I Learned About Flying From That: Taking an Old Bird to Oshkosh

Jim Thomason

Friday, September 12, 2014 at 09:18 PM ET

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To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go to
barryrossart.com.

Key Takeaways:

A rare Temco T-35 Buckaroo, a former Saudi trainer, underwent an arduous eight-year restoration by the Swift Museum Foundation for eventual display.
The delivery flight to Oshkosh was fraught with a series of critical issues, including a canopy damaged by paint chemicals, two in-flight gasoline leaks requiring emergency landings, and significant weather delays.
The journey culminated in a highly challenging night landing at the heavily congested Oshkosh airshow, forcing the crew to adapt to an overwhelming holding pattern in a day/VFR aircraft.
Despite numerous unforeseen complications and setbacks, the mission was successfully completed thanks to the crew's adaptability and problem-solving skills.

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Around 1950 the Air Force decided it needed a new trainer airplane. As you know, the Beech T-34 was the winner. My story comes from one of the airplanes that did not win.

The Temco T-35 Buckaroo was a spinoff of the Globe Swift. Saudi Arabia ordered about 15 of the T-35As, armed, to be used as trainers for its air force. Many years passed, and what was left of them was sitting in a military boneyard in the desert.