Getting a Foot in the Door!!

[FO4HIRE]

Hello all!
Having volunteered at both the Collins foundation in Mass and the YAF in YIP, i was curious how it worked to get a flight slot? Do these guys volunteer for years, them slowly go through training? Do the different foundations have hiring boards? Am i going to have to finish my A+P and volunteer that way?Just curious, obviously going to volunteer more now that im furloughed and perhapse i will find out soon enough!! thanks all

 

[Ill Mitch]

All it takes is money. Srsly....offer to start paying for the cost of the airplanes and you will be flying them.
Some organizations do not even care if the guys have any skillz at all....it is all about money.

And, if they like you. I know one dude who is trying to fly a T-6 at the local chapter of some warbird musuem. He has the money...and even has the flying skills...he is just a bigger doosh than the local Mustang pilot....so they won't let him fly and he bitches about it all the time. Highly entertaining.

 

[FO4HIRE]

Well hopefully they dont think im a doosh, cuz i have no money. oh well, thanks for the reply

 

[svcta]

All of the organizations that operate warbirds are a dog and pony show about nothing but $$(as stated above). They all just stroke each other and bitch about each other when one leaves.

This has been my experience with my local chapter of the CAF, mainly. Skill has very little to do with it relative how much coin you can drop, and as a younger man without an account number tattood to my forehead these guys routinely shooed me away. It was and is an old man's club that cared nothing about cultivating a gas-pumper's interest and knowledge. Now that they're all getting too old to fly and/or work on these things where's the torch gonna go? I've got round motors(and flat ones) of my own to play with now. Screw em.

 

[Ill Mitch]

Well hopefully they dont think im a doosh, cuz i have no money. oh well, thanks for the reply

Or, you could do what Steve Hinton did and marry the daughter of the owner of a bunch of cool toys.
I tried that with a T-6 and Sea Fury owner, but she was 16 and he wouldn't let me take her to Mexico.
I still got to fly his T-6 tho. To bad they moved.

 

[g4800xp]

I bust my behind at an all volunteer operation, work hard for the love of what I am doing. I never asked to fly for them, didn't have the nerve and like I said, do it for the love of it , the history, what an opportunity. I love the filthy work no one else wants to do. The offer to fly the B-17 followed. I love flying it. Awesome airplane, makes me want to work harder. You need to show you are there for other things than a log book entry. For me it is also about family military history( no,I never served), honoring those who served so I may enjoy the liberties I have today. My only cost is getting myself to where the plane is. I am not made of money, just the work ethic and the will to bust my butt to attain my goals.

 

[DougTriMtrDrvr]

At the YAF its NOT $. Its commitment to the group, sweat equity, patience. We value volunteering beyond flight operations. The amount of flying is limited and we try to give folks enough flying to stay proficient. It may take some time for an opening.

 

[Mud Eagle]

Have to agree with what others have all ready posted -- unless you have the money to own the toys yourself, there are only two options.

1) Join an organization like the CAF that operates warbirds. Then, pay your dues over a period of time and you will eventually gain enough trust and experience to get your butt in the pilot seat of a fighter or bomber.

2) Be friends with someone with lots of money, owns warbirds, and is willing to let you fly their toys.

Either way, the real bottom line is insurability. Nobody who is actually under-writing the warbirds themselves is going to let you fly them unless you are able to be insured.

Often, that requres a pretty hefty amount of experience in certain types of aircraft beforehand.

For most of the WWII fighters out there, you'll find that underwriters will require 200+ hours of T-6 time before they'll insure you.

So, regardless there is no way around paying your dues both financially and in experience.

 

[pilotyip]

Yankee Air Force

As Director of Flt Ops at the YAM I am approached about flying "Warbirds" on regular basis. I always invite them to GS, if they have tailwheel time the C-47 is an option. Otherwise the B-25 in the entry level airplane. Pilots who flew last year get first perference on flying for the current year. However during the year flying will come up that is not covered, then we will contact one of the pilots who has not flown and offer flight training. In order to fly for the YAM you must be a Life Member, a $1000 one time fee. We had to do this to ensure that once a pilot was trained he would be available. Preference is given to retired local pilots, becasue they tend to be availalbe more often on short notice. As stated above, being known, easy to get ahold of and a willingness to do things beyound fly airplanes, like serve pancakes at the breakfast, sell trinkets at airshows, give tours to kids on the airplanes, and attending meetings will increase the chance of getting into the flying program. Forget about the B-17 I am the DO and have been there 22 years and I am not typed in the B-17 yet.

 

[Mud Eagle]

I have a good friend who recently started flying for Collings Foundation on the B-24 and B-17. His qualifications were largely made of gobs and gobs of T-6 time, as well as a Mustang type.

So, it all depends on the organization and a person's willingness to donate their time and efforts to the organization.