101-125

Express Millennium

April 24, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Wheeler Technology. Model: Express. Nickname: Millennium
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE land
> Engine Description: SE Piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: EDI Express

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 106
> Date First Flown: 6/27/2000
> Location First Flown: Olympia Airport, Olympia, WA (KOLM)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: unknown

Express N511EA Qual Eval at Olympia, WA airport
(c) Bob Stoney

Recollections:
I flew this airplane as part of a USNTPS staff field trip. Flew it the same day as the A-1D “Spad”. I had no memory of this flight, just what is in my logbook but later I found a photo of me in the cockpit…the aircraft appears to be a homebuilt design and looks somewhat like a Columbia 400. Anybody out there know anything more about it?

Express N511EA, Stock photo, (c) airport-data.com

Cockpit of N511EA from Qual Eval
(c) Bob Stoney

Douglas A-1 Skyraider

April 24, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Douglas. Model: A-1. Nickname: Skyraider or SPAD
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE Land
> Engine Description: Single engine piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: —

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 105
> Date First Flown: 6/27/2000
> Location First Flown: Olympia Airport, Olympia, WA (KOLM)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Name redacted, Olympia Flight Museum

Douglas Skyraider (EA1-E) N188BP. Stock photo copyright jetphotos.net, Mike Head

Recollections: By now, you’ve read about the reason for and importance of the “Qual Eval program”. This particular flight, conducted on a student field trip, was lining up to be a total dream come true.

The Skyraider, or SPAD. Gotta be the most beautiful taildragger ever. Ginormous engine, incredible lines…it just LOOKED like it would fly GREAT. I was on the schedule to fly the airplane of my dreams, with a very famous national aviator. In the end, the latter’s attitude and air of superiority ruined my experience with this beautiful design, to the point that the flight is a bad memory. Thankfully, I can count on two fingers the times I’ve had experiences like this in aviation, with a person who was so difficult to get along with as to defy reason. I’m just sorry it happened with this machine, one of my “top 10” designs.

Beechcraft BE-76 Duchess

January 27, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Beechcraft Model: BE-76 Nickname: Duchess
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: twin piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/3/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 10
> Number of Times Flown: 10
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 116
> Date First Flown: 3/11/2002
> Location First Flown: Mojave, CA Airport (KMHV)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: National Test Pilot School (NTPS), Rich Duprey (FTE: Mike Muratore)

Recollections: Have flown the Duchess 10 times, each time while attending either initial or recurrent training at the National Test Pilot School (NTPS), an excellent school about which I’ve written in other posts.

I don’t like the Duchess. Sorry. It kinda flies like a wet noodle. Probably makes it a good test pilot school aircraft and I assume it’s pretty cheap to operate for multi-engine training.

Beech BE-76 Duchess at NTPS (stock photo)
(c) ntps.edu

Grumman HU-16 Albatross

January 24, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Grumman. Model: HU-16. Nickname: Albatross
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Sea
> Engine Description: Twin piston (radial)

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated:
UF-1; HU-16C Construction number G-400

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 107
> Date First Flown: 6/29/2000
> Location First Flown: Lake Tahoe, CA
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval, Dennis Buehn, one of the great people in the warbird community.

HU-16 BuNo 137927 sometime before my Qual eval (file photo)
(c) aerialvisuals.ca

Recollections: Part of a staff field trip Qualitative Evaluation; gorgeous day at Lake Tahoe, flew the airplane for “high work”, evaluating mechanical characteristics, single control turns, and static/dynamic stability; then to the fun stuff…3 water landings, conducted at Lake Tahoe on a gorgeous clear day!

Years later, hoped to get the chance to fly some more, when my best friend, JB Hollyer, purchased an HU-16 to do oceanographic research. Unfortunately that airplane was a hull loss, so grateful JB came out unhurt.

HU-16 BuNo 137927 sometime after my Qual Eval (file photo)
(c) jetphotos.net

deHavilland DH104 Dove

January 23, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: deHavilland. Model: DH104. Nickname: Dove
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane multi-engine land
> Engine Description: twin piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1.1
> Number of Times Flown: 2
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: Sea Devon Mk20?

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 117
> Date First Flown: 3/12/2002
> Location First Flown: Mojave, CA Airport (KMHV)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: National Test Pilot School, Greg Lewis

N11XW at NTPS (File photo)
(c) aerialvisuals.ca

Recollections:
The de Havilland Dove was a “school aircraft” at the National Test Pilot School (a civilian flight test school located at the Mojave, CA airport) when I attended the school for a 6 week “FAA certification testing initial” course. I felt lucky to have gotten to fly here, with the school’s incredible instructor, Greg Lewis and 5 of my classmates who were sitting in the back collecting data (I probably traded seats with a pilot classmate at one point in the flight, per the usual process at NTPS). To be honest, I don’t remember much about the airplane on those two flights at the school (other than the cockpit is NOT big) but I do remember coming back 3-4 years later and looking forward to flying this classic piece of British engineering, only to find out that she wasn’t being flown much or at all, due to maintenance issues. With each recurrent training period (every 3-4 years during my 21 years with FAA Flight Test), the plane was less and less airworthy, and was totally retired, then sitting sadly in the “boneyard” at Mojave. Thoughts of buying her and restoring her were dashed when I talked to some of the maintenance crews. Still, what a beauty she is. If only I were a billionaire…this would be in my collection.