My daughter is currently based in Columbus, MS and would like to get her tailwheel endorsement. Any recommendations in that area??? (Will need instructor with aircraft.)

Mark J

You beat me to the punch with this question! I just found out that I am PCS'ing there this spring to instruct in the T-6. I am looking for a tailwheel instructor there as well, I've done nothing but military flying with the third wheel up front, and my experimental will be a tailwheel(if it ever gets finished!). If I find anything I'll let you know. Out of curiosity, what does your daughter do in Columbus?

pdknight wrote:You beat me to the punch with this question! I just found out that I am PCS'ing there this spring to instruct in the T-6..

Does that mean you'll be a Knight of Columbus? (sorry, couldn't resist)

pdknight, It really is a small world out there. Marcus and I each have children in AF flight school. My son is currently in Laughlin just starting on the T-6 II. I think he is supposed to start flying it any day now. I know the other day when I talked to him he is getting worried about the cutbacks as far as pilots training goes.
Anyway, to get back to the question on TW availabilty in the Columbus area, I will pose the question on a couple of other sites and see if I can help out at all.
Enjoy the heat and humidity of MS.!!!
Keith

Keith,
Your son will love the T-6, great airplane and a blast to fly. Fun for aerobatics but a decently stable instrument platform as well. Not to hijack this too much, but if he hasn't already, have him check out www.t-6driver.com. It has some good gouge on their, and www.baseops.net has some good links as well. With the cutbacks, the biggest threat for a pilot out of training(from what I have seen) is going all the way through the training, just to be assigned a Predator or Reaper UAV. I saw this happen to a few guys, and they are pulling people out of their main airframe later on in their careers to go "fly" these things, too. It is a constant fear among AF pilots right now.
I am definitely not looking forward to the weather change from Washington to Mississippi. It'll be quite an eye opener. I can deal with the 110 in the shade of Afghanistan just fine, it is the humidity in the South that I am not looking forward to.

As Keith mentioned, daughter is in AF flight training - T38. She really enjoyed the T6II. Thus far have heard of some instructors in Memphis but she's hoping to find someone closer. What experimental are you building and how far along? I'm building a Bearhawk, very early stages yet.

Mark J

I'm hoping someone closer than Memphis comes up. I might end up waiting until I get there before starting a real in depth search, maybe snoop around the smaller airports in the area until I come up with something. I am building a Rocky Mountain Wings Ridge Runner model 3. I am working on the wings right now, it has been a slow process with the build so far, life in AMC isn't too conducive to spending much time at home( 3 deployments in 3 years, plus TDY 2 weeks or so out of every month), so the airplane building takes a back seat to family time when I am home. Hopefully this next assignment will give me more free time to finish it up. My son will be old enough to start taking flying in a year or two, so there is some more motivation to get the thing finished up. Are you building the Bearhawk from plans or are you using one of their pre-fab options?
What is your daughter hoping to fly after 38s?

I understand the time/work/family struggles. Bearhawk is plans build, riveting to start soon. Neat to have kids interested in flying, all four daughters don't mind flying, but only one really got interested. She's hoping for a fighter assignment.

Speaking of work...
Mark J

She connected with Richard Justice with a Legend Cub. Went up with him today, all went well and should wrap it up very soon.

Thanks to all that responded, public and PM,

Mark J

Glad to hear that something worked out Mark!

Mark,
Can you PM me his contact details? Appreciate it.