MINOT, N.D. (AP) - Three North Dakotans were part of one of the largest fleets of warbirds to travel overseas since World War II ended.
Five planes from the Texas Flying Legends Museum and three planes from the Lewis Air Legends made the 2,200-mile historic trip to perform at the 2015 St. Barth’s Bucket Regatta on the French island of Saint-Barthelemy last month.
Pilots with the Texas Flying Legends Museum flew World War II warbirds from Ellington Field at Houston to Saint-Barthelemy, the Minot Daily News reports (https://bit.ly/1BJsCNw ).
“It was amazing,” said Minot pilot Warren Pietsch of the historic trip. Pietsch is Texas Flying Legends Museum vice president of operations and chief pilot. For the trip he flew the A6-M2 Model 21 Japanese Zero “Last Samurai,” one of only a few Japanese Zeros left flying in the world.
This was the second time the Texas Flying Legends Museum has taken part in the event in Saint-Barthelemy. The first time, in 2011, four planes made the trip.
The Texas Flying Legends Museum has ties with the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. Many of the Texas organization’s planes are displayed at the Minot museum each year. On July 4, 2013, the Flying Legends hangar was dedicated.
Besides Pietsch, the 2015 Texas Flying Legends group going to Saint-Barthelemy was composed of:
Casey Odegaard, a pilot from Kindred, as co-pilot, and Toby McPherson, of Page, flight mechanic, with pilot Alan Miller, a flight instructor and Delta Airlines captain from Hawaii, flying a B-25J Mitchell bomber “Betty’s Dream.”
Sam Graves, U.S. congressman from Tarkio, Missouri, and commercial pilot, flying the TBM Avenger 3E torpedo bomber.
Doug Rozendaal, a pilot from Mason City, Iowa, flying the FG-1D Corsair “Whistling Death.”
Bernie Vasquez, a pilot from Vacaville, California, and director of maintenance for the Texas Flying Legends Museum, flying the P-40K Warhawk “Aleutian Tiger.”
Four warbirds from Lewis Air Legends of San Antonio joined them in Miami for the flight including:
Jim Dale, a pilot and Lewis Air Legends director of warbird maintenance, as pilot of the B-25J Mitchell Bomber “Russian To Get Ya.”
Rod Lewis flying the P-38F Lightning “Glacier Girl.”
Steve Dawson flying the F7F-3P Tigercat “Here Kitty, Kitty!”“
___
Information from: Minot Daily News, https://www.minotdailynews.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.