[Frank G. Tallman oral history interview]

Stunt pilot and aviation historian Frank G. Tallman is interviewed about his collection of vintage aircraft and his work with Tallmantz Aviation. He describes his experiences restoring and flying historic warbirds and discusses the characteristics of various aircraft. Topics discussed include the capabilities of World War I-era aircraft, his thoughts on specific vintage airplanes, and his restoration efforts.

The interview is conducted by fighter ace Eugene A. Valencia.

Born in 1919, Frank G. Tallman III was the son of a World War I pilot and developed an interest in aviation at a young age. He joined the United States Navy during World War II and served as a flight instructor, transport pilot, and dive bomber pilot. After the war, Tallman began collecting vintage military aircraft and, whenever possible, restoring them to flying condition. In the 1950s, he founded Tallman Aviation to rent out his historic airplane collection and his stunt pilot expertise to interested parties. In 1961, Tallman and Hollywood stunt pilot Paul Mantz merged their operations to create Tallmantz Aviation, which was involved in a number of film and television productions. In 1965, the company suffered several setbacks—first with the death of Mantz, killed in an airplane crash while filming The Flight of the Phoenix, then with Tallman losing one of his legs to an infected injury. After the amputation of his leg, Tallman re-learned to fly using a prosthetic and continued his stunt pilot and production work with Tallmantz. In 1978, Tallman was killed when his Piper Aztec crashed in the Santa Ana Mountains (California) due to inclement weather.