By STAN KASPRZYK

FlightLog Archive

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Aircraft Flown

Nanchangs and Kachinas - Jun 2025

I always look forward to the early summer formation clinic held at the Bremerton, WA airport. For 2025, we expected our Canadian Nanchang and Yak pilots to make their annual cross-border visit with their birds, plus we expected our local Navions, T-28s and a few T-6s to join, in addition to a few new visitors for the summer.

In the weeks before the clinic, I was contacted by my friend Jeff from Pasco, WA, who had been infected with the warbird/formation bug a few weeks earlier at the T-28 and T-6 fly-in at Richland, WA. Jeff researched and bought a Nanchang CJ-6, based at Arlington, WA, that I had previously flown with in formation. Jeff contacted me to help with the 15-hour checkout requirement stipulated by his insurance company. We figured we could get a good portion of the required hours learning the basics of Nanchang flying, then join the formation clinic for initial formation training with the visiting Canadian Nanchangs and Yaks.

I had a fun time with Jeff early in the week at Arlington transitioning into the Nanchang, where the hardest part is learning to taxi! With a castering nosewheel and very powerful (and twitchy) brakes, every pilot that I have transitioned, including myself, has been very humbled while trying to accomplish the seemingly simple task of ground taxiing! Once in the air, the Nanchang is a blast to fly, with very light control forces, especially in roll, great visibility and easy landing habits. Jeff took a bit of time to conquer the taxi gremlins, but quickly and enjoyably mastered the basic flying portion.

Our Canadian pilots were very pleased when we showed up at Bremerton with another Nanchang, since they only had three birds and needed a compatible fourth for planned four-ship recommendation and check flights. Since Jeff had no previous formation experience, my arm was twisted into conducting the close formation and maneuvering part of the four-ship recommendation flights, while Jeff observed. We were later able to accomplish three initial two-ship flights with Jeff getting to observe and then fly the close formation maneuvers after I demo'd them.

After 15+ hours of transition training and many landings, Jeff 'Spank' Hanoff earned his complex endorsement, insurance signoff and three formal formation training flights in his new Nanchang CJ-6A, plus a long cross-country home to Pasco, WA from Bremerton. Very good flying, and he can now even taxi a Nanchang! Well done ‘Spank’!

I also enjoyed flying in a new type at the clinic, a Varga Kachina, owned by Trent Hendricks. With a light airframe and powered by an O-320, it has all the ingredients for a great formation platform - sticks vs yokes, great visibility and responsive flight controls. It's also super-easy to land.

In 1948, American aircraft test pilot/aircraft designer W.J. Morrisey produced a wood-and-fabric light aircraft, the 1000C Nifty. In 1958 he reworked that design with an all-metal structure and increased power, with two aircraft completed as the Morrisey 2000. A further improvement came with the Morrisey 2150, incorporating a 108-hp Lycoming O-235 engine. The company built nine aircraft by the end of 1959.

The construction and design rights were then sold to Shinn Engineering Inc. which built 35 improved Shinn 2150A aircraft with a 150 hp Lycoming O-320-A2C engine, before ceasing production in 1962. The 2150A design rights were sold in 1967 to George Varga who formed the Varga Aircraft Corporation. 121 Varga 2150A Kachinas were built at Chandler, Arizona between 1975 and 1982.

Trent had flown on my wing for his first formation flights during last year's Bremerton clinic, and I was able to fly with him in the Kachina this year to continue his wingman training. I was impressed with the handling and climb capability of the Kachina, and we found that using either an O-1 Bird Dog or a Navion as lead gave the Kachina a very compatible lead aircraft for close formation, trail, pitchouts, rejoins and returns to initial. Trent found his wingman skills increasing by the end of the clinic, getting close to earning his FAST wingman credentials later this year.