RFT 033: P-51 Pilot Lee Lauderback
Bad eyes kept Lee Lauderback from becoming an Air Force pilot, but he never lost his passion for flying. After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with all of his ratings, he landed a job flying Learjets for golf legend Arnold Palmer. He flew all of Arnold Palmer's airplanes for 17 years, but branched out on his own after purchasing an old P-51D and returning it to service. After completing a contract instructing in the airplane at the famed U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, Lee established his own school to train pilot-owners in the P-51. With 9,000 hours in the Mustang, Lee is the most experienced P-51 pilot in the world, and regularly flies aerobatic demonstration flights at airshows.
