October 27, 2026

Warbird Bob, the Hangar Cat

A young tabby wandered into a Florida aircraft hangar in 1997 and found his favorite place among the old warplanes.

One day in November 1997, a young tabby cat walked into the American Aero hangar in Florida and began inspecting the place. He checked out the mechanics, wandered among the aircraft, and seemed especially curious about the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, an American heavy bomber famous for its World War II service. The B-17 was in for its annual inspection, and the cat seemed to know his way around it so well that the mechanics joked he might have stowed away on the plane. Nobody knew where he came from, but he apparently liked the hangar enough to stay. So, the mechanics called him the Hangar Cat.

A very thorough inspector

Before long, the Hangar Cat started making regular inspections of every new aircraft that came in. He was a great climber, and the B-17's open maintenance panels were especially inviting.

Sometimes, the mechanics would shine a flashlight into an inspection hatch and be surprised to see a pair of eyes staring back at them. Now and then, a paw would reach out to brush their hand or grab it while they were working.

One time, a mechanic named Jeff was walking under the wing when the cat reached down and pulled his hair. Another time, someone working high up on an engine looked over to find the cat balanced on the small, slippery dome of a propeller. He really seemed to fit right in with the aircraft.

The Hangar Cat became Warbird Bob

One day, the cat came into the hangar crying, with his tail badly injured. The mechanics quickly took him to the vet, but most of his tail had to be amputated. When he came back, he had a new name: Bob.

Over time, the mechanics noticed Bob was really into the warbirds, the historic military aircraft they maintained and restored. He’d check out the civilian planes now and then, but it was the warbirds that really caught his eye. So he became Warbird Bob.

Life in the hangar was pretty wild for Bob, though. Once, he chased squirrels across the road and got hit by a car, breaking both his back legs. Luckily, after vet treatment, he healed up and left with a little limp.

Years passed, and Bob became increasingly protective of his aircraft. He took a particular dislike to one mechanic, whom he reportedly chased around the hangar and up a ladder, hissing and growling from below. It was funny until the staff started to worry that Bob might actually hurt someone who got too close to his planes.

Retirement from the hangar

Bob eventually retired to live with one of the American Aero mechanics. By 2013, he had settled into a new routine. He shared his home with four younger cats, slept on his humans' bed, and lounged in his own chair by the swimming pool. He was still very much the boss, but he had become much friendlier away from the hangar's noise and activity.

For a cat that used to climb through aircraft inspection panels and supervise mechanics, a private lounge chair by the pool was a pretty sweet retirement.

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