Who is Waldo?

To put it quite simply, Waldo is a Barnstormer.
The term barnstormer was applied to pilots who flew throughout the country selling airplane rides, usually operating from a farmer's field for a day or two before moving on. "Barnstorming season" ran from early spring until after the harvest and county fairs in the fall. (Wikipedia)
Although barnstormers often worked in solitude or in very small teams, some also put together large "flying circuses" with several planes and stunt people. These acts employed promoters to book shows in towns ahead of time. They were the largest and most organized of all of the barnstorming acts. (Wikipedia)
Nowadays, Waldo shares this freedom with people all over the world! To Waldo, flight is something much more precious than the experience most get with the modern aircraft as a method of transportation.
Waldo knows that flight is about making a connection to the world around you...all of its visions and sounds and smells...dancing around the skies at 1000 feet.
The moment that plane leaves the ground, Waldo knows there is nothing but him, his plane, the guest, and the open skies to use as the playground. Anyone who takes a flight with Waldo will have their lives changed forever!
From taxi to touch down, the moments in the air are the moments you will NEVER forget, and Waldo enjoys being there every step of the way.
Waldo hopes a flight with him will inspire your inner barnstormer to face the journey of life head on, embracing everything!

Follow the graphic novel to see his story!
"THE VINTAGE ADVENTURES OF WALDO WRIGHT"

Waldo Wright’s Flying Service will take you on the adventure of a lifetime!

What started in 1995 with the dream of restoring two New Standard biplanes to recapture the "Golden Age of Aviation" has grown into America’s largest vintage biplane ride company. After the devastation of the pandemic, on July 1, 2024, Waldo finally made the decision to convert his entire operation to a restoration shop. Please read on to learn more!

THE RIDE OPERATIONS (2001-2020)

The New Standard airplane was designed specifically for barnstorming at the request of Ivan Gates, the proprietor of the famous Gates Flying Circus. Gates, with Clyde Pangborn, formed and operated one of the largest groups of barnstorming airplanes from the middle 1920s and into the 1930s. Carrying 4 passengers in a large front open cockpit, the airplane was instrumental in introducing hundreds of thousands of people to their first airplane ride, when aviation was in its infancy. Many still remember flying out of a pasture near their hometown when they were young. There are very few of these magnificent airplanes still operating today; in fact, Waldo owns two of the seven presently airworthy and flying.

Waldo Wright's Flying Service also offers flights for a single passenger in the legendary Boeing Stearman. The Stearman was the primary trainer of WWII. Many a young man and woman would leave their jobs as a school teacher, doctor, baseball player, or housewife when they entered the military, and climb into this biplane to learn the basics of flight. Cadets were expected to solo in only 8 hours time. Once the Stearman was conquered, cadets would then transfer on to a basic trainer (BT-13,) the advanced trainer (T-6 or AT-11,) and then on to either a fighter (P-51) or bomber (B-29.) The Stearman aircraft laid down the foundation that would carry these pilots through the rest of their careers, and that "seat-of-the-pants" flying knowledge many times saved them from disaster in the more advanced aircraft.

The Travel Air E-4000 was THE aircraft of its day. Originally designed by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman, Waldo's Travel Air will be mounted on sea plane floats.

THE RESTORATION SHOP (2020-Present)

Waldo started his restoration path around 1995, he was at an airshow looking for a new life path. He saw a pilot flying rides in a New Standard, and immediately sought one out. He found two! When he was building the New Standard biplanes, which collectively ended up servicing over 300,000 people during their operations without incident or accident, he worked alongside Craig Sinclair of Sinclair Aircraft in North Hampton, NH. Waldo did not have his A&P yet, but alongside Craig and his father, Bob Lock, Waldo learned the proper talents to work on vintage biplanes. Once both New Standards were completed, Waldo then assisted with the refresh of his father's 1927 Command-aire from 2005-2006. A year later he began work on a restoration of his 1942 Model 75 Stearman, which had been in his family since 1972.

Upon the discovery that Waldo’s partner, Jill, wanted a vintage plane, he found one. In 2010, a 1946 Aeronca Champ project was purchased. The 5 year restoration finished with a test flight on May 5, 2015.

In 2009, Waldo acquired a 1929 Travel Air project. This was thought to be a 2 year project during the pre-buy inspection. However, due to the many illegal elements found in the assembly of the plane he purchased, it turned into a 9 year restoration with its test flight in April 2018. This plane participated in the 2018 American Barnstormers Tour with 12 other Travel Air biplanes spanning 5 Midwestern states in 3 weeks.

Our shop allows for Owner Assisted Restoration work, one of the few shops in the country participating in this legal practice. By allowing the owners to participate in the process, they have a better understanding of how their planes are assembled, the intense work load it takes to breathe life into these vintage planes, have more confidence when flying their planes knowing it was put together in accordance with the highest FAA standards, and they learn more about themselves as they discover their inner restorer.

We invite you to browse our website to learn more about the unique airplanes and encourage everyone to "Relive the Golden Age of Aviation."