First Post Restoration Flight of the Wright Stuff Squadron T-50

Author: Jason Bowman
Date: 03 JUN 2007
Media Gallery: First Flight After Restoration

It was a long time coming, but we finally got the Wright Stuff Squadron T-50 in the air for the first time after its long restoration. She lifted off at about 0940 EDT at Dahio Trotwood Airport in Dayton, OH, with Stan Bloyer at the controls and Chuck Harley in the co-pilot's seat acting as the check pilot. A couple of maintenance squawks made the first flight short, but she did fly.

Taxiing Back After Landing Taxiing Back After Landing Sutting down after first flight

The restoration began back in 2004 when it was realized that the Wright Stuff Squadron T-50 needed to be recovered or she would have to be grounded. Did you know that the T-50 or UC-78 is the second largest fabric-covered fixed-wing aircraft in the world? The AN-2 biplane is the largest. The first step in the process was to remove the old fabric. That was quickly followed by repairs to the control surface structures. We cut our teeth on covering and stitching on the control surfaces and then progressed to the fuselage and wings. The covering process seemed to take forever because of the size of the aircraft, manpower, and funding. But we got it done. Minor interior upgrades were also done. After the covering was completed, the aircraft had to go through a whole series of maintenance checks and calibrations including the gear swings, strut servicing, control cable tensioning, control surface stops set at the correct limits, and of course everything else in the annual inspection.

Shutting down after first flight Shutting down after first flight Ludy Adjusting the Oleo Pressure

Although the aircraft was ready to fly late in the Summer of 2006, we elected to defer the annual inspection and actual flights until very recently to save on insurance costs. We've been without airshow money for a few years now, and our only source of income has been donations. Another part of the problem that seems like it will only get worse over the years is finding qualified pilots willing to sponsor and fly the aircraft. Many of the Commemorative Air Force's aircraft, like the Wright Stuff Squadron T-50, require multi-engine rated pilots familiar with operating old, cantankerous radial engines. The T-50 is even more unique in that it is a multi-engine, tailwheel aircraft, which is even harder to find qualified pilots for. However, the Wright Stuff Squadron has managed to find a handful of pilots willing to go through the sponsorship and qualification process to fly this unique piece of history.

Run up after first flight Run up after first flight Run up after first flight

There isn't much to say about the first flight. The skies were overcast, and liftoff was at approximately 0930 EDT on 03 JUN 2007. Several maintenance squawks were noted, and the pilots decided to return to base to discuss with the maintenance officer. Unfortunately, we were unable to fix the squawks before Chuck had to catch a flight. Fortunately, the squawks were fairly minor and repaired as of 17 JUN 2007, and Stan was able to complete his checkout with Chuck.

Run up after first flight Run up after first flight Run up after first flight
Run up after first flight T-50 in hangar after first flight

Videos

First flight video 1 First flight video 2 First flight video 3