Michael McCafferty
Aviator - Author
This page lists only aviation related
information.
To learn more, please visit
MichaelMcCafferty.com
Flying Experience
Ratings
Private Pilot
Single engine land
Multi-engine land
Single engine Seaplane
Instrument rating
Tailwheel endorsement
High performance endorsement
Glider solo
Hours
More than 1000 hours, and 1700 landings,
accumulated between mid 1993 through early 1999.
Aircraft flown:
Biplanes:
Waco YMF-5
Boeing Stearman (450hp)
Pitts Special S2A
Warbirds
TF-51D "Mustang" ("Crazy Horse")
Supermarine Spitfire (Carolyn Grace)
B-17 "Flying Fortress" (Collier Foundation)
Aerobatic
Waco YMF-5
P-51 Mustang
Super Decathlon
Citabria
Pitts S2A
Seaplanes
Piper Cub on floats
Lake amphibian
Other General Aviation aircraft
Cessna 150
Cessna 172
Beechcraft Bonanza
Gliders
Various gliders, including Stemme motor-glider.
Some Long Distance Flights
Summer 1997. Three months of touring Europe. The Waco was flown from San Diego to
the factory in Lansing Michigan (now located in Battle Creek), then disassembled,
put in a 40-foot container and shipped to LeHavre, France, then trucked to LeBourget
airport in Paris, where it was reassembled and displayed at the Paris Air Show June 15-22.
From there on it was fun flying throughout France, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg,
Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, England and Ireland.
Check out the book, available on Amazon.com:
The Spirit of Adventure.
Summer 1996. A 57-day tour of the USA, from San Diego to Maine and down the east coast
to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, then returning to San Diego. Read the entire adventure online at
this link.
Summer 1995. A one week tour of the west coast of the US, flying from San Diego to Canada,
all along the surf.
Summer 1995. A 20-day tour of the western US, Rocky mountains.
Summer 1994. A 6-week tour of the US, starting with taking delivery of the second new
biplane (N250YM) in late May, in Lansing Michigan, and flying to the east coast and back to San Diego.
Summer 1993. Take delivery of first new biplane (N50YM) at the factory in Lansing Michigan,
fly to Oshkosh Wisconsin for the annual fly-in, and then home to San Diego. This first biplane
was in a February 1994 crash when my instructor, flying alone, landed with the
parking brake on and it flipped over on the runway. He was unhurt, but the biplane was
completely destroyed. I traded the insurance payoff
and some extra cash for a brand new biplane (see above). The first one was rebuilt by the
factory and sold to Germany where it stayed for a few years, living a good life giving rides at the Hamburg airport.
Now it enjoys life in the south of France, the toy of an Air France 747 captain.