This summer I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the American Dream Skyranch in South Carolina. The American Dream SkyRanch is...

This summer I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the American Dream Skyranch in South Carolina. The American Dream SkyRanch is home of the renowned vintage aircraft flight school 'Warbird Adventures' by pilot Thom Richard. The school offers Private Pilot, Aerobatic and Tailwheel Training, and much more.

I found out about this place in August 2022 at the New York International Air Show where Thom flew the p40. I was very impressed by his aerobatics and decided to get in touch to explore the possibility of spending the summer working with him. To my surprise, I quickly received a positive response, which was very exciting.

When I arrived at the SkyRanch almost a year later, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly settled in. I slept above the hangar where I helped repair and maintain vintage aircrafts.

Brian, an aircraft mechanic, showed me the ropes and together we fixed the T-6 Texan engine that had suffered a broken exhaust and had oil leaking from the cylinder. After we fixed it, we did some runups to make sure it operated well. We also replaced the p40 radio, which was pretty cool, and I changed the tires and brakes of a T-6 Texan and organized its documents.

Thom Richard is currently also widening his runway to be able to land bigger aircrafts in the future, and I helped to move dirt and rocks with the use of tractors and diggers from the morning to the evening. I wanted to help in any way I could, so I completed lots of different tasks, including welding to repair a truck.

I really enjoyed the experience, because we worked hard, but the atmosphere was very friendly, and the team felt like family. I was able to get to know everyone and had a great time during and outside of working hours. We even went water skiing on the weekend one day!

I got the opportunity to fly a Citabria and do aerobatics in a Decathlon with Michaela Satter aka “Mac”. Mac is a certified flight instructor for Warbird Adventures, where she teaches primary instruction in a 7KCAB Citabria, beginner and intermediate aerobatics in the 8KCAB Super Decathlon, and warbird operations in the WWII "Pilot Maker," the T-6 Texan.

It was a truly awesome experience and one I won’t forget any time soon!

Spending a month at the American Dream SkyRanch showed me a side of the aviation business that I knew little about and taught me more about the world of aerobatics and vintage planes. I now have a new fascination for warbirds and would love to pursue more advanced training in aerobatics.

If you’re interested to learn more about the American Dream SkyRanch, check out their website: https://www.warbirdadventures.com/

Taking a course there and flying in one of the warbirds will definitely be a unique aviation experience!

If you’d like to see Thom flying in one of his upcoming airshows, you can also check out his schedule here: https://www.warbirdadventures.com/airshows

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