SO Deserved! Of Magnificence and Flying Machines

Tom Reilly of Douglas, Georgia, whose prowess as both an airman and a restorer of historic aircraft are lauded within the warbirds community, will be inducted into the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame on 10 November 2022 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Reilly is one of five individuals to be honored that evening with various Experimental Aircraft Association halls of fame inductions.

Reilly has logged more than 5,500 hours of pilot-in-command time—primarily in warbird aircraft—of which more than 2,600 hours (just under 109-days) are in North American B-25 bombers—including his own B-25, Killer B. Mr. Reilly is generous with his flight experience, having instructed more than twenty pilots to their B-25 ratings.

In addition to his flying accomplishments, Reilly has restored north of twenty warbird and vintage aircraft—the crown-jewel of which is a rare, North American XP-82 Twin Mustang that, in 2019, earned Grand Champion honors as well as the Golden Wrench and Phoenix awards at EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh and took Grand Champion honors at SUN N’ FUN.

Twenty-nine years earlier, a B-24 restoration of Reilly’s was named Grand Champion at EAA’s 1990 fly-in convention at Oshkosh.

Reilly’s fifty-plus-years of warbird restoration—during which not one of his machines has suffered a maintenance-related accident—have made him a much sought-after expert among multiple generations of aircraft restorers.

Based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)—through the work, passion, and munificence of individuals like Tom Reilly—embodies the genius, joy, and splendor of aviation. EAA’s 260,000 members and nine-hundred local chapters promote aerospace education, individual and collective industry, and camaraderie across the wide world, and comprise the Earth’s premier enclave of pilots, aircraft builders, and aviation enthusiasts.

FMI: www.eaa.org