Friday Photo: Timeless Wildcats on the Prowl
Five Wildcats from around the country had gathered up at the last fuel stop on our way to Oshkosh. We briefed the flight and arrival into AirVenture.
Chris Schaich began flying in 1990 while studying Aviation Flight Operations at San Jose State University. He built early flight time instructing and ferrying aircraft, then joined a regional airline in 1997, flying the Saab 340 and later serving as a Line Check Airman on the Avro RJ85. Since 2005, he has flown for a major U.S. airline, currently as a 737 Captain.
A lifelong warbird enthusiast, Chris has flown aircraft such as the B-17, B-25, DC-3, P-40, and P-51 through his work with the Commemorative Air Force and Palm Springs Air Museum. He also raced at the Reno Air Races, competing in the Biplane and Sport classes and serving as a pace pilot through 2023.
With nearly 21,000 hours in over 80 aircraft, Chris credits writers like Ernest Gann and Richard Collins for inspiring his aviation path—and his goal of flying 360 aircraft one day.
Five Wildcats from around the country had gathered up at the last fuel stop on our way to Oshkosh. We briefed the flight and arrival into AirVenture.
I was doing a walk around when this 737 taxied by. The golden light was quite stunning as the sun nestled into the horizon. This particular aircraft is painted as “Missouri 1” but the livery that started the airline was called “Desert Gold”.
Every flight behind us was now diverting and the controller was busy shipping them off frequency towards their diversions. The FO and I quickly agreed that we would leave the flaps as they were and fly it onto the runway as it was. While I can’t recall the speed, it was well over the normal range (160 kts perhaps). I asked the FO how it was flying, as he had turned off the autopilot shortly after entering the freezing rain.
Sport class racers join up on the pace plane for the final Reno Air Races of 2023.
I had been flying local ride flights from the FBO ramp with a Boeing 737 BBJ parked close by. During a break between rides, I was admiring the two aircraft from the same manufacturer. Their vast differences in design and function, yet commonality of mission and operation at a basic level.
I thought what better than to fly the iconic Boeing B-17G over the Boeing plant to mark the day. Shiny new jets were parked below as the old gal still gracefully flies overhead 87 years since the first B-17 rolled off the assembly floor.
The view: A DC-3 sits outside the Frontiers of Flight museum ramp as a 737NG shadow departs. The first 737-300 delivered to Southwest airlines is also just visible in the upper left corner. The pilot: Chris Schaich The airplane: Boeing 737 The mission: I had flown into Dallas prior to this and saw the DC-3 […]
This was the end of day 7 of a 9-day journey flying cross country to get the plane to its new home in May of 2020. We had been battling high winds and turbulence for seven hours by the time we landed at Winslow, AZ (INS). We pushed the big biplane out of the wind and into the hangar that the airport FBO made available to us. After closing up the doors and unloading, I took a minute to take in the view.
The flight started out as an early evening flight to just go flying. I stopped and refueled at Ak Chin just as the sun was getting low on the horizon. I departed for KCHD in time to catch this fantastic sunset over Maricopa. It reminded me of the Arizona flag.
Did you know that most of the articles at Air Facts are written by readers like you? You do not have to be Richard Collins or Ernest Gann – simply a GA pilot with a story you’d share with friends sitting in the hangar.
