Warbird Alley: Contributors and Staff

Warbird Alley
Staff and Contributors

We are lucky to have a talented cadre of staff, enthusiasts and freelance
writers who have contributed to this site. Here's who they are.

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Buck Wyndham Founder / Editor-in-Chief Buck doesn't mind it when his friends call him an "airplane nut." A pilot for over 25 years, he is currently an airline pilot with a major US carrier. He is also an avid warbird pilot, aircraft builder, formation pilot, and flight instructor, with 12,000+ hours of flying time in over 110 different aircraft types, from low-and-slow antique biplanes to high-performance jet warbirds. Buck graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was commissioned in the US Air Force, where he was privileged to receive his first choice of flying assignment: the Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (the "Warthog"), based in Alconbury, England. He flew 38 combat missions in the A-10 during Operation Desert Storm. He later spent eight years in Texas, flying the Northrop T-38 Talon as an instructor pilot in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. An author, photographer, and contributor to publications such as EAA Warbirds, Classic Jet Journal, the Avion and others, he is also a very active flight instructor in the L-39 Albatros jet. Contact information: [editor (at) warbirdalley.com]
John "Skipper" Hyle Associate Editor John has been flying for over 25 years. As a child growing up in Richmond, Virginia, he listened to his grandfather’s stories of the early, "open-cockpit" days at Eastern Airlines. To date he has done almost everything in airplanes except crop-dusting -- to include flying skydivers, carrying checks, instructing, flying charter trips, and his present job as airline Captain. Skipper served in the U.S. Air Force as an F-16 pilot stationed in Japan and a T-38 Instructor Pilot based in Lubbock, Texas. He has been interested in warbirds since he was eight years old and saw Bob Hoover perform. He has owned a Fairchild PT-26, and now owns and flies a Harvard Mk 4 and flies the CAF Dixie Wing’s P-51 Mustang. He also instructs in the T-6, is a CAF T-6 Check Airman, and is a CAF and NATA FAST Check Airman. He has over 12,000 flying hours, including over 500 hours in such types as the PT-17 Stearman, PT-26 Cornell, Meyers OTW, AT-19 Stinson Reliant, L-5 Sentinel, and T-6.
Job Conger Associate Editor Job, from Springfield, Illinois, has been a freelance warbird photographer and aviation writer since 1978. His first article and photographs appeared in the July 1978 Aircraft Illustrated and since then, his work has appeared in several aviation publications including Air Show Journal, In Flight USA and The Flyer. He is the author of Springfield Aviation, released in 2008 by Arcadia Publishing. Almost every year since 1983, he has contributed photographs and writing for Springfield Air Rendezvous. When not writing about warbirds, Conger pursues a career as a writer/photographer in central Illinois. He also maintains www.AeroKnow.com, an aviation history web site he launched in 2002. He also builds plastic model aircraft by commission and produces displays for aviation events and places with glass-enclosed spaces. Conger welcomes opportunities to photograph warbirds passing through Capital Airport (SPI) and producing features and PR for anyone with an airplane and an interest in sharing its story with readers. He may be contacted by calling 217-544-6122 or writing atc (at) aeroknow.com.
Cindy Lamont Associate Editor Cindy, a pilot for over eight years, an aircraft owner, and a diehard aviation enthusiast, lives in Southern California. Her considerable photographic skills have been highlighted on the pages of Warbird Alley for several years. Her work has also appeared on several other online publications, including Aerofiles and iPilot, and she now brings her writing skills and people skills, as well as her passion for life, to the Editorial board of Warbird Alley. Cindy's diverse flying experience includes time in aircraft such as the PT-17 Stearman, Travelair, T-6 Texan, Fouga Magister, Yak-52 and Yak-18. One of those rare people whose personality lights up the world, Cindy's unique perspective and energy are welcome additions to our team. Chester the Wonderdog accompanies her on many of her adventures. Contact information: [warbird.cindy (at) cox.net]
Kevin Murphy Associate Editor Kevin grew up during World War II and had the good fortune to have USAAF flight crews, rather than rock groups, for heroes. While a high school student during the era of post-WWII taildraggers, he flew the Stinson Voyager, Piper Clipper, Piper Super Cruiser, Piper Vagabond and, of course, the Piper Cub, in which he logged the most time. Today, he is a freelance writer and educational consultant living and working in Chicago. He has written more than 1000 newspaper and magazine articles on subjects such as infant mortality, cancer research, computers, theatre, education, international politics, and area history. He holds copyrights on numerous simulations, articles and activities related to communication, education, group dynamics and problem solving. His full-length play, Something Bright and Alien, won 3rd place in the 1998 Ridgewriters (Branch of the California Writers Club) Screenplay competition, and his most recent play, Unfriendly Fire, had its world premiere in Chicago in August of 2003. Contact information: [kevinmurphy1 (at) earthlink.net]

Russ Edwards is a freelance writer with over 20 years' experience, including several screenplays. He and his son are avid warbird museum visitors in and around their home state of Florida. Contact Information: [E-mail]

Andy Graybeal was born in Arizona in 1933, the youngest child in a family of WWII Army Air Corps pilots. He traces much of his interest in historic aircraft to his brother and brother-in-law, both 8th Air Force B-17G pilots in England. He has fond memories of summer visits to watch DC-3s at the nearby Davis-Monthan Field terminal, as well as a bumpy 1946 flight to Los Angeles which was his introduction to both flying and airsickness. In his writing career he has produced everything from magazine covers to aviation museum exhibits. Contact information: [E-Mail]

James Jensen is a freelance journalist and bookseller who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Rhonda and daughter Tiffany. A writer for local newspapers, James is currently working on the first of his Annie Mae Wentworth mystery series. Contact information: [E-mail]

David MacGillivray is a recent journalism graduate from Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. Although he enjoys writing, his true passion is history. David is specifically interested in military history, but is well versed on many other historical topics. In the future, David hopes to go back to school and attain a Ph.D. in Military history. Contact information: [E-mail]

Kate Muldoon is a freelance writer and World War II history buff based in the Silicon Valley, California. One of her favorite haunts is the Naval Museum at Moffett Field's Hangar #1. Contact information: [E-mail]

Julie Rach is a southern California freelance writer whose interest in warbirds dates to childhood. Her favorite warbirds are the P-38 Lightning and the F4U Corsair. Her other areas of interest include Civil War history, national parks and pets.

Jeff VanDerford developed his lifelong interest in aircraft from his father, who was employed by Lockheed from 1939 to 1980. Graduating from San Jose State University in 1968 with a degree in history, Jeff served as Operations Officer onboard several naval support ships in Japan, Vietnam and the Mediterranean. For the next twenty years Jeff pursued a career in industrial sales. While employed with the Metals and Controls Division of Texas Instruments, he moved to Washington State to better service his biggest customer, Boeing. There, he became heavily involved in the designs for fuel tank precision switches and cockpit circuit breakers on the 747, 757, and 767. With a view to becoming a professional writer, he now resides in the San Juan Islands where he is a columnist for the local newspaper, a freelance journalist and an aspiring novelist. Contact information: [E-Mail]

Kimberly Lynn Workman is an American History major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a focus on Franklin Delano Roosevelt and World War II. She loves writing about both, and hopes to become a historian in that area. She also minors in Creative Writing and Religion. Contact information: [E-mail]

Patrick Woods is a student bound for the University of Chicago. Although his intended major is Economics, Patrick loves to read and write. In his spare time, he enjoys playing bass guitar in a band with his friends as well as pursuing freelance opportunities. Contact Information: [E-mail]