Some months ago, we traveled with my sister, husband and friends at the Grand Canyon. You can read about that crazy adventure here. During that trip, the mister and mister B started talking about flying. Mister B owns his own plane and has flown for many years. The mister loves his radio-controlled airplanes and he even flew line control back in the day. They both quickly agreed that Warbirds are amazing and it was a bucket list item for each of them to take a flight in one.
After much discussion, they determined that a P-51 was the choice ride and we would meet up in October to make a mutual man dream come true!
In the days prior to this flight, Mister B was kind enough to take the mister up in his personal plane for a few basic pointers and a “once over” lesson. Knowing what to expect and having a bit of confidence about flying helped more than can be expressed here. It allowed the mister to enjoy the process and really soak in all of the wonderful moments of being in the Mustang.
Stallion 51 in Kissimmee, Florida is a first class operation all the way! From the planes, to the pilots, to the communication about our upcoming ride; they are second to none. Even though mister B is a seasoned pilot with years of experience, a bit of pre-flight training had to take place. It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere and even though several of us weren’t flying, we were included in all of the pre-flight prep.
I swear the floors in this hangar were so shiny and clean that I would have eaten off of them! The folks at Stallion 51 seriously love their planes and what they do for a living.
Mister B flew in the Crazy Horse and THE mister flew in the Little Witch…what was really fun was they they took off in formation, did their acrobatics and then rejoined and landed in formation.
She is a beauty!
A pre-flight check list and getting settled in the plane
Time for a pre flight photo op! I think the mister was so excited that he didn’t sleep the night before…..
Being pulled from the hanger onto the tarmac.
Incredible to see these two fully restored, dual control Mustangs sitting side by side. As you can see, all of the gear is on and they are ready to take off!
A bit of video of the takeoff
Even better was when the mister and mister B returned. They had lots to share and chat about as it was quite the experience.
The pilots at Stallion 51 debriefed and reviewed the video from the flight. They had three “lipstick” style cameras taking in every detail. Two were in the cockpit and one was on the exterior. As part of the package, they send you a edited dvd of your flight and I must give them an “A” for the wonderful video and audio recording. It really is a keeper.
The mister was thrilled to have performed the following maneuvers:
Steep Turns
Stalls
Slow Flight
Wing Over
Aileron Roll
Barrel Roll
Loop
Overhead Break
and most exciting was that he actually landed the plane! Way to go Hot Shot!
I asked him if he would want to do this again and he said no…..He didn’t think that the experience could be topped! He said that he would love to fly in another dual control plane, like an AT6 Texan.
Yes dear, they have those too……