John Cornett Jr.

Warbird SkyVentures pilot John Cornett Jr. said the company gets all types of customers.

Some want to reminisce by flying in an old plane, while some just want to experience flight in a plane that's usually housed in a museum.

But there is one rule of thumb in terms of the customers , looks are deceiving.

"The people who come out all hellbent on doing all the tricks, they're the ones who end up doing the least," Cornett said.

"If you hear (pilot) John yell, `Bail out!Bail out!
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If John ever started yelling for me to bail out, I'm sure I would have passed out before I had a chance to open the chute inside or outside the plane.
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Pilot John Cornett Jr. guided the plane from takeoff at Wyoming Valley Airport to about 2,500 feet over Wilkes-Barre.Then he let me take the controls, encouraging me to do a few turns and then head back to Forty Fort.

John Cornett, chief of operations for Warbird, said people should not be fooled by Moore's girl-next-door appearance.

"She won't tell you, but she's very good at what she does," said Cornett, who added that Moore has flown with some of the Flying Tigers and the Tuskegee airmen.
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Cadets who were trained by Moore call her "The Shocker," said Cornett.

John Cornett Chief Operations Officer

John is our staff biologist.If you want to know why the sky is blue or how to grow wild flowers, then he is your guy.He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Morehead State University.He is a veteran of the U.S. Army.He is a private pilot with about 300 hours.John has accepted the challenge of Chief Operations Officer.He will be attending to customers at our outstations as well as at home base.His duties include but are not limited to ticket agent, flight attendant, crew scheduler, and publicist.

John Cornett is number two in charge.He coordinates all aspects of our Flying Service.He recently obtained his commercial pilots license, and will soon be ready to assist me with Flying Duties.I met John while flying into Georgetown, Kentucky.I made a normal landing there and taxied to the terminal when suddenly a salty man came up to me with fire in his eyes.He had been checking the approach lights and said that I almost ran over him with my airplane.When he realized I was a girl he was less angry.It has been about four years since then and he still reminds me of how we met.

Koonce took his place in the cockpit with the help of John Cornett, also a pilot with Warbird SkyVentures.
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Cornett explained that Moore would begin the aerobatics at around 4,000 feet if that's what the customer asks.
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"She will ask them what they want to do, if they want a scenic flight or aerobatics," Cornett said."She demonstrates the first two or three and then they try it -- or they won't.It just depends on the individual."

"This is the very first airplane pilots in training were introduced to (in World War II)," said John Cornett, general manager of Warbird SkyVentures."People who couldn't learn to drive cars (often) learned to drive this one."

The two-seater can be flown from either the front or the back.During training flights in World War II, pilots would fly solo after between 10-12 hours in the cockpit.

"It's solo from the back seat," said Cornett.

The Air Force also used the Stearman -- which Cornett said takes its name from Lloyd Stearman, its inventor -- for training purposes.
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Cornett said the plan is to visit 52 cities this year.
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Moore, the only woman in the United States who flies these aircraft, was not on hand in Knoxville, which, according to Cornett, meant there likely would be a lower percentage of women wanting to fly.