Pilot: WWII plane Harrison Ford crashed essentially 'new'

RUBIDOUX, Calif. (KABC) -- Flabob Airport is not a bustling place and, in many ways, it's more like a flying museum.

But Harrison Ford sure knew all about Flabob. People say he flew in and out of the place every couple of months.

"He's a wonderful guy. He's a really down-to-earth guy. He's a great pilot," pilot Jon Goldenbaum said.

Goldenbaum is very familiar with the 1942 vintage, WWII plane that Ford was flying.

"When people hear Harrison Ford was flying a plane that was 1942 vintage, they think, 'Oh my god, that's got to be a piece of junk,'" Goldenbaum said. "To be legal to fly, they have to be completely rebuilt to new standards, so Harrison was essentially flying a new airplane."

All vintage planes are required to be inspected every year, Goldenbaum said.

He added the plane Ford was flying was originally designed as a trainer, noting it's a gentle, but challenging plane to fly.

"Well you don't want a trainer to be so simple that you don't learn anything. It's very much like if I were going to teach someone how to drive, I would love to teach them in a standard transmission car rather than an auto transmission car," Goldenbaum said.

As for his assessment of Ford's piloting skills?

"It looked to me like he did an exceptional job, so I'm going to give him a full score of being a really good pilot," Goldenbaum said.