He describes the CAF as “a flying museum to engage the public and tell the story of, you know, all of the greatest generation, people who designed and built and maintained and operated and all of these warbirds”.
Getty ImagesHaskin says he has been a World War Two aviation enthusiast ever since he first saw airplanes at air shows as a child. “And you know, both of the bombers that I fly right now, the B-24 and B-29, I have pictures of myself as a kid with both of these exact aircraft.”
He started out in the CAF flying the Texan, a World War Two training plane that is a popular “warbird” at air shows around the world. It was while he was flying the Texan that he had a chance meeting with the operations manager that flies the much larger World War Two bombers. “He said, ‘Hey, if you ever want to come out and you know, fly the bombers, let me know.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I would love to fly the bombers.’ It took me about a half a second to say that.”
Haskin’s father, Bruce, was a flight engineer on the Superfortress in the 1950s. “I grew up with him telling me stories all about that,” says Haskin. “I never really thought I would have the opportunity [to fly it]. Because at this time, this is prior to 2017, the Fifi was the only B-29 that was flyable. For 30 plus years, there was only one, and the CAF held it very, very close. They only let a very, very small group of people operate the airplane, and even then, only after a lot of experience.”