factor—seven days on, seven days off, not knowing
where you are or where you are going to be the next day.
After awhile I decided to walk away from flying.”
With a degree in marketing, Sarah knew she could
do other things. She didn’t go far, though, landing a
job at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida. “From
that moment on I was totally immersed in a whole
other type of aviation I knew nothing about,” said
Sarah. She was overwhelmed and amazed at the priceless collection of aviation artifacts and treasures that
Kermit Weeks had acquired: Airplanes of all types and
sizes from the infancy of aviation
to World War I and on through
World War II. But it was the aircraft
from the golden age of flight that
really caught Sarah’s attention as she
began to fall in love with the planes
of the past and pilots from that era.
“I felt very ignorant on all the
different types of airplanes that I
knew nothing about,” said Sarah.
“When I found out the stories behind these wonderful
aerial machines, that’s when I fell in love with aviation. I was especially attracted to those aircraft from
the late 1920s and early 1930s and found out that
many famous women aviators flew these aircraft as
well. Women like Beryl Markham and Pancho Barnes
quickly became my heroes because they had such
great diversity, and each one was a
character in her own right.” It was
their accomplishments and daring
that really intrigued Sarah, as well
as the types of airplanes they flew.
“When I took my initial biplane
ride it felt just like when I was riding my bicycle down a steep hill
with the wind in my face enjoying
the sights, smells, and sounds all
around me,” Sarah said. “Right
then and there I wanted to learn
how to fly a tailwheel airplane.”
Sarah didn’t have to look far
because she was surrounded by
experienced tailwheel pilots like
Kermit Weeks and Rob “Waldo”
Lock, who gave her her first open-cockpit ride in his Stearman biplane.
Rob operates Waldo Wright’s Flying
Service from the long grass strip at
Fantasy of Flight, flying a variety
of airplanes that include the New
Standard and Stearman biplanes.
Sarah was told by both Rob and
Kermit that if she could master a
Stearman, then she could fly most
any airplane on the field. After
all, the Stearman was used as a
primary trainer during World War
II and was responsible for helping
to teach new military cadets how
to fly. With that in mind, Sarah
jumped right back into aviation
with both feet and went out and
Photos courtesy Sarah Wilson
purchased, in her words, “the prettiest-looking blue and
yellow PT- 17 Stearman that you ever laid eyes on.”
“I started out my tailwheel training in a Cub,” said
Sarah. “I had flown airliners, Learjets, and King Airs in
my career and had accumulated more than 3,000 hours.
But in that first hour of instruction in a Cub I had no idea
how to use my feet!” After five hours in the Cub she took
on the Stearman and quickly realized that she was finally
really learning to fly. “I will stand up, raise my hand, and
swear to you that if you have never flown a tailwheel
airplane before, you do not know how to fly,” Sarah
said. “Every single subtle movement
of your hand or foot while flying the
Stearman makes such a difference,
and you start to become aware of the
simple things—Am I sitting straight
back? Is my head forward? Am I resting my elbow and leg too much to
one side because we are leaning to
the other side? It is that sensitive,
and that’s what makes it such an
incredible airplane.” Sarah named her Stearman Blu, and
with Rob in the front seat teaching her, she spent her
summer learning to fly.
Rob was probably the perfect fit for Sarah and her
Stearman. Not only because he already owned one, had
plenty of time in Stearmans, and gave rides in them, but
also because he is an ex-NBA basketball player, stands
totally immersed in a whole
other type of aviation I knew
nothing about.”
“From that moment on I was
LEFT: Sarah in the cockpit of the Lear 35 she flew for Corporate Jets Inc. from their Tampa,
Florida base. RIGHT: In the cockpit of Jack McCloy’s Cessna 170 at Fantasy of Flight.
LEFT: Stearman legend and air show pilot John Mohr with Sarah strapping in for their
flight in Iowa. RIGHT: Sarah enjoying the ride as passenger/pilot Henning Henningsen
flies from the front seat over his hometown in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
