The fi rst student to enrol for Larry’s B-25 pilot in command course was experienced warbird pilot Jim Tobul. (See
FlyPast October 2017 issue.)
Jim: “I’ve fl own B-25s as second in command for many years, but I decided to get my PIC [pilot in command]
type rating at Larry’s school. It was very, very, good.
“Larry has put something very special together – the documentation he has created for the school and the
training is second to none. I don’t know of another B-25 programme that comes close. The training and the ground
school is very well presented. All the material given to you and the written matter is very professional in its
presentation. Then you go to the fl ying operation, and you have a great platform to fl y. It worked very well for me,
but it’s not for the faint-hearted. If you think you can walk in and just get your rating, you’ll be disappointed. You
have to be there, to study and work hard. If you do, it works well.”B-25 SCHOOL - A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Above left
The tail’s 396th Bomb
Squadron, 41st Bomb
Group, 7th Air Force
markings.March 2018 FLYPAST 47understanding of what’s happening
when a system failure occurs in
flight. For example, if you get a low
oil pressure warning indicator light
up in flight, are you really losing
oil, or is it an indicator problem?
If you descend and the pressure
comes back up, you know you’ve
got an indictor problem, and the
engine is working fine. If you don’t
know the system and how it works,
you might have shut the engine
down incorrectly and possibly
put the aircraft and
its passengers in
danger.Since that time Larry has taken
Panchito to countless events and
shows around the USA, and now
has over 1,900 hours on type. Its
operating base is theDelaware
Aviation Museum at Georgetown,
Delaware.
Flight training
Larry and friends wanted to pass on
their encyclopaedic knowledge of
the B-25 to other pilots, especially
those interested in gaining a type
rating or becoming second pilots.
“We decided to develop our own
detailed and thorough programme
that covered ground school and
flying, so that someone graduating
from our programme could operate
a B-25 in a safe and successful
manner.
“We then started to acquire
the tools we would need, such
as a cutaway R-2600 engine,
and accessories so that we could
demonstrate how the components
work. Personally, I feel it’s critically
important for pilots to fully
understand how the aircraft’s
systems work, not just from a book,
but from a mechanical
point of view.
This gives a
much better