Yes, but how many patches on their pretty flight suits??.
That's the key question.
That being said, P-51...... Wow.
Doesn't fall in his OP budget I think, unless he meant it as the gas and oil Budget....

I like the looks of flight suits. Seems functional. I guess it would look really dorky if I wore one in the Red Bo, eh?

I could come up with some hard-earned commando and para patches that are kinda unique....

Yes, but how many patches on their pretty flight suits??.
That's the key question.
That being said, P-51...... Wow.
Doesn't fall in his OP budget I think, unless he meant it as the gas and oil Budget....

I like the looks of flight suits. Seems functional. I guess it would look really dorky if I wore one in the Red Bo, eh?

I could come up with some hard-earned commando and para patches that are kinda unique....

Luc,

The number of patches on the flightsuit is inversely proportional to Warbid experience.

Or, inversely proportional to actual combat experience.

Funny. My flight suit (for civil work) is just a nametag and one patch.

I've always been kind of a minamalist for flight suit and jackets.
Flight suits (Navy) just have shoulder rank, and the standard 4 patches.
Leather jacket, name tag only.
Winter Nomex, Name tag only
Summer Nomex, shoulders, nametag and squadron.

I've flown with Navy JOs and USAF 1LTs who have sleeves of patches.

I pick which nametag depending on my mood.

The JOPA patch was mad as a joke, as I was the VanWilder of the Navy, and had been a LT (O-3) forever, being passed over for LCDR (O-4) five times.

To bad...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz2_QJpfqXI

Ugly wing damage, but that landing gear must be Hell for stout.

Bill, I nominate this for the best Bill Greenwood post ever.

I love the warbird pilot - football player analogies.

Tailback - Corsair maybe

C-47 is a center.

I have owned a T-34 and two AT-6's many years ago. The "34" has got to be the sweetest/easiest flying airplane ever built. It was a "nice" one with the 225 hp engine. Sold it for $33,000 in about 1980,

My first AT-6, I ran across fresh out of law school. I had learned to fly in an Aeronca and had about 200 hours in a Helio Courier. That was the extent of my tailwheel time. An old ag pilot down in Rolling Fork, MS, had it for sale; no paint, no radios, and no logs. It ran and flew well though. He said he wanted $7,000 cash so I got a buddy to take me down to his dirt ag strip in a Skylane. It was a little narrow strip right beside a gravel road and some power lines. We landed, he took me up in the AT-6 with me in the front seat. We flew around for about 15 minutes and landed, he landed. I told him I would buy it so my buddy took off in the Skylane. I counted out 70 one hundred dollar bills and asked him to check it out. He said "hell no that didn't come with the price". So, with 15 minutes stick time, I told him to "**** off" and fired her up. I will admit to having some trepidation, especially when a couple of glass panels fell out of the canopy on the way home. It had the early model segmented canopy.

When I got to Grenada, I set up about a three mile stabilized final and made my first AT-6 landing.
Wow, i was an AT-6 pilot. Next day, Saturday, I gave myself the "full" check out.

Dumb? Yea, but I was young. What the hell did I know?

Great airplane and coooooool as ice. Had the inertia starter that made the most orgasmic sounds when you fired up.

Wish I'd never sold that airplane..

Jgreen

To broaden it to different sports: Trojan - shot putter (well, that's what I did in college!)

Robert

John-

Great story and took me back to the days before insurance companies and lawyers determined our check out requirements.

I expected these old AT6's and SNJ's to have damage history but I'm a bit surprised at how many incidents they have. One I called on (Barnstormers ad at $115k) had 4 incidents since 2001 and the one I posted a picture of had 2 in the past 10 years. Guess they are handfull on landing.

Heheh....


Nomination for post understatement of the year....