Lee Lauderback has been the chief flight instructor for Stallion 51 Corp. since he founded the flight operation three decades ago. In that time he has amassed over 21,000 flight hours in all types of aircraft, including over 9,000 hours in the Mustang. His expertise and vast experience has earned him the distinction of being an FAA Experimental Aircraft Examiner, and he is often called upon to flight-test various vintage planes, helicopters and turbojets before they are accepted. Lee has expanded his aviation knowledge and experience to include flying the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper and F/A-18 Hornet, and he has test-flown the Hawker Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and also instructed students at the Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland.
Lee’s extensive aviation background and experience led him to be accepted as a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots at the 60th Annual Symposium on September 22-25, 2016.
According to Society of Experimental Test Pilots Fellow, Rich Lee, “SETP is a very exclusive organization. Lee had made a well-received presentation to the SETP Flight Test Safety Workshop on May 5, 2016. Those who attended have said it was perhaps the best they had ever seen.”
Even though Lee knew many of the SETP fellows, as an applicant he was required to submit a very detailed application, meet qualification and experience requirements as well as be recommended by at least three members of SETP in good standing. According to Rich Lee, “Lee came highly recommended by Fellows of the Society.” Two of the SETP members who recommended Lee this summer were aviation legend R.A. “Bob” Hoover and astronaut and Reno Air Race winner Robert “Hoot” Gibson.
“When Lee attended the annual Symposium as a new member in September, Lee knew and had flown with more members, associate fellows and fellows of the society than any new member I have ever known. He was enthusiastically received at the Symposium.”
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; exchanging ideas, thoughts and suggestions of the members; assisting in the professional development of experimental pilots; and providing scholarships and aid to members and the families of deceased members.
SETP’s mission is to prevent accidents and loss of life by improving safety and design as well as providing a forum to disseminate information to those in the aerospace industry for the benefit of all aviation users. Lee Lauderback has focused on this same mission for the past 30 years, making Stallion 51 a world leader in WWII aviation.
