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tred

Would you fly with a 77 year old pilot?

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I have a patient who owns an a26 invader and a p38. he has asked if I would like to ride in the a26 with him. my concern is he walks with a walker and moves very slowly. I know very little about flying outside of skydiving. would you feel safe riding with him?

says he has been flying since he was 14 and flew in the navy

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This from a 71 year old with thousands of hours as a PIC. First of all, you said, you have a "patient." Are you a M.D. or similar? Does he have a current flight physical? If he's got a good ticker and decent eyesight, I'd fly with him. Of course, I'm probably much nearer to death than you are anyway and it doesn't scare me. Old folks have mobility problems. I do. Not walker type-rated yet tho. But I can sure as hell handle the rudders, stick and throttle. Roll the dice, junior. You only live once. (Well, not really. Death is only a transition. The real scary part is what you might come back as?) Go for it.

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tred

I have a patient who owns an a26 invader and a p38. he has asked if I would like to ride in the a26 with him. my concern is he walks with a walker and moves very slowly. I know very little about flying outside of skydiving. would you feel safe riding with him?

says he has been flying since he was 14 and flew in the navy



I have to laugh. This is not really a flying question, it's a medical question. He is your patient? You are probably a better judge of this than anyone here! Go for it. Worst that can happen is you both go out in a blaze of glory.
Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

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The "I have a patient..." part of your question might give me pause. too! :D But your question got me wondering if a civilian A-26 was even certified for single-pilot operation.

Here's an interesting little snippet ---

from here: http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id596.html

"With the Invader flown mostly in single pilot operation and with the lack of single pilot modifications being made to these aircraft, be they air tankers or executive transport, there would always be issues with the single pilot operation of a (2) pilot aircraft.
When I say (2) pilot operation, I mean the the Air force invaders were always flown with a Navigator/Weapons man in the jump seat on take off and landing, to act as an auxillary to the pilot, during emergencies and he was adequately trained in such procedures."


Could be a handful in an emergency. I'd still hesitate to turn down a ride in one.

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I'd be really curious to see which ones he owns since there are only 9 airworthy P-38's in the entire US.


P-38F
41-7630 Glacier Girl - Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
P-38F
42-12652 White 33 - Returned to airworthiness Oct. 2016 by WestPac Restorations for Jim Slattery in Colorado Springs, Colorado
P-38J
44-23314 23 Skidoo - Planes of Fame in Chino, California.
P-38L
44-26981 (unnamed) - Allied Fighters in Sun Valley, Idaho.
44-27053 Relampago - War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
44-27083 Tangerine - Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon
44-27183 (unnamed) - Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
44-27231 Scat III (Formerly Ruff Stuff) - Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, Minnesota.
44-53095 Thoughts of Midnite - Comanche Fighters LCC in Houston, Texas.

The list of A-26's that are Airworthy in the US is about the same size but it does not look like the owner lists overlap at all.

A-26B 41-39427 437140 Commemorative Air Force, Meacham Field, Texas. N240P
A-26B 44-34104 N99420 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum, Geneseo, New York
A-26B 44-34313 434313 Black Crow Aviation, Santa Rosa, California. N4313, Named "Miss Michelle"
A-26B 44-34520 434520 Lauridsen Aviation Museum, Buckeye, Arizona. N126HP, Named "Lu Lu"
A-26B 44-34602 434602 Nordic Warbirds, Västerås, Sweden. N167B, named "Sugarland Express"
A-26B 44-34749 434749 Abrams Airborne Manufacturing Inc, Avra Valley, Arizona. N4959K, Named "Puss & Boots"
A-26B 44-34766 N26BK H.B. Keck / Thermco Aviation, Thermal, California
A-26B 44-34778 RCAF 098 Air Ross (1980) Inc, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. C-GWLT
A-26C 44-35456 N5625S Wade Eagleton, Shafter, California. N5625S
A-26C 44-35562 NL7079G Alien Invaders Inc, Medina, Washington. Named "Sexy Sue"
A-26C 44-35708 435708 Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum, Hillsboro, Oregon. N26PJ
A-26C 44-35788 N126HK Cactus Air Force Wings & Wheels, Carson City, Nevada
A-26C 44-35898 VH-VNI R.W. McFarlane / Aviation Investments Pty, Archerfield, Brisbane, Australia
A-26C 44-35911 435911 George W Lancaster, Wilmington, North Carolina. N6840D, Named "Spirit of NC"
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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I've had a wide range of different experiences flying with more "seasoned" pilots (read, over 60). I've come to the conclusion that the we all age very differently, and how that aging will affect someone's flying is difficult to predict.

Maybe the most glaring example would be two gentlemen, both were recent retirees from major airlines, having spent large portions of their careers flying big iron all over the world.

The first came to me because he had just bought his "retirement airplane", a TurboCommander (twin turboprop). He needed an instrument reproficiency check and his insurance mandated 25 hours instruction in the airplane before he flew it alone. After 15 hours, I had to have a long and difficult talk with the guy and basically refer him to another instructor for a different perspective and second opinion. This guy scared the heck out of me, he really no longer had "what it takes" to operate a complex airplane in a busy environment. Coincidentally, the second instructor only made it about five hours before telling him the same thing.

The second guy (five years older, by the way) is a rock star. He came to me by recommendation of a mutual friend as a pilot candidate for the operation I work for, and in short order he was trained up and flying a much faster and more complex airplane with me. Oh, and he skydives, so now I do too!

Bottom line is that everyone ages differently, and whereas one 77 year old may be able to safely handle an A26 single pilot, another certainly may not.




Sorry for that long winded response, here's a more direct answer... NO, I wouldn't. At not without knowing more about his recent flight experience, seeing him fly and/or talking a bit with others who had recently flown with him. The A26 is a whole lot of airplane, and could kill you pretty quick. Turning down a ride in one would be difficult...

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Non-Airworthy P-38's are pretty rare too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Lockheed_P-38_Lightnings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Douglas_A-26_Invaders


Its possible a bird is not on the

This is by far the best list I have found of old warbirds:
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/index.html

List of all registered P-38's and A-26's with an N-number in any shape:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=&Modeltxt=P-38&PageNo=1 16 total aircraft recorded
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=DOUGLAS&Modeltxt=A-26&PageNo=1 29 but several are expired or are marked as being sold and no longer valid.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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I have mixed thoughts about these things.

It reminds me that when Bob Hoover gave up flying the P-51, he said it was because he couldn't handle the rudder loads any more. Even if he thought he was mentally good enough for the game.

That was in 1996 so he would have been 74.

As Jeff Ethell might say, twin engine aircraft are even trickier.

[Ref: Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, May 2010 article on Bob Hoover, online]

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I haven't flown either a P-38 or A-26 but I do have time in a B-24 and B-17. The control forces can be significant on airplanes of that vintage, there is no hydraulic or other assist. I would have concerns about someone that needs a walker to get around.
SmugMug

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tred

I have a patient who owns an a26 invader and a p38. he has asked if I would like to ride in the a26 with him. my concern is he walks with a walker and moves very slowly. I know very little about flying outside of skydiving. would you feel safe riding with him?

says he has been flying since he was 14 and flew in the navy




What's the old joke? When I die, I want to die peacefully, like my grandfather in his sleep. Not like the passengers in his plane.

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For me, age really wouldn't be a consideration. I hang out at a lot of airport restaurants and have met a lot of older pilots, and those guys are really sharp. If his vision and hearing are good and he's not suffering from dementia, I'd totally fly with him.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

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i would certainly fly with him a PIC. I would jump with him if he was a skydiver. The question is, would I fly with you, if you were PIC ..... I don't know ..... You are only a PT .... why not a Doctor ? Those kind of things worry me. Why not go all the way ? Not that I would judge you, right ?
Life is short ... jump often.

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jclalor

***I have a patient who owns an a26 invader and a p38. he has asked if I would like to ride in the a26 with him. my concern is he walks with a walker and moves very slowly. I know very little about flying outside of skydiving. would you feel safe riding with him?

says he has been flying since he was 14 and flew in the navy




What's the old joke? When I die, I want to die peacefully, like my grandfather in his sleep. Not like the passengers in his plane.

Mine has always been "I'm not afraid of death...I just don't want to be there when it happens."
Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

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