Chris Prevost – Founder & Pilot
Founder of the North Bay Air Museum in 1982, the Vintage Aircraft Company in 1975 and co-owner of Sonoma Valley Airport since 2002, Chris has been immersed in aviation for 40+ years and has more than 10,000 hours of flight time. Chris discovered Sonoma Valley Airport and his love of classic and WWII military aircraft at the age of six, and on his 16th Birthday earned his private pilot certificate. When just 17, Chris starred in Aerobatic demonstrations at Air Shows in his Bellanca Super Decathlon and his vintage Boeing Stearman, and soon thereafter offering scenic and aerobatic rides in historic military training aircraft . To this day, he continues his starring role in aerial demonstrations in his air-tour business, with passengers, and most notably in Europe at the Paris-Villarouche Air Legends air show in France and Hahn Weide air show in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.
Chris’s restoration work is world-renowned. In the last 4 decades he has restored WWI and WWII aircraft for private collections and museums, restored B-25s and Beech 18s for the US Navy and the US Air Force Museum Project, replica WWII aircraft for film work, restored a Grumman F3F and Curtiss P40 Warhawk for his own collection, to name a few.
Chris is well known and widely respected in the world of vintage military aviation. His comprehensive knowledge of airframe structure, sheet-metal fabrication and aircraft engine maintenance and rebuilder has earned him the moniker of master-builder. Having flown over 75 different aircraft models during his 40+-year flying history, Chris remains passionate about flying all his restorations; from the Golden Age of the 1920’s and 1930’s, the fighter aircraft of the Second World War, yet still finds the open-cockpit Stearman a most exhilarating flight experience.
TOM MORRIS
PILOT
Tom started flying at the age of 13, washing and fueling airplanes at the local airport in exchange for flight time. He never left.
Now a pilot for 39 years, Tom has a commercial pilot certificate and more than 2,500 hours of flight time, most in antique airplanes. “Hanging out at the airport,” which he admits he lives for, has given Tom opportunities to fly more than 60 makes and models of aircraft. He says each has a unique personality. Tom’s “day job” as a Principal Engineer for Bay Area Rapid Transit District keeps his engineering skills honed for his other passion—restoring antique aircraft. He has restored several, and showing them all over the U.S., has received several prestigious awards for his efforts.
Tom has been flying for Vintage Aircraft Company for many years and delights in the joy of sharing the vintage flight experience — evidenced by his broad smile every time a big Vintage Aircraft radial engine starts to rumble.
GEORGE PEREZ
PILOT
George is a Pilot’s Pilot. With almost 9,000 hours of flying,
next to Chris, George has the most avid relationship with WWII
aircraft and the history they represent. George’s aerial story began in
the early 1960’s when he passed by an airport one day and was intrigued by a For Sale sign on an airplane. He called the number and bought the plane right on the spot! George then realized he better learn to fly if he wanted to enjoy it.
George started flying lessons immediately at the Half Moon Bay Airport and became completely enamored with both flying and the military aircraft he saw parked on the field.
Today he flies P51’s, P40’s, P-38’s, Corsairs, Sky Raiders, Sea Furys, Spitfires, T33 jets, L39’s to name a few, and regularly flies air shows, corporate, movie and TV commercial work.
He buys and sells airplanes world-wide for the museum and splits his time between Sonoma, CA and La Ferte Alias, France.
DAN VANCE
PILOT
Dan is a third-generation pilot whose father and grandfather flew for commercial airlines. He grew up around airplanes and remembers wanting to be a pilot by the time he was eight years old. His first flying job, over 20 years ago, was as a flight instructor for AeroSchellville. “Schellville was my style. We flew Stearmans and other tail draggers on gravel runways.”
Dan has an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with 8,500 hours of flight time, 4,000 of them in classic aircraft. He owns a North American P-51D Mustang and a North American SNJ-5. Though he flies Boeing 737’s for a major commercial airline, antique aircraft have always held a special attraction. “They represent an interesting era and are well made. In many ways, they’re more demanding to fly than the bigger jets where you spend many hours on autopilot. Antique aircraft are just fun to fly.”
Sheryl Carlucci
Museum Director
Sheryl believes deeply in the mission of the museum and works daily to ensure future generations will be able to experience the power and ingenuity of these majestic aircraft. She manages the museums membership program, books flights, organizes events and engages with the local community.
