...