Flying

Flying Adventure LLC is a flying service based in Clearwater/St Petersburg that keeps and maintains historic aircraft which are available for the public to see and experience.  These World War II era aircraft are often displayed at events where children and young adults are introduced to aviation.  Members of the public can experience a flight in the same aircraft that trained hundreds of aviators for the US Army during the 1940’s.  Click the logo to go to the homepage of Flying Adventure LLC, or click here www.flyingadventure.com

This Stearman aircraft was made by Boeing and delivered to the US Army Air Corps in 1941.  It has been faithfully restored and is meticulously maintained.  022 trained hundreds of pilots during WWII, including over 1700 British RAF pilots who came to Carlson Field in Arcadia Florida to learn basic airmanship in the Stearman before returning home to fly Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The Taylorcraft L2, nicknamed the “Grasshopper” for its role in World War II as a Liaison aircraft used to transport the brass to the front, deliver dispatches, and spot for artillery.  They were also used as trainers. 

This L2 was purchased from a museum in Olympia Washington in 2000.  I flew it from Bob White Field outside Orlando until it moved “uptown” to the beaches of West Florida.  It is a simple and economical way to fly.  Its 65 hp Continental engine, which has to be started by hand, only burns 3.75 gallons of fuel an hour and it is pure fun to fly….as long as you don’t need to get anywhere in a hurry.

The first aircraft that I flew solo was a glider. 

On May 31, 2001 I flew as the co pilot with my friend the late Stan Nelson in an attempt to set a World record for distance.  We launched from Alamogordo NM and hoped to make it to Great Falls Montana.  We encountered weather as we flew up the spine of the rocky mountains and had to turn back near Taos.  Although we were not successful in setting a world records, we did set 3 national records including the longest free out and back distance of 474.2 miles.  Stan Nelson, a retired USAF pilot who flew in Vietnam was an outstanding and exceptionally talented glider pilot.  I was ballast and occasionally took the controls. 

The RV8A is an experimental aircraft capable of flight at over 200 mph and fully aerobatic.  Click on the pic above to learn more about this very cool aircraft.

Click the pic above to see some cool flying videos.