National Warbird Operator Conference Concludes in Orlando
March 1, 2006

Warbird owners and operators gathered February 23 - 26 in Orlando, Florida for the 12^th National Warbird Operators Conference. With the generous support of presenting sponsor Cannon Aviation Insurance, Inc., NWOC brought together experts in the aviation field to discuss common issues.


The conference kicked off with a welcome reception on Thursday evening. It was a great opportunity to network with the movers and shakers in the warbird community. An important part of the conference is the opportunity to meet one-on-one and exchange ideas.


On Friday morning, Ray Stinchcomb from the FAA Flight Standards Division outlined the agency plan to develop a roadmap for future workings with vintage & warbird aircraft. The FAA will be looking to the warbird community for input and support as this new roadmap is developed. EAA Warbirds of America will be there on our members’ behalf, protecting our interests to “keep ‘em flying”.


Other FAA participants included Jeff Weller, the National Air Show Coordinator, who spoke about revisions to the rules governing air show operations. Marv Nuss, FAA Small Airplane Directorate, covered the issue of aging aircraft, and Dr. Warren Sliberman, FAA Aeromedical Branch, outlined a new computer application that will help manage pilot data as it relates to medical certification.


During the Friday lunch break, pilot John Penney gave an interesting presentation about his Reno Air Racing experiences flying Rare Bear. It was a great insiders look at what
happens behind the scenes.


The conference attendees received an update on the Airworthiness Directives, for the T-6 and T-34. Rick Siegfried covered the T-6 AD and Jud Nogle covered the T-34 AD. Both aircraft are back in the air with some restrictions. The North American Trainer Association and the T-34 Association are both working with the FAA to develop long-term solutions.


Air show fans can look forward to the return of the CAF B-29 FIFI in 2006. During the conference, Eric Van Hoff and Charlie Tilghman presented a case study of the recent restoration work done on the worlds only flying B-29. We applaud their efforts and look forward to seeing FIFI at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 24-30.


The topic of insurance is always covered at NWOC and this year Anthony Bacewicz from U.S. Specialty Insurance Company did a great job exploring the current insurance market and answering questions from the audience. USSIC is the sponsor of the EAA Warbirds of America Insurance Plan.


For details, visit our website, www.warbirds-eaa.org.

On Friday evening, several members of the Formation and Safety Training group presented a seminar for the Lead Pilot entitled “Bananas, Chimpanzees and the Lead Pilot”. Mike Filucci, Terry Slawinski, and David Burroughs spearheaded this effort. The FAST group was up and at ‘em early on Saturday with a board meeting and check pilots meeting.


Saturday morning was filled with operational material with an engine panel discussion,
a presentation on aircraft cleaners by Fred Waterfall of Simple Green, Inc., and John Kochy of Air Wolf Filters covered oil filtration.


Safety was also a hot topic at this year’s conference. Doug Roznedaal from the CAF gave the attendees a great presentation on “pilot culture”, asking us to do everything possible to help reduce the level of risk associated with flying warbirds. His message was received loud and clear.


Dr. Jerry Berlin also took a close look at safety. In his presentation, Dr. Berlin used several video clips to outline how a pilots personality can affect the decision making process. His mix of humor and real-life situations worked well to illustrate the point that pilots may not always communicate as well as they could.


Saturdays lunch break featured Bob Cardin, Project Manager for the Glacier Girl restoration program. Bob’s presentation gave conference attendees a close look at the entire project from the actual recovery, through the restoration process, and the final result – an award-winning P-38 restoration. Glacier Girl was WW-II Grand Champion at Sun ‘n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2005.


An important part of the National Warbird Operator Conference is the opportunity to meet in the aircraft-specific break out sessions. The T-6, T-28, T-34, Bomber/Transport, Jet, Yak/CJ, L-Bird, and Fighter groups met on Saturday afternoon to cover issues related to their aircraft types.


On Saturday evening a special off site event took place with a reception and tour at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, FL. Kermit Weeks opened his facility to the conference attendees providing a special opportunity to view the museum storage areas – something not available to the general public on a regular basis.


The 13^th National Warbird Operator Conference wrapped up on Sunday morning with a buffet breakfast and reports from the various “breakout session” groups.


The presenting sponsor for NWOC 2006 was Cannon Aviation Insurance, Inc, with support from the following sponsors: Air Capital Insurance, U.S. Specialty Insurance, Courtesy Aircraft Sales, Precision Engines, EAA Warbirds of America, Drake Air, Commemorative Air Force, Cascade Warbirds, and Warbird Digest.


The 2007 National Warbird Operator Conference will be held in Dayton, Ohio, February 22-25. Visit www.warbirdconference.com for more information.

  EAA Aviation Center
  P.O. Box 3086
  Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

www.warbirds-eaa.org
Phone: 920.426.4800
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