T-28 Trojan Foundation
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BuNo 138339 flew 11,000 hours as a US Navy trainer initially assigned to the TW-5 at Whiting Field FL then at NAS Pensacola FL.
left click to enlarge photos
left click on poster to download free pdf copy or purchase 16x20 poster at Zazzle click here
References: "Ralph Glasser's Champion Trojan," by Peter Moll, Warbird's magazine 20 June 1992 and "Gotcha - A Great Deal On A T-28 School" by Ralph Glasser MD, Warbird's magazine 8 February 1992.
From the ground school concept training civilian pilots on their warbirds systems there came the recognition that formal formation flight training was needed - all in the name to keep civilian pilots safe and to keep the FAA at bay. It was important to be able to get pilots qualified without the long arm of the feds controlling this new arena. With considerable input from John Harrison and others, guidelines were established that still apply today used by FAST and NATA.
With formation training under his belt, Skydoc still wanted more challenges and so began fine tuning his aerobatic skills. Soon he joined up with the Trojan Horseman as their star solo airshow performer. After the Trojan Horseman team retired he joined up with a new airshow team, Trojan Thunder. He still attends formation training clinics not only for proficiency but for the camaraderie and fun. Skydoc and his T-28D “What’s Up Doc” are a unique warbird combination where most owner’s either trade up or sell, Skydoc has kept his same aircraft all these years proudly flying it as living T-28 history.
Two months later Skydoc delivered his "new" T-28B to Torrance, CA for Great American Aircraft to restore to airworthy flying condition. By October 1990 he was back in the cockpit on climb out when the engine quit due to carburetor failure. Fortunately Skydoc was able to crash land but his T-28 was critically damaged. So back to Great American Aircraft it went, this time Skydoc committed to a full restoration upgrading the components to a D model. To make it an authentic looking warbird, he choose the USAF 1961 paint scheme of the 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron from Eglin Air Force Base even fitted it with underwing armament.
Drawing from numerous oral history interviews, Fly Until You Die brings the Hmong pilot's stories to light for the first time.
Be prepared for laughter and tears in this behind-the-scenes peek into this doctor’s life, with a twist that takes his career from the clinic to the cockpit as he embarks on a second profession as a commercial airline pilot.
John Harrison and Dave Clinton, the "BJ and Hawkeye of the T-28 Mash Unit" and being the shakers and movers of the budding warbird movement saw the need for a dedicated ground school for civilian pilots. They called it the Darton T-28 Ground School following on the heels of Dave's engineering design called the "Darton Clean Kit" that keeps oil from dripping and spraying from the big radial engine. Skydoc immediately signed up for their course and was in the first graduating class in October 1991. He's just as proud of that fact as he is of his medical degree!
WHATS UP DOC?
The 2019 T-28 70th anniversary poster is a fitting tribute to Ralph "Skydoc" Glasser MD who 30 years ago in May 1989 found himself traversing thru the dusty desert of the Boneyard in Tucson, AZ looking over the remaining salvaged military T-28s left for civilian purchase. With the help of John Gasho of Western Int'l Aviation he decided on BuNo 138339 writing in his notes that it was the "pick of the bunch."
It was not happenchance he was looking to buy a T-28. He'd done his homework by meeting up with John Harrison earlier and flying with him in his T-28 up and down the California coastline. John was affectionately known as the guru of "Trojandom" who gave sage advice on all things warbird mixed with a great sense of humor and plenty of practical jokes. At the time he was EAA Warbirds Vice President and came highly recommended by Stoney and Kathy Stonich's of North American Trainer Association. Skydoc wanted something more challenging than his Beech Bonanza, little did he know then what a great choice he made in BuNo 138339 and they'd still be together 30 years later. But it was not all smooth flying.
"Keep Calm and Trojan On"
Jeff Schroeder, Charlie Oscar Photography
Trojan Phlyers 2015 Bonham Festival of Flight
THE RAVEN CHRONICLES available at Amazon.com
The Raven Chronicles, In Our Own Words, is a unique collection of first person accounts by the USAF forward air controllers who flew in the Secret War in Laos. Restricted by the 1962 Geneva Agreement, they flew in civilian clothes in unmarked light spotter aircraft. These pilots regularly operated from primitive dirt landing sites, often flying in poor weather, with few navigational aids, under the constant threat of enemy fire, and in the midst of towering mountains and unforgiving karst formations. According to USAF history, they were one of the success stories of the war. They built a legend of efficiency and daring in their control of RLAF and USAF strikes in support of Laotian ground units.
kindle edition: $8.95 and paperback b/w: $24.95
In addition to the stories, many of the Raven authors have shared photographs from their personal collection, some never seen by the public before. For more information see the Raven Chronicles Archives page on this website under "Call Sign Raven."
This website is best viewed on desktop, it can be viewed on mobile devices but the text and photo's will not appear in the same order as the desktop version.
All Photographs, videos and stories have copyrights. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited.
T-28 Radial "Round Sounds"
courtesy of David Ramsey
1. T-28 Start 2. Take-off
3. Fly-bys 4. Returning
click on right arrow o scroll thru selection
click on middle arrow to play
- T-28 Start3:06
- T-28 take-off0:40
- T-28 fly-bys3:47
- T-28 Returning2:08
Raven 43 Will Platt's collection of personal accounts of the Secret War in Laos along with never before seen photographs of the war.
See Jean Barbaud's cartoons at: http://jeanbarbaud.blogspot.com
Col. (ret) Craig Duehring's memoir from boyhood in Minnesota, to USAF pilot training to flyng as a Raven during the Secret War in Laos. See also:
THE LAIR OF RAVEN,
BOOK Corner