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Fairchild PT-23 Cornell

July 20, 2026 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Fairchild Aircraft. Model: PT-23. Nickname: Cornell
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: Single engine radial

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 7/20/2026
> Number of Hours Flown: 9
> Number of Times Flown: 12
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: PT-19, PT-26

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 194
> Date First Flown: 5/7/2024
> Location First Flown: Richland, WA (KRLD)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: CAF Days Pay Squadron, George Abatt

PT-23 Checkout with George Abatt
(c) Bob Stoney

Recollections: The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is an organization which strives to preserve history by owning and operating vintage warbirds. It’s a rewarding mission, but takes the determined work of scores of people. I was already a member of Seattle-based CAF Squadron (see my writeup on the AT-19) but–when the opportunity came to fly a PT-23 also–I joined a new squadron in Richland, WA (the “Days Pay Squadron”…the name referring to Richland citizens who each donated a whole day’s pay to buy a B-17 during WWII as part of the war effort).

My “FAM 1” in the PT-23 was conducted with George Abatt on a day where the winds were blowing more strongly than I would’ve liked. We decided to try the flight, promising we’d knock it off if it got worse. Well, it did get worse but the good news was that the PT-23’s flying qualities are so solid in the landing pattern particularly, that it was very comfortable. We faced crosswinds as high as 10-15 knots and it was still comfortable. A testament to this design, which was a basic training for the US Army Air Corps in WWII.

As of this writing, I have tapered back my CAF involvement, owing to being over-subscribed on both personal and professional (consultant DER Test Pilot) fronts. During my time flying the Corneell, I’ve taken several folks for a ride (non-paying) and thoroughly enjoyed this open-cockpit piece of history.

Extra 300/330

November 3, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Extra Flugzeughbau. Model: EA300/330. Nickname: Extra
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: Single Piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 3.2
> Number of Times Flown: 3
> Other Aircraft Models Associated:

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 189. (actually 110th–see note below)
> Date First Flown: 8/8/2022 (actually 4/9/2001; error)
> Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval

Recollections: [THIS POST IS IN ERROR IN THAT I SHOW IT AS MY 189th Type flown, but it actually came earlier and would be between my currect 109 and 110th flown; too hard to correct!].

The Extra 300/330 is an amazing airplane, FAA certified (aerobatic category). If you want to do airshow acrobatics, this is one of the airplanes to consider. It’s good for +/- 10g (way more than I can handle).

Qual Eval at USNTPS in 2001. The Extra returned in 2002 after I left TPS as CO in 2001 and, unfortunately, there was a fatal mishap when a pair of Extra 300’s, doing an interval takeoff, collided when the first one aborted, and the second one–unaware of the abort–ran into the lead.

Later, in 2022, I flew the Extra as part of an FAA course for Spin training. The course, provided by Prevaillance Aero, was excellent and we performed multiple upright and inverted spins, with various abusive control inputs and recovery methods, all part of staying current in spins in the event a spin program for certification comes along.

Extra 330 N945PV, Prevaillance Aero (Stock photo);
(c) airport-data.com

Piper PA-25 Pawnee

January 24, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Piper. Model: PA-25. Nickname: Pawnee
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: single piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 142
> Number of Times Flown: 65
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 179
> Date First Flown: 3/28/2018
> Location First Flown: Arlington, WA Airport (KAWO)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Evergreen Soaring.

Piper Pawnee tow planes at the ready! KEPH Region 8 soaring competition
(c) Bob Stoney

Recollections: The Pawnee or, as I explain it, an “upside down cub”. The wings, struts and tail are (at least in design, possibly modified internally) all the same as a Piper Super Cub, just (in the case of the wings and struts) on the bottom instead of the top.

All of my flying in the Pawnee has been as the result of towing gliders. The Pawnee is my favorite towplane, it’s powerful (compared to cub) and fun to fly. Along with the A-10 and the Schweizer 1-26, this is the only airplane I’ve solo’d on my first flight in it.

I’ve flown the Pawnee 64 times but, in those flights, have done 468 tows. I towed for 3 glider clubs in WA and OR and met some of the finest people you could know, glider pilots and tow pilots both. Tow pilots including Jim, Ron, Phil, Bruce, Linda, and Frank.

Mitsubishi MRJ “Spacejet”

January 23, 2025 by Bob Stoney Leave a Comment

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Mitsubishi. Model: MRJ. Nickname: Spacejet (adopted later in the program)
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Large Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin Jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 2
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 180
> Date First Flown: 3/20/2019
> Location First Flown: Grant County Airport, Moses Lake, WA (KMWH)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: MITAC Flight Test, Don Parker

Recollections: I was lucky enough to be assigned to work a “Shadow program” to work with our Japanese counterparts on the certification of a new aircraft design being designed and produced in Japan. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), later changed to being called the “SpaceJet” (much to the chagrin of many) was a major project started in about 2007, with delays that resulted in first flight being delayed until 2015. By this time, the FAA was fully partnered with our counterparts (the JCAB–Japan Civil Aviation Bureau), including training and evaluation activities. The Japanese (both the company–Mitsubishi–and the JCAB) were a pleasure to work with. That’s not to say there weren’t challenges…there certainly were. But people in Japan were working very hard, a matter of national pride.

My first takeoff in an MRJ
(c) Mitsubishi Corporation

In 2019 it was decided that the FAA should participate in “familiarization flights” (we had been waiting for the certification program to begin with the issuance of an authorization to fly) and, so, in 2019 I finally got to fly the machine. Turns out I was crewed with a test pilot who had been a student of mine years before, Don Parker (USNTPS Class 113). Don was one of several western pilots on contract to assist Mitsubishi in the conduct of the test program.

The crew on my first (and last) flight in the MRJ
(c) Bob Stoney

The airplane was good to fly. It’s fly by wire, but with relatively little augmentation or control/envelope limiting. It handled honestly and we were excited for the program to start certification. Unfortunately, COVID hit and the program–as of this writing–is “on hold” pending business decisions that must be extremely challenging for many of our colleagues in Japan. I wish them well and hope to fly the MRJ again. [Update 2 years after writing the prior: the MRJ was cancelled; such a shame but proof that certifying an aircraft–particularly one for use in Airline operations–is a tremendously daunting task. For me, the cancellation of this program was one of the saddest experiences of my professional career…I was very much looking forward to actually DOING flight test with my Japanese colleagues and fellow FAA testers.]