Taylor Stevenson
Growing up in the back of a T–6
“I’m thankful every day for the wonderful childhood I spent in the back of a T–6 flying across the country with my dad,” says Stevenson, whose father, Gordon, performed in the T–6. “In 1995 when I was 6 years old, I rode with him in the backseat of the T–6 from Long Beach, California, to New York City with more than 120 other warbirds as a part of Freedom Flight America, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II. I met aviators like ‘Tex’ Hill, Paul Tibbets, Bob Morgan, Gabby Gabreski, Charlie Bond, Florene Miller Watson, and so many more. They were, and still are, my absolute superheroes.”
Stevenson, by day an oil and gas attorney in Dallas, is in every other hour of his life paying homage to the aviators of World War II. He has flown in the Commemorative Air Force airshow Tora! Tora! Tora! as a wing pilot in the Nakajima B5N “Kate” since 2005. The Kate was the standard carrier-based torpedo bomber for the Imperial Japanese Navy for much of World War II. According to its organizers, the Tora! Tora! Tora! airshow is the longest continuously running civilian airshow act in North America.
“It is important that we get the next generation of warbird pilots, mechanics, and operators the experience they need to keep these pieces of history in the air for years to come. Breaking into warbirds, and especially the high-horsepower aircraft, is prohibitively expensive for most young aviators,” he says. “It’s now my goal to make sure that the next generation has those same opportunities. I support several flying museums and nonprofits who promote hands-on access to aircraft, specifically warbirds, and facilitate the training of young aviators with good attitudes and enthusiasm for warbirds and the history they represent.”
Stevenson will perform in Tora! Tora! Tora! at the Dayton Air Show July 30 and July 31, 2022.
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