" IT FELT LIKE A THREE-YEAR INTERVIEW PROCESS, " BOWE SAID. " BUT ONE DAY TONY SURPRISED ME BY SAYING, 'YOU AND YOUR WIFE DESERVE TO BE THE NEXT OWNERS.' " Curt Brown (top), a former NASA astronaut, is drawn to the Howard 500 by the challenge that the aesthetically appealing and mechanically complex airplane provides. Tony Phillipi (above) says owning the Howard 500s and taking them around North America and Europe has provided friendships and experiences he couldn't have imagined when he bought the rare airplanes. Instructor Brian Van Wagnen and Brown trade seats on each flight leg, so each is in the left seat half the time. The massive brakes are notoriously grabby. AOPA PILOT / May 2023 53