Flying N91354
Incidentally, my original plan with my A-26C (N91354) was to make it lighter and then race it at Reno. Denny Lynch removed the 800# glass noses on his A-26’s and used it as a form to make fiber-glass noses. I was set to do that and had already begun removing all the wiring to the gun chargers when Frontier Airlines had a cut-back. My mechanic was a junior co-pilot and was furloughed. I had the opportunity to sell the airplane to Charlie Reeder and, as you know, did that much to my chagrin. I dearly loved flying that airplane. My girlfriend and I had decided to marry. She found out what it cost me to fly that airplane. She said, “you can stay, but that has to go…"
I did not have a type rating when I acquired the freshly licensed airplane from Allied Aircraft, Inc. So, I flew it from Tucson to Falcon Field where Abe Sellard was located with his B-17 fire-bombing operation. Abe was certified by the FAA to issue type-ratings in all the warbirds in those days (circa 1968). I had called to set up an appointment for a verbal exam and flight check. I boned up reading the Dash-1 the night before. By no means did I know the airplane well. For sure I knew the numbers important to keep me from killing myself and protect the engines which were actually zero-time as were the props!
I landed and parked where Mr. Sellard had indicated. I went inside to his office. He looked at my FAA certificates, medical, and Dash-1. He started thumbing thru the Dash-1 asking me questions. AMAZINGLY, he asked me questions to that which I had an answer for! Then he said, “you really know your airplane!” Ha!
Mr. Sellard said, “Let’s see you fly ‘er!” As we walked out his door, Mr. Sellard grabbed a lawn chair. I said, “Mr. Sellard, you won’t need that chair, there’s a seat in the airplane for you!” He replied, “Sonny, you don’t understand, I’m not gonna get in that fuckin’ airplane, I’m going to watch you from the ramp!” He then outlined what he wanted me to do.
After another pre-flight, I fired-up and taxied out (no control tower at KFFZ in those days). I took off and as I rotated, per our briefing, I pulled the throttle back on the #1 engine came around to a low approach with a go-around and then, following that pattern, landed. I taxied in and shut down. We went inside where I was presented with my shiny new type-rating “Douglas DC-B26” with no restrictions! I had been told it would be VFR only. Mr. Sellard said, “you obviously know your airplane, and flew it well, and since you are an airline pilot I feel justified in omitting the VFR Only tag!” I accepted his benevolence neglecting to admit my actual limited knowledge of the airplane.
I then flew over to Scottsdale Airport to spend the night with my folks who lived nearby. The next morning I left for Salt Lake City where I was based with the original Frontier Airlines. In those days, Scottsdale was partially hard-packed dirt and no tower in operation. You guessed it, I took off — cleaned up — and came around for a very low and noisy pass with a wing waggle. A few minutes later the Grand Canyon came into view. Irresistible! Down the into the canyon I went at METO power and screaming along at nearly 400 kts. I pulled up near vertical next to the El Tovar hotel and rolled that magnificent bastard! I figured I was going so fast and soon gone that it was very unlikely anyone would have seen the “N” number. Damn that felt good! Telling it now makes the event seem like was five-minutes ago!
Soon, I was approaching SLC! Again, something irresistible, perhaps an epiphany! There was my favorite captain’s home SE of SLC sitting on a shelf next to the Wasatch Mountains and called “The Cove.” A bit below the 1000’ AGL minimum altitude I should have been at, I did a reasonably good job waking up Captain Jack Schade and his neighborhood! Life was really good that morning! It was an hour and forty minutes well spent! I landed and parked at Thompson Flying Service where my love affair with N91354 would endure a few years until Charlie Reeder came along.
By now you have to be wondering how I could have enjoyed a forty-year airline career with all the additional flying along the way and no violations or accidents on my record! “LUCK has a part in the scheme of things! I could never be so lucky again…” That was a quote from Captain Jack Bering Schade, likely the greatest of all the Frontier pilots …and he stole most of that quote from Jimmy Doolittle!