Tigers Fly Again, The

FIVE AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP (AVG) Flying Tiger pilots again flew the sharknosed P-40 in which they fought the Japanese in the skies over China, Burma and Thailand more than 60 years ago. The five Tiger pilots agreed it was great to be back in the cockpit and wonderful to take the controls and fly the P-40.

"Like a bicycle," said Flying Tiger Association president Dick Rossi; "It all seemed natural after a short while." Rossi last flew the P-40 in July 1942, when the AVG was disbanded. "The airplane looked great and sounded great," Peter Wright said. "The most evocative thing was the old airplane smell-gasoline, hot metal and paint. That's what brought back the memories."

The occasion was the AVG Flying Tiger Association reunion in Central Florida, April 15 to 18, 2004. The event was attended by 21 of the 36 surviving AVG members. When it went into action after December 7, 1941, the AVG comprised less than 100 pilots and 200 ground crew. It was disbanded on July 4, 1942.

On April 16, 2004, the AVG was hosted by Fantasy of Flight at Polk City, Florida. A recent addition to the museum's collection of vintage and WW II aircraft is a rare TP-40N; it's the only surviving example of the factory-built twoseater P-40s. Only about 20 of these were built. The Flying Tiger visit was the occasion of the TP-40N's unveiling by Fantasy of Flight founder Kermit Weeks. A former international aerobatics champion, Weeks flew with the AVG pilots and turned the controls over to them after takeoff.

Although he admitted it was a thrilling ride, AVG pilot Maj. Gen. Charlie Bond said that flying the P-40 brought back memories of his days in China and Burma but also reminded him of his first training flights in the BT-13, when just holding altitude was difficult. The five AVG pilots who flew the TP-40N at Fantasy of Flight were Dick Rossi, Charlie Bond, "Tex" Hill, Bob Layher and Peter Wright.

-Bob Bergin

Copyright Air Age Publishing Oct 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved