Aeroshell flies vintage T-6 Texans for Blues' Airshow

One year has gone by since my last adventure into the blue 'yonder in an aerbatic vehicle. I thouroughly enjoyed my ride last year in Fred Cabanas' Pitts Special S2C, and this year I was lined up to fly with Aeroshell Aerobatic in one of four AT-6G Texans.

For those not familiar with the T-6, it was an advanced training aircraft for North American and English pilots in World War II.

As I prepared myself for the complementary flight Thursday before the airshow, I could no longer ignore the veritable pretzel that had recently replaced my lower intestine. I figured it was normal to feel a little apprehensive about climbing into an aerobatic aircraft piloted by someone you just met five minutes ago, so I put my nerves behind me and got comfortable in the back seat of an airplane that was built before my father's birth.

Surprisingly, our cruise was very smooth and enjoyable, thanks in part to the formation pilots' knowledge of their machines.

Left winger Steve Gustafson said the pilots are in charge of all routine maintenance for their more than 60-year-old aircrafts.

The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team

"The one reason there are so many T-6's around is because they're not very temperamental," Gustafson said. "They are very good airshow planes. They're big, people can see them and they're loud. They put out a lot of smoke. We keep the formation in nice and tight. While we're fying the show, you can see us in the cockpits."

The Aeroshell team specializes in formation aerobatics between surface level and approximately 3,000 feet.

From the rear seat, where it was said the most talented pilots tried to keep trainees from crashing the staunch T-6's into the earth, it was diffcult to see anything immediately infront of the airplane.

"We've met some of the people that actually trained in these airplanes," Gustafson said. "The best of the best were put in the rear seat of these aireplanes."

The team, originally created in the early 1980's, is comprised of Gustafson at left wing, Alan Henley as lead, Mark Henley at right wing and Gene McNeely flying slot. The Henely's are twin brothers and a majority of the team lives in Alabama. Gustafson is from Louisiana.

The Aeroshell team performs in about 25 airshows every year and I look forward to the next time they will be at Pensacola Beach.