Vintage Wings Inc.
1942 Douglas C-53-DO Skytrooper
President &Founder
Jason Capra
With a love of airplanes that stems back to the age of 5, there wasn't a day in Jason's life where he wasn't thinking about airplanes. Unlike other aviation buffs at a young age, Jason wasn't all that interested in fast, loud and thundering jets. His attention was always toward the gallant warbirds and aircraft of the 1940s and 1950s.
With his first job being at the Washington County Airport in Pennsylvania at the age of 15, Jason's drive and dream to one day own a vintage airplane had begun. Working throughout High School, Jason obtained most of his ratings by the age of 19. At the age of 38, Jason has logged over 15,000 hours of flight time, received his ATP, and is a captain for Republic Airways for 16 years. Jason's heart however has always been with those vintage wings. Having been a member of his mentor's group, "The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation," Jason was exposed to Douglas propliners at the age of 15. Falling more and more in love with these classic aircraft, the future and his fate were sealed. To date, Jason has flown the DC-4, DC-3, PBY-5 Catalina, AT-6 Texan, and the legendary Piper Cub.
Deciding finally that it was time to branch out on his own, Jason founded and started Vintage Wings Inc. on February 5th, 2016. The love affair with C-53 41-20095 that started with that first chance encounter two years ago has now turned into something exciting beyond words. The beginning of bringing a dream to reality.
Vice President &Director of Maintenance, Joe Matz
Joe's love of warbirds is not something that is a recent development. As long as Joe can remember he has been deeply obsessed with vintage aircraft of WWII. Attending airshows with his father as a kid, Joe always dreamed of being a part of a warbird organization helping to fly, maintain and operate these classic aircraft of a bygone era.
Pursuing a career in aviation maintenance, Joe works as an A&P mechanic on corporate jets for Classic Jet Center near Cleveland, Ohio and religiously drives every weekend to Franklin, Pennsylvania to work on the C-53. Now that is what we call dedication. After being involved for over 3 years as a member of Vintage Wings Inc., Joe's passion and dedication to our organization is beyond unquestionable and it was a very easy decision to ask Joe to serve on our board of directors. As Joe works towards his Aircraft Inspector certification, we know that the future of our aircraft is in great care under the watchful eye of talented mechanics like Joe Matz.
Director of History &
The HangarMuseum
Troy is an avid military historian with a passion for WWII. He developed a love for history as a child, which was instilled in him by his father. His love for vintage military aircraft developed at a young age, visiting various museums and airshows whenever possible. He came to Vintage Wings in search of a way to apply his creative talents and historical knowledge to further our museum, our historical authenticity, and more importantly, our mission to continue to tell the stories of our greatest generation. Troy is constantly researching new material, travelling to historic locations, and implementing new ideas for our organization.