Pilot Q&A: John Lane, Jr.

How did you get interested in aviation?

Through my father, John Lane. He flew Lightnings and Thunderbolts with the 5th Air Force, 35th Fighter Group, 39th Fighter Squadron. He flew 220 combat missions for over 500 hours of combat flying time and had six victories. He was always my mentor. However, at the same time, he tried to convince me not to go into aviation! I was never interested in anything but World War Two aircraft and he attempted to dissuade me from flying "that old junk!"

Where did you start flying?

At Winslow, Arizona - I got instruction in a Commonwealth Skyranger and moved on to solo in a Champ. From that point, I hung around airports and picked up flying time and flying jobs. I got into flying fire bombers and flew C-54s, B-17s, and PB4Y-2s - great stuff. As a profession, I started building race engines and race cars but I kept my hand in aviation all the time, especially the Warbirds.

How did you get into the Warbird aspect?

Ed Maloney had a couple of B-25s and Jim Orten and I got one of them - the Mitchell that used to be Elsenhower's personal transport. We fixed it up and flew it to Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. We worked on the plane and got it in pretty good shape. Around this time, most of us were in the Confederate Air Force and Mike Clark had gone down to Harlingen for the annual airshow and saw the B-17G that Aero Union had flown to the show and had up for sale. At that time it was named Class of '44 and Mike came back and said "If I buy the Fort, will you guys maintain and fly it?" You can imagine our answer was very rapid and very positive. We returned the B-25 to Chino and got busy on the B-17 which would become Sentimental Journey. This was the beginning of the CAF Arizona Wing and I was a charter member something I am very proud of.

When did you started becoming involved with Warbirds full time?

In 1980, I went to work for Doug Champlin and the Champlin Fighter Museum in Mesa. I stayed there until 1985 and then moved to Idaho to work on a group of sprayer/tanker TBMs being returned to Warbird configuration. A couple of years later, I started my own company - Airpower Unlimited - which was initially at Twin Falls (our first jobs were the Museum of Flight's Corsair which had been under water for over three decades and Gary Kohs' Texan) and now currently at Jerome where we have a large hangar.

Tell us how you got into flying the Warbirds.

It was pretty much a natural progression. I started flying the PT-17 and PT-22 and then the Texan. In those days it was not uncommon for the owner to let you have some flying time after working on his plane - something that rarely happens today. After that, it was on to the Mustang, Corsair, Thunderbolt, etc.

Do you have a favorite?

That's a tough one. I guess I am most comfortable in the Mustang since it is the Warbird in which I have the most time. However, the Corsair is really my favorite - it's an amazing aircraft. The Thunderbolt is a neat plane but it is not fun when going slow. I owe a lot to Butch Schroeder for letting me fly his aircraft - he is a great guy and a very important part of the Warbird movement. Also, I have an Unlimited Letter of Authorization which is a big help.

Where is the Warbird movement heading?

Currently, I have three Corsairs and a T-28 in my hangar. I am just getting ready to push Dutch's P-47 out the door after some maintenance. I thought fuel was going to be a problem but after the recent Warbird Owners and Operators meeting, I think the fuel problem is well in the future. We are facing problems with insurance - it's almost prohibitive to get hull insurance and the values of the aircraft are going up all the time. I, along with other restorers, are making new parts and this is helping increase the number of aircraft flying. Some engine parts are becoming a problem and I am sure we will be manufacturing the necessary pieces when the time comes. All-in-all, I think the future for Warbirds is very positive.

Copyright Challenge Publications Inc. Aug 2003
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