WWII plane lands safely

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A World War II era plane on tour in Mobile had some problems with its landing gear. One local Mobilian aboard the plane got the ride of his life, and he shared his experience with FOX10.

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum out of Dallas said it costs about $2,000 for an aerial adventure on a restored P-51D, built in 1944 and shipped to England.

The museum said the plane was assigned to the 9th Air Force, 370th Fighter Group, 401st Fighter Squadron.

Following WWII the P-51D was sold to the Swedish Air Force in 1947 and was later sold to the Dominican Republic.

It was retired from service in 1984 and refurbished in 2011.

The plane is owned by the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, a Dallas based non-profit.

It's on tour and was in Mobile for three days before heading to Florida .

The P-51D had finished its 30-minute flight Sunday afternoon with Mobile resident Bill Barton on board.

"It was a childhood dream for me to actual be able to fly in one," said Bill Barton.

The pilot, Chuck Gardner, was preparing to land and discovered that only one of the plane's landing gears had fully extended.

"Chuck was like, 'I'm not worried about us, I'm worried about the airplane.' And I was too. There are very few P-51s left in the world and even fewer two-seater that a non-pilot can go up in," said Barton.

Barton said the plane is worth about $3 million.

"I was never really scared or in fear of my life or anything like that, but it was how are we going to do it, what are we going to do? Chuck kept me informed on everything that was going on," said Barton.

Barton said 90-year-old veteran pilot Bob Hoover gave the pilot instructions by phone on how to fix the landing gear.

"He's the one that instructed us to go out over Baldwin County and over the delta and pull the high G's, the high G maneuvers that actually got the landing gear loosened," said Barton.

Barton said he just wanted to fly over the Battleship and see it from the air. Instead he said he went on a roller coaster-like ride in a vintage plane.

"It was actually a lot of fun... I got my money's worth," said Barton.

Barton said one landing option, had the gear not fully extended, would have been a belly landing on foam fire retardant.  

Barton said he would do it all over again