Texas T-Cart

The Kid from CottonPatch launched his aerobatic career by executing his first barrel roll at 5,000 feet -- with his eyes closed! Just a few years later, Randy won the very first contest he flew in the Texas T-Cart. He's the star of the show, a well-known aerobatic performer who now has a number of regional, national and international titles to his credit. They include:

2000 Sporty's Formula One National Aerobatics Champion
1999 Sporty's Formula One National Aerobatics Champion
1988 International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Intermediate U.S. National Champion
1987 IAC Intermediate Texas State Champion
1986 IAC Intermediate International Champion
1986 and 1987 IAC Lone Star Regional Champion

The Texas T-Cart driver earned his private pilot's license during the two years he spent stationed in England as a medic in the U.S. Air Force. During that time, he began skydiving as well, and made 24 parachute jumps. Randy later began his professional career flying DC-3 freighter planes with only 380 hours of flight time under his belt. In just three years, he logged 3,000 hours in the air -- and survived thirteen engine failures as he worked his way up to Captain. Since January 1979, Randy has been a pilot for Southwest Airlines. He became their youngest Boeing 737 Captain ever when he upgraded less than three years later. But our National Champion's favorite pastime is flying good ol' grassroots aerobatics in his homebuilt Texas T-Cart!

Randy’s wife Di, is the Texas T-Cart Crew Chief (interpret that as go-fer). But her more famous role is as the multilingual lady announcer for Texas T-Cart Airshows. During the past fifteen years, Di Henderson’s commentary has entertained audiences from Albuquerque to Victoria, including those attending Sun ‘N’ Fun and Oshkosh.

She is also actively involved in industry leadership, and has just completed her sixth year serving in various positions on the Board of Directors of the Central Region Council of Air Shows (CRCAS), a subdivision of the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS). Di has also won a few titles of her own. She was the first runner-up in the 1989 Mrs. Experimental Aircraft Association Beauty Pageant, and was also selected as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America for 1991.

The Texas T-Cart is a highly modified, clipped-wing Taylorcraft BC12-D, and first rolled off the assembly line in 1946. Randy spent two years modifying this homebuilt taildragger in his hangar at Cottonpatch Aerodrome in Frisco, Texas. 

The wings of the Texas T-Cart have been clipped eight feet for a total wingspan of twenty-eight feet, and the engine is a 180 horsepower Lycoming. It also has both an inverted fuel system especially designed for aerobatics and a smoke oil system that Randy uses during all of his air show performances.

Texas T-Cart Airshows offers competition style aerobatic demonstrations and truly exciting "Texas Style" air show performances.  During our crowd-pleasing shows, the Kid from CottonPatch performs three truly unique maneuvers at air show center: The Texas Two-Step, the Texas Turn, and the Texas Touchdown.

The Texas Two-Step is a fishtail hammerhead that makes the T-Cart's tail swing from side to side as it "dances in the sky." The Texas Turn is an original maneuver.  Randy turns his airplane 360 degrees without banking the wings, and he is the only pilot on the air show circuit who knows its secret. After his flight, the championship pilot comes down from the sky with his Texas Touchdown - an exciting one-wheeled landing - as the Texas T-Cart blows clouds of smoke down the runway.

The "Texas Style" air show ends with a song, as Randy honks the Texas T-Cart's horn, gets out of the airplane, and kisses the ground.

Texas T-Carts  website