2021 Warbirds of America Hall of Fame Inductees – Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman
Carl Scholl and Tony Ritzman were both born in the 1940s and bitten by the aviation bug in their early 30s. Carl came across a derelict B-25 parked at the Ramona Airport in California. Fascinated, he wandered into the FBO and found the owner. Before long, Carl was the proud owner of N3155G — even though he had never flown an aircraft before.
Tony’s introduction to aviation came when he visited Carl at his transmission shop and saw him working on a B-25 rudder assembly. Tony was intrigued by the project and offered to buy into it, thus forming their ongoing business venture, Aero Trader. Carl and Tony sought out parts and other airframes to support the restoration. They earned their pilot certificates, and by 1982, they were both type rated in the B-25. A long succession of B-25s began the restoration process under Carl and Tony’s care. In 1985, they moved Aero Trader’s operations to Chino, California.
Today, Aero Trader is recognized as one of the top warbird restoration operations in the world. Carl and Tony’s vision and dedication to the preservation of the B-25 and other warbirds is legendary. There are very few airworthy B-25s in the warbird community that have not been under the care of Carl and Tony — including EAA’s own Berlin Express.