OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Mike Weinfurter is a Wisconsin Veteran who's passion is airplanes. A proud owner of a historic and rare "Bird Dog" plane, he hopes to honor fellow veterans and keep the history of the warbirds alive.
Weinfurter enlisted in the U.S Army when he was 18 years old.
“Warrent officer flight program," he says. "It was the only program where you could become a military pilot."
His love of airplanes began years earlier. Weinfurter spent a lot of time as a kid at his local airport.
“I lived and breathed airplanes as a kid," he says. “There’s a freedom that you get from flying that you don’t get from anything else. It’s a totally amazing feeling.”
Before he was in the Army, Weinfurter was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet. It's where he found a love for military planes.
“A lot of the aircraft used by civil air patrol cadets, which is an auxiliary of the U.S Air Force, were former military airplanes, and a lot of civil air patrol quadrants had Bird Dogs, so I got hooked on them ever since," he says.
His passion led him to EAA. He's been to Airventure nearly every year that it's been held in Oshkosh.
"The years I was in the Army were the only years I missed," he says.
Weinfurter is also an active member of Warbirds of America, and known for owning a bright orange "Bird Dog" plane. There's thought to be less than 400 of the Bird Dog planes left in the world.
“These aircraft contributed tremendously to the war effort," Weinfurter says. "It’s an honor to be able to own one, and to think of all the people who flew these in combat, especially the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice."
Weinfurter often volunteers with EAA, whether it's hosting history seminars or driving the tour trolley through the grounds.
“If you love what you’re doing you’ll never work a day in your life," he says. "It's a passion."
He also flies in the airshow with fellow Bird Dog planes. A way, he says, to honor veterans and keep the history alive.
“Showing to the public that this is living history," he says. “It’s a way of saying thanks to them for their service- 'guys, this is for you, especially those of you who didn’t come home'."
