MASSEY — World War II Army Air Corps pilot Jim Halvorsen of Hockessin, Delaware flew in a 1944 Stearman biplane WWII trainer piloted by Nick Mirales on Oct. 6 to mark his 100th birthday, a gift from his daughter Linda L. Chambers.
After takeoff from the airfield in Massey, Halvorsen took the controls and even noted that the plane was flying slightly nose high.
So, according to a news release from the Massey Aerodrome, Mirales added power to increase the speed 10 mph to give Halvorsen the correct “sight picture” as he had remembered it from his training in 1944 in a Stearman just like Mirales’.
Halvorsen did a stint instructing in the twin-engine Beech AT-10, before being selected and trained to fly the B-26 Martin Marauder bomber (built across the Chesapeake Bay in Middle River).
Halvorsen received his entire primary training in a PT-13 Stearman.
Halvorsen was born on Oct. 16, 1924.
He started college at age 17, which gave him a deferment.
But in 1943, he “traded in” his deferment for a slot in the pilot training program to be able to fight in World War II.
Mirales offers rides in his open-cockpit biplane based at the Massey Aerodrome from May to October.
Halvorsen now holds the record for oldest passenger to fly with Mirales in his Stearman.
One Response
Very nice hearing about a celebration about aging well.