Stallion 51 continues to share the thrill of flying high end, high horsepower vintage aircraft.
Through the decades Stallion 51 and their iconic P-51 Mustang “Crazy Horse” have become synonymous with excellence and the place to go to check off an item on your bucket list.
The man behind Stallion 51’s success is Lee Lauderback, the highest time Mustang pilot in the world amazing well over 8,000 hours in the Mustang; 20,000 hours total time in just about anything that flies. Lee is one of the few civilian pilots who has had the privilege and honor to fly with the USAF Heritage flight program flying the P-51 Mustang in formation with the F-22 Raptor, F-16 Viper, A-10 Warthog, F-15 Eagle and F-4 Phantom.
Lee has been a leader in aviation since his first corporate job flying for the legendary Arnold Palmer as his chief pilot. He was the driving and “flying” force behind the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends, The Final Round-Up in 2007 in Columbus, Ohio which brought together the largest gathering of P-51 Mustangs since WWII. The event drew hundreds of thousands of spectators world wide to what some called “the aviation event of the century”.
Over the past quarter century, Stallion 51 has expanded their operation to three large pristine hangars at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport. This is where the magic happens. The Stallion 51 flight experience is like no other. Each flight, whether in one of Stallions dual-cockpit, dual-control P-51 Mustangs or their historic T-6 Texan is unique and tailored to the dreams and goals of the person who came to fly with Stallion 51.
Along with the Mustang Orientation flights and transition training; flight operations also encompass the T-6 Texan orientation flights and transition training program, VFR unusual attitude training program in the P-51, AVMed 51’s FAA Medical Exam office and full time Senior Airmen Medical Examiner on staff.
Lee has also developed a new and innovative multi-dimensional UAT Orientation Flight Program in the L-39 Turbo Jet that introduces pilots to unusual flight attitudes and how to recovery in both VFR and IFR conditions. Real time, real life training in an L-39 Jet, not a simulator.
Stallion 51 is also the place to go if the dream of flying a Mustang also includes owning one. Stallion 51’s current Check-out training program assists pilots who want to move up to high performance WWII fighters. Pilots from all over the world enroll in Stallion 51’s transition and check-out training programs, both in the T-6 Texan and the P-51 Mustang.
Stallion 51’s place as the premier Mustang flight operation is a team effort. That team is made up of aviation professionals with many years of experience with high end, high horsepower aircraft in both the military and civilian world.
Varied in their backgrounds, the Stallion 51 team is also a family affair. Stallion 51 is the life and blood of the Lauderback brothers. Lee is the president and chief pilot but his twin brothers Peter and Richard are the ones that keep the “Horses” happy and flying everyday. Their 30 plus years maintaining and restoring some of the rarest of the breed have made them experts in all things Mustang. Younger brother John Lauderback not only helps newly trained Mustang pilots find the perfect mount he also helps with the cataloging and locating of the world’s inventory of high end vintage aircraft through GrouP-51.
Not everyone that works at Stallion 51 is related by blood but they are all connected by their passion for sharing the Mustang and vintage aircraft. Whether through orientation flights, check-out or re-currency training or air show performances; it has always been about sharing the thrill of experiencing these great aviation machines first hand for the past 25 years. Stallion 51’s plan for the future is to continue making lots more Mustang memories and fulfilling many more flying dreams.