Greensburg-area residents who saw a small plane flying in circles and leaving a smoke trail in its wake Sunday afternoon weren’t witnessing a pilot in distress, a skywriter or an out-of-season crop duster.

Pilot David Kahley, who has been flying small planes for more than 40 years, said he made the hourlong flight with a passenger from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity for pure enjoyment of his hobby.

“We were simply ringing in the new year with practice for the airplane,” the Greensburg man said. “It was just fun being had.”

He noted the two-seater T-6G World War II training plane, originally built for the Army Air Corps in 1942, was reconstructed in the 1970s and recently was refurbished with a new engine. It is painted blue with Navy markings.

“There are only about 300 that are actively flying,” Kahley said.

Kahley has displayed the plane at past editions of the Westmoreland County Airshow and has offered private rides in the back seat. He missed last year’s show because of the engine work but plans to return with it for this year’s show, scheduled for May 25-26.

He has flown in formation with owners of similar vintage aircraft at events in other states, under the auspices of the Commemorative Air Force and the North American Trainers Association.

Kahley heads The Progress Fund, a Greensburg-based nonprofit that lends money for community development and job creation. He said he was aware his aerobatic maneuvers — tracing large circles of smoke in the sky — would grab the attention of many on the ground and noted they generated phone calls from acquaintances who appreciated the impromptu show.

But some other residents, caught off-guard by the spectacle and the loud noise of the plane’s engine, took to social media to express concern about the flight.

Susan Hoover, who lives on a hill overlooking Greensburg’s Lynch Field, went a step further. She reported her concerns about the plane to city and state police and then checked with LJ Aviation, a company that charters business flights at the Unity airport and informed her that Sunday’s flight was a practice aerobatics run.

“He didn’t just fly over a few times — it went on for a while, which is why we began to notice,” Hoover said in an email to the Tribune-Review. “In today’s climate, the way he was flying and releasing the smoke trail was unnerving.

“There was a day when such a spectacle would maybe have been enjoyed by those of us on the ground, but sadly that day is past. The next time he wants to fly for fun he should do it in a less populated area, and not on a Sunday afternoon.”

On one hand, Kahley said, “It’s great that people worry about airplanes (they think are having trouble) and report it.”

On the other, he expressed hope that flights like his will cause fascination rather than anxiety, inspiring more people to train to become pilots.

Kahley said he flew over Greensburg for about 15 minutes and spent the rest of his flight over less-populated areas. He said he informed staff in the airport’s tower about the nature of his flight and maintained an altitude of roughly 2,000 feet, double the minimum required by regulations.

Kahley said the paraffin-based oil he used generates a harmless smoke trail that is standard for air show performances and is “pure white, like a thin cloud.”

Several observers on the ground described the smoke as black or brown, and said it left behind a brown or yellow mist.

Kahley suggested the smoke may have appeared discolored because of the late afternoon timing of his flight. “The angle of the sun would do that,” he said.

The plane’s flight makes an impression on ears as well as eyes because “the propeller tips are speeding around faster than the speed of sound the whole time,” he explained. “It gives it a deep-throated roar.”

“It’s a privilege to be able to own and show this historic plane.” Kahley said. “We’re commemorating the past but also trying to introduce young people to aviation. We want more people to become pilots.”

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.

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