Beyond the Clouds: the Inspiring Story of Aviator Julie Clark's Sky-High Journey
By James H. Sterling
While Clark built a demanding career on airline flight decks, her passion belonged to aerobatic flight. In 1977, she bought a retired military trainer: a 1953 Beechcraft T-34A Mentor, purchased sight-unseen through a military surplus auction for $18,000. Clark stripped the aircraft down to bare metal herself, polished the aluminum fuselage, and named the plane "Free Spirit."
Clark later expanded her aerobatic repertoire by flying a burly North American T-28 Trojan. The two airframes could not have been more distinct:
- Beechcraft T-34 Mentor: Lightweight (roughly 2,900 lbs gross weight), powered by a Continental piston engine, demanding smooth energy conservation, graceful loops, and lyrical Cuban eights.
- North American T-28 Trojan: A heavy warbird (exceeding 8,000 lbs), powered by a 1,425-horsepower Wright R-1820 radial engine, requiring aggressive torque correction, heavy stick forces, and precise rudder authority.
Clark adapted to both. Her T-28 Trojan routine combined deep radial engine growls with tight formation passes and vertical climbs. In the T-34, she pioneered evening airshow displays, attaching custom pyrotechnic racks to her wingtips. She flew sweeping cloverleafs, barrel rolls, and inverted passes against dusk skies, choreographing every maneuver to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."
James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.
