You’re strapped into the front seat of a North American AT-6 Texan, a WWII era Air Force advanced pilot training aircraft. You’ve just received your final pre-flight briefing and have already taxied out to the runway, waiting for clearance to take off. As the big Pratt and Whitney R-1340 radial engine runs up to create its full 600 hp for take-off, you begin to realize that that this is really about to happen–you are actually moments away from a flight like no other you’ve had before.

As the brakes strain to hold the aircraft back against the pull of the giant radial engine, you subconsciously pull the seatbelt and harness straps a little tighter; then, almost as suddenly, the pilot receives clearance, releases the brakes and sends the AT-6 roaring down the runway. In a matter of seconds, you’re airborne, at once thrilled and excited about the fact that you are now flying more than 60 years into the distant past. The “gear up!” command from the pilot brings you back to the reality that you have an important job to do– raise the landing gear. It goes up effortlessly and, with that, your Warbird Skyventure has begun!

For owner and chief pilot Gina Moore, flying the AT-6 is a thrill she relives everyday. To date, she has more than 3,400 hours flying time in this particular AT-6, with more than 5,800 hours total. But for each of the more than 2,500 customers per year who pay for a ride in the AT-6 or receive one as a gift, it is very often the ride of a lifetime. Proof of that is revealed in after-flight photos–the faces with the biggest grins belong to those who have just finished their Warbird ride. “That’s the thing,” says Gina. “Everyone is always smiling.”

Passengers have ranged in age from as young as eight to as young as 92. “We know of a lady who is now 93 and is waiting to fly with us on her 94th birthday so she can be the oldest” Gina brags, and goes on to recall one flight with a 92-year-old gentleman who surprised her with his determination. “He did every maneuver himself and he didn’t miss a beat; I mean he was cooking!” recalls Gina of the man’s fully aerobatic flight. “He did loops, rolls, everything. He didn’t hold back at all. He had been in the service and trained in AT-6s, and said it was just like riding a bike; it all came back once he got airborne.”

Absolutely no flying skills are necessary for a flight with Warbird Skyventures, and, as a fully qualified and licensed instructor pilot, Gina is more than capable of guiding even first-time flyers through the simple maneuvers the airplane is capable of doing, if they so desire. Each flight is tailored to be as distinctive an experience as you would like it to be.

Customers have the option of a scenic, straight and level flight over northshore landmarks, or a fully aerobatic flight, or combination of both. “Some people we fly have never flown before–never even in an airliner,” Gina remarks. “They’re just happy to be in the air in a really cool airplane.” With its bright yellow paint, reminiscent of its WWII birth, and its massive radial engine, the AT-6 is certainly an attention getter compared to today’s modern aircraft. “Some people don’t even know what kind of plane it is. They see it and they just want to go up!”

This is the second year that the Warbird Skyventures team has made it down to Louisiana while barnstorming their way across the country. Barnstorming takes its name from the practice of ex-army pilots who, beginning in 1919, would buy surplus WWI airplanes and criss-cross the country giving rides and aerial performances–often operating in rural areas out of a farmer’s field and sleeping in the barn–thus the name. Though commonplace today, airplanes were still a rare sight for years after their invention in 1903.

In business since 1999, and based out of Gallatin, Tennessee, Gina and her crew visit about 30-40 airports per year. According to aviation insurance underwriters, Gina is the only female barnstormer in the nation. For her and her crew, barnstorming is a far more pleasant experience than it was for the early pioneers. Airports are more plentiful, aircraft more reliable and accommodations far more hospitable.

“We have a lot of fun in Louisiana.” With stops in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, St. John the Baptist Parish and Slidell, Louisiana has become a favorite destination. Gina explains: “There’s the sweetest fellow from Lutcher with a humongous family and they’re all Cajuns! They made crawfish for us–I’ve never seen so many crawfish!” And how do you suppose the Tennessee native and her crew fared with our beloved boiled crawfish? She confesses, “It was my first taste. Taking the meat from the tail was fine, but I’m not very good at that OTHER part!” she giggles.

This year will be the first year for the team to fly out of Slidell Airport, giving more people from the northshore, New Orleans and southern Mississippi an opportunity to experience a flight. According to Gina, they have previously flown out of Hammond, but believe the Slidell location would be more convenient for people from the surrounding areas.

Beginning with the Slidell visits in March, Gina will add a new dimension to Warbird Skyventures, with the 2004 season debut of a 1930s-era Boeing Stearman PT-17 trainer. This open-cockpit biplane primary trainer was often the first flight experience for pilots in the late 1930s through WWII. Fully aerobatic and as easy to fly as the AT-6, the Stearman adds the “wind in your face” nostalgia of the early barnstorming days to the Warbird Skyventure. Everyone involved is excited about the Stearman. In fact, on the day of our interview, Gina had just finished a practice run in the Stearman. She told me, breathless from the excitement, that even though the wind rushing through the open cockpit tended to tangle the ponytail hanging out from under her flying cap, she “wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

For Gina’s AT-6, flying out of Louisiana is a homecoming of sorts. According to the airplane’s log book, a sort of diary required by federal law to keep a record of all activity that occurs with an airplane, including flights and maintenance, Gina’s AT-6 was delivered to the Army Air Force at Maxwell Field (now Maxwell Air Force Base) in Alabama in March 1941. From May 1941 thru February 1942, it was assigned to Barksdale Field (now Barksdale AFB) in Shreveport. From there, it spent time at various bases until it was retired by the Air Force in 1958. After a period of storage and later use by the Spanish Air Force, the AT-6 entered the civilian market back in the United States in 1984, and eventually was purchased by Gina in 1999 to form what has become Warbird Skyventures.

For a unique gift that will be long-remembered, I can personally attest to the fact that nothing beats a ride in a WWII warbird. For someone interested in this experience, it is an instant conversation-starter. For the aviation buff, it is the gift that will top all gifts received in this lifetime and several others. It’s that great!

The Warbird Skyventures flights in either the AT-6 or the Stearman start at just $189.95, less than one-third that of similar warbird experiences. Gina says that more than half of their flights are made with gift certificates, which can be pre-purchased in time for Christmas and redeemed at any time during the flying season. For more information, or to book a flight as a gift or for yourself, contact Warbird Skyventures at 1-888-532-5787, or visit their website at www.warbirdskyventures.com.

Copyright 2003, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.