UMAS
According to Warren Pietsch, what began with Bismarck’s Dr. Henry Reichert’s P-51 Dakota Kid, grew into the journey of a lifetime with the partnership of the Dakota Territory Air Museum and the Texas Flying Legends Museum. B-25 Betty’s Dream, the P-40 Aleutian Tiger (above) and the Whistling Death FG-1D (top) enroute to Caribbean waters. (Courtesy Photo Texas Flying Legends Museum)
Warbird Pilots Share Adventure with Attendees By Penny Rafferty Hamilton North Dakota Warbird Pilots, Warren Pietsch, Tim McPherson and Casey Odegaard opened the Upper Midwest Aviation Symposium (UMAS) banquet program with a breath taking in-cockpit clip of exciting flying from their Texas Flying Legends Museum DVD Bucket Airshow St. Barths. The precision and exciting flying was performed flawlessly at the March 25 - 27, 2011 Caribbean resort which marked the 25th anniversary of the Bucket Regatta Yacht Race. The packed ballroom of aviation enthusiasts was ready for “the rest of the story.” Pietsch, McPherson and Odegaard explained the months of preparation required to put together a team of outstanding pilots to fly and maintain historic planes from World War II flying from the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, in partnership with the Texas Flying Legends Museum at Ellington Field-EFC in Houston to the West Indies. Pietsch said, “Each plane had the same pilot the whole time so that any nuances of that plane would be under-
stood and in harmony with that pilot’s skills.” Pietsch is a born flyer. He soloed on his 16th birthday. In 1980, in his restored T-Craft, he joined his father and brother in performing air shows across the United States and Canada. He is an honorary Canadian Snowbird and the recipient of the Bill Barber Showmanship Award at Oshkosh. He also made time for a 20-year airline career flying Lockheed 1011, B-727s and 737s worldwide. He continues to operate the 60-year old aircraft restoration and repair service started by his father, Al, which is now called Minot Aero Center. McPherson, another experienced North Dakota restorer and pilot shared insider stories of the adventure. McPherson started Tall Towers Aviation near Page in 1980. Over 18 years he rebuilt a P-51 Mustang and finally finished in 2006. With over 21,000 hours of flight time and an A/P mechanic with an I/A authorization, McPherson provided insight into the challenges of long distance flight over water and into small airfields with few services. Television
March/April 2012
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State Aviation Journal Page 31