The field of experimental aviation is a pocket-sized world of innovative individuals who courageously see beyond limits in the spirit of Aviation. So much is owed to those who sacrifice and risk it all for the dream of flying, and it is up to the later generations to share their stories of the past and inspire the future of flight.
The innovative and restoration work done at Volar Avionics in Tennessee, for example, a complex home built 2/3 scale warbird is a sterling representation of their dedication to preserving flight history and also the inspiration for our new hand-painted customized Volar “Lightning” G-1 Flight Jacket.
Based in Lebanon, Tennessee, Volar Avionics is dedicated to restoring and installing aircraft avionics suites, custom navigation and flight management systems. For Founder & Pilot, William Presler, the Volar story began with his “Uncle Jim”. A prominent figure in the Aviation community, Jim O’Hara was a retired Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Tulane University (TU) who dedicated a larger part of his life to aviation and even more to his wife, Mitzi. Together, they hoped to introduce their shared passion for aviation to the next generation.
Fascinated with the P-38 since childhood, “Uncle Jim” had big dreams of becoming a pilot. This dream was quickly halted when he discovered that he was colorblind and realized that he could never become a military pilot, until someone-somewhere informed him that, though it was true that he could not become a military or commercial aviator, he could still become a pilot. Having retired from a long tenure at TU, he decided that it was time to fulfill his life-long dream of flying – so at the age of 65, “Uncle Jim” learned to fly! But he didn’t stop there!
“Uncle Jim” decided to build a plane, a P-38 “Warbird” replica. While he had built several planes in the past, Jim faced many who had doubts and often tried to talk him out of this project. Even the builders of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning said that building a P-38 from scratch “couldn’t be done”, calling the project impossible. “Uncle Jim” didn’t care, so he built a plane that was impossible to build… the world’s only two-thirds scale replica P-38 Lightning TTP38.
Twenty-five years of calculations and jigging, each piece of the P-38 Lightning was built in “Uncle Jim’s” garage. He made a few modifications, like a seat for his wife Mitzi to co-pilot. It’s worth noting that the original P-38 only sits one. Together they flew Jim O’ Hara’s dream, his masterpiece. The two-thirds scale replica P-38 has since been celebrated by the Experimental Aircraft Association and individuals of the aviation community alike. “Jim was in love with how flight could work. He loved the art of it. Like a master musician loves the way math and music fall in line once you reach a certain understanding”, says William Presler.
Chance would bring William Presler and Cockpit USA together at the ICAS Airshow convention last year in Las Vegas. The passion and dedication that the Volar team holds for “Uncle Jim and Mitzi” is palpable and shines through their work at Volar Avionics. In this partnership, we aimed to create a jacket that honors our shared passion for unparalleled craftsmanship and dedication to keeping history alive. Taking our modified G-1 Flight Jacket with a removable collar, we hand-painted a custom Cockpit USA artwork of the P-38 on the back of these jackets as a nod to the brave aviators of WWII who flew that plane. For those who are not familiar, many wartime aviators often customized their own jackets with the “nose art” from their planes which usually reflected a good luck charm –either a famous pin-up of the era or their own girlfriend, wife or a funny cartoon. This jacket is finished with a custom Volar Avionic’s name plate on the front of each jacket. We’re grateful to be Volar’s jacket of choice for this incredible partnership. We hope that the Cockpit USA “Lightning TT-P38 Jacket” is a “Joint Force” that Jim O’Hara could be proud of!
The “impossible to make “, two-thirds scale replica P-38, TTP-38 was on display at this year’s Oshkosh Airshow in Wisconsin, as will our custom Cockpit USA “Volar Lightning P-38” G-1 Jacket worn by William Presler and the Volar Team More Cockpit USA personalized jackets have been made for the GEICO Skytypers, The Explorer Club and D-Day Squadron. Custom Cockpit USA jackets are available upon request, please email info@cockpitusa.com for more information.
Not everyone gets to fly and not all share the same passion for airplanes & aviation, even fewer dare to dream beyond that. The legacy of Jim O’Hara’s TTP38 lives-on through William Presler and the Volar Avionics Team. To read more about Jim’s story and Volar Avionics, visit FlyVolar.com. Photos of William Presler and the Voalr team are captured by Ricardo von Puttkammer.
Until next time, Keep ‘em Flying!