![]() Sortie #3 flying with Lee was to be amongst my favourites. I felt privileged and hugely honoured to be flying with “Mr Mustang”! On arrival at Stallion 51 I was advised that I was to fly with Lee. As this was possibly my last trip (who knows?) to Kissimmee I asked Kelly Managhan if it was possible to fly with Lee Lauderback as I believe this doesn’t happen very often. This was key for me to plan another trip from New Zealand to fly the mustang again. Interesting times but hopefully we are coming through the other side now and returning to some sort of normality. Shortly thereafter Covid 19 struck and I was forced into retirement. the highlight was the barrel roll over the top of a towering cumulus cloud on the way home. Apart from the usual rolls, wingovers, Cuban 8 etc. This was also planned in with a holiday to Florida and New York but the highlight was still the mustang. That was it – I had the Mustang itch and wanted to go back for another go!! Sortie #2 with Steve “Maddog” Larmore happened in September 2016 in Crazy Horse 2. What an experience – I was speechless afterwards!! The flight was all I had expected plus a lot more. In 2014 I discovered the Stallion 51 website and planned a trip to Florida which was to include my first Crazy Horse 2 flight in January 2015 with John “Homer” Black. Seeing the P51 was instrumental in my decision to pursue a career in aviation, all be it in engineering and subsequently working for Air NZ for 42 years. It now resides at Kermit Weeks airfield in the Fantasy of Flight hangar, Polk City, Florida. In those days it was known as the Mobil Mustang based in Charing Cross, Christchurch, NZ and owned by Ron Fechney & John McDonald. I have wanted to fly a P51 since I was 10 years old after watching Cripes a Mighty 3 rd fly round home in Christchurch. ![]() Geoff Lilley shares his story of flying with Stallion 51 in our dual cockpit-dual control P-51 Mustang
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