BARNSTORMINGFor owner and chief pilot Gina

Moore, flying the AT-6 is a thrill sherelives everyday. To date, she hasmore than 3,400 hours flying timein this particular AT-6, with morethan 5,800 hours total. But for eachof the more than 2,500 customersper year who pay for a ride in theAT-6 or receive one as a gift, it isvery often the ride of a lifetime.Proof of that is revealed in after-flight photos-the faces with thebiggest grins belong to those whohave just finished their War bird ride."That's the thing," says Gina."Everyone is always smiling."

Passengers have ranged in agefrom as young as eight to as young as92. "We know of a lady who is now93 and is waiting to fly with us onher 94th birthday so she can be theoldest" Gina brags, and goes on torecall one flight with a 92-year-oldgentleman who surprised her with hisdetermination. "He did everymaneuver himself and he didn't missa beat; I mean he was cooking!"recalls Gina of the man's fullyaerobatic flight. "He did loops, rolls,everything. He didn't hold back atall. He had been in the service andtrained in AT-6s, and said it was justlike riding a bike; it all came backonce he got airborne."

Absolutely no flying skills arenecessary for a flight with WarbirdSkyventures, and, as a fully qualifiedand licensed instructor pilot, Gina ismore than capable of guiding evenfirst-time flyers through the simplemaneuvers the airplane is capable ofdoing, if they so desire. Each flight istailored to be as distinctive anexperience as you would like it to be.

Customers have the option of ascenic, straight and level flight overnorthshore landmarks, or a fullyaerobatic flight, or combination ofboth. "Some people we fly havenever flown before-never even in anairliner," Gina remarks. "They're justhappy to be in the air in a really coolairplane." With its bright yellowpaint, reminiscent of its WWII birth,and its massive radial engine, the AT-6 is certainly an attention gettercompared to today's modern aircraft.

"Some people don't even know whatkind of plane it is. They see it andthey just want to go up!"

This is the second year that theWarbird Skyventures team has madeit down to Louisiana whilebarnstorming their way across thecountry. Barnstorming takes its namefrom the practice of ex-army pilotswho, beginning in 1919, would buysurplus WWI airplanes and criss-cross the country giving rides andaerial performances-often operatingin rural areas out of a farmer's fieldand sleeping in the barn-thus thename. Though commonplace today,airplanes were still a rare sight foryears after their invention in 1903.

In business since 1999, andbased out of Gallatin, Tennessee,Gina and her crew visit about 30-40airports per year. According toaviation insurance underwriters, Ginais the only female barnstormer in thenation. For her and her crew,barnstorming is a far more pleasantexperience than it was for the earlypioneers. Airports are more plentiful,aircraft more reliable andaccommodations far more hospitable.

"We have a lot of fun inLouisiana." With stops in Lafayette,Baton Rouge, St. John the BaptistParish and Slidell, Louisiana hasbecome a favorite destination. Ginaexplains: "There's the sweetest fellowfrom Lutcher with a humongousfamily and they're all Cajuns! Theymade crawfish for us-I've never seenso many crawfish!" And how do yousuppose the Tennessee native and hercrew fared with our beloved boiledcrawfish? She confesses, "It was myfirst taste. Taking the meat from thetail was fine, but I'm not very goodat that OTHER part!" she giggles.

This year will be the first yearfor the team to fly out of SlidellAirport, giving more people fromthe northshore, New Orleans andsouthern Mississippi an opportunityto experience a flight. According toGina, they have previously flownout of Hammond, but believe theSlidell location would be moreconvenient for people from thesurrounding areas.

Beginning with the Slidell visitsin March, Gina will add a newdimension to War bird Skyventures,with the 2004 season debut of a1930s-era Boeing Stearman PT-17trainer. This open-cockpit biplaneprimary trainer was often the firstflight experience for pilots in the late1930s through WWII. Fullyaerobatic and as easy to fly as theAT-6, the Stearman adds the "windin your face" nostalgia of the earlybarnstorming days to the War birdSkyventure. Everyone involved isexcited about the Stearman. In fact,on the day of our interview, Ginahad just finished a practice run inthe Stearman. She told me,breathless from the excitement, thateven though the wind rushingthrough the open cockpit tended totangle the ponytail hanging out fromunder her flying cap, she "wouldn'ttrade it for the world."

For Gina's AT-6, flying out ofLouisiana is a homecoming of sorts.According to the airplane's log book,a sort of diary required by federallaw to keep a record of all activitythat occurs with an airplane,including flights and maintenance,Gina's AT-6 was delivered to theArmy Air Force at Maxwell Field(now Maxwell Air Force Base) inAlabama in March 1941. From May1941 thru February 1942, it was

assigned to Barksdale Field (nowBarksdale AFB) in Shreveport. Fromthere, it spent time at various basesuntil it was retired by the Air Forcein 1958. After a period of storageand later use by the Spanish AirForce, the AT-6 entered the civilianmarket back in the United States in1984, and eventually was purchasedby Gina in 1999 to form what hasbecome Warbird Skyventures.

For a unique gift that will belong-remembered, I can personallyattest to the fact that nothing beats aride in a WWII warbird. Forsomeone interested in thisexperience, it is an instantconversation-starter. For the aviationbuff, it is the gift that will top allgifts received in this lifetime andseveral others. It's that great!

The Warbird Skyventures flightsin either the AT-6 or the Stearmanstart at just $189.95, less than one-third that of similar warbirdexperiences. Gina says that morethan half of their flights are madewith gift certificates, which can bepre-purchased in time for Christmasand redeemed at any time during theflying season. For more information,or to book a flight as a gift or foryourself, contact WarbirdSkyventures at 1-888-532-5787, orvisit their website atwww.warbirdskyventures.com i