ABOUT WILD BLUE ADVENTURE CO.
Wild Blue Adventure Company has always been a small, family-run outfit. We love sharing with folks near and far the beauty of the New River Gorge Park and Preserve-our country’s newest national park and one of West Virginia’s true treasures. Flying in our vintage World War II Stearman biplane is one-of-a-kind. Whether you are looking for a peaceful, scenic ride or a thrilling spin through the skies, this attraction has it all! We treat every flight like we are taking a friend up, because this is what we love, and we are excited to share it with you.
ABOUT THE PILOT
Bill Chouinard has flown in one capacity or another for as long as he can remember. His father was a pilot and would make log book entries with “Billy” listed as co-pilot when he was too short to reach the pedals in the family plane. As an adult, Bill has followed his dreams of flight in multiple disciplines including: BASE jumping and flying antique aircraft for over 20 years. In addition to a commercial license, love for aerobatics, and flying legacy aircrafts, Bill is a commercially rated pilot and flight instructor and is excited to talk to pilots about the unique opportunities for tailwheel and aerobatic training that the Wild Blue Adventure Company aircraft offers. His full-time job as a flight nurse keeps him in the air, even when not at the airport sharing his passion for flying with others. What started as a way to expose his children to flying has turned into a passion and a business. Bill loves taking people flying around the New River Gorge, his beloved home for over 20 years.
HISTORY OF THE STEERMAN BI-PLANE
* Our Stearman Biplane was manufactured by Boeing, Stearman Aircraft Division, in Wichita, Kansas. The Boeing Airplane Company is famous for producing other World War II airplanes including the B-17 bomber. This Stearman was built for the United States Army Air Corp in September of 1940 at a cost of $10,412. The Stearman Biplane was designed and utilized at airfields across the country as a primary trainer for young pilots being sent to battle in World War II.
* This aircraft spent October 1940 to November 1943 between two separate contract pilot training schools. These were the famous Cal-Aero Academy in Ontario, California and Grand Central Flying School in Glendale, California.
* In November 1943 the airplane was transferred to the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics in Orangeburg, South Carolina where it was used to train both American and French pilots.
* In February 1945, the airplane was reassigned to Palmer Field in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Upon its arrival it was stricken from United States Army records and turned over to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC). The RFC was an agency designated by the U. S. Government Surplus Property Board to dispose of surplus military airplanes and aviation materials.
* In 1949 the airplane was purchased by a private party and converted into a crop duster. It served in this capacity throughout the southern United States until the late 1980’s upon which time it was again retired from service and placed in storage.
* In the mid-1990’s the aircraft was purchased and completely disassembled. It was then restored from the ground-up to its original condition upon delivery as an Army Air Corp primary trainer in 1940.
* This Stearman can now be found flying in the skies above the New River Gorge and Summersville Lake in beautiful southern West Virginia.
FEATURED FLIGHTBLOG ENTRIES
Adventure Awaits
Adventure Awaits
Adventure Awaits in the New River Gorge If you’re craving fresh air, epic…
Flying Through History
Flying Through History
Flying Through History: The Story of Our Stearman Biplane If you’ve ever looked…
Meet the Pilot
Meet the Pilot
Meet the Pilot: Bill Chouinard – Born to Fly If you’ve ever wondered…
