Thought To Be The Only Person Ever To Achieve That Milestone

Stallion 51 founder and chief pilot Lee Lauderback has reached a significant milestone in his aviation career, racking up 10,000 hours in the P-51 Mustang.

Lauderback is thought to be the only person in history to reach that mark in the airplane. He shared the news with the audience at Sun 'n Fun while performing his signature solo Mustang demonstration routine on the Tuesday of the show.

Lauderback has been flying at Sun 'n Fun for over 30 years, and was inducted into the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame for 2019 during this year's event.

Lauderback was one of the first civilian pilots for the USAF Heritage Flight program. In 2013, he was inducted in the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he became a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP). In 2017, the FAA recognized him for his 50-plus years of safe flight operations and his many contributions to aviation safety, presenting him with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. Most recently, hew was awarded the 2017 ICAS Sword of Excellence Award.

Lauderback was the chief pilot for Arnold Palmer for many years. He founded Stallion 51 in 1987, and has accumulated over 20,000 hours as Pilot in Command in multiple types of aircraft. He plans to continue to perform at airshows around the country, sharing his love and knowledge of the Mustang with pilots everywhere.

(Image provided with Stallion 51 news release)

FMI: www.stallion51.com