Famous pilots you have met.......I'll start out...

Chuck Yeager, Patty Wagstaff, Robin Olds, Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, Bill Anders, Gordo Cooper, Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Wally Schirra, Bob Hoover, Al Worden, Joel Paris III, Lee Lauderback, Bud Anderson, Buzz Aldrin, Gabby Gabreski, Paul Tibbets, Gene Cernan, Dick Gordon, Robert L. Scott, Scott Crossfield, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Joe Engle, Max Trescott, Rod Machado, Dick Truly, Pappy Boyington, Gunther Rall, Bryan Turner
 
I struggle to even come up with famous pilots... I guess I recognized 6 names in the list above.
 
None. I define famous as a 50% chance a person on the street would know their name.

Ain't no one on the street recognizing any of these names - except maybe Yeager and the 1 or 2 of the Apollo guys. Maybe famous within the pilot community - but not even close to famous for general audiences would be a better question if these are the names we are coming up with. Hell, I fly and haven't heard of half these fools.
 
EdFred said:
Ain't no one on the street recognizing any of these names - except maybe Yeager and the 1 or 2 of the Apollo guys. Maybe famous within the pilot community - but not even close to famous for general audiences would be a better question if these are the names we are coming up with. Hell, I fly and haven't heard of half these fools.
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Well I guess you wouldn't score well on your Aviation History exam.
 
Bob Hoover, Patty Wagstaff, Rod Machado, Dick Scobee (Shuttle Challenger).

That's all I can think of now but because my dad worked on the shuttle and many other space projects, I met many astronauts and test pilots. Even had lunch with Dick Scobee not long before that tragic flight. Now I fly out of a field named after him.

Pappy Boyington was my sister-in-law's grandpa.
 
I could take a stab at the list of PoAers I’ve met but I’m afraid I’d miss someone. Gotta be at least 30. I’d be honored to get thrown in jail for doing the ‘flaming bag of dog poop ring and run’ with just about any of them.
 
I think it's up to 34 names now, I'm familiar with 31 of them. Never met any of them unless an autograph counts...
 
I’ve met some that are legends in their own mind. But ‘famous’, no. I’ve been in the same room when some famous ones were there, and clapped when they were done speaking, but ‘met’, no.
 
In 1971 I was a green-as-grass, 19-year-old flight instructor at an FBO at Long Beach CA. Our eclectic (if not elegant) fleet included a couple of then-new American AA-1 Yankees.

A distinguished-looking gentleman came into the FBO and asked for a demo ride in one of the Yankees. We took off in N6190L, but not before he pulled on a pair of leather flying gloves. He skillfully wheeled the airplane around the sky over the harbor, obviously enjoying the Yankee’s slick handling. After we landed and the customer left, the chief pilot ambled up and asked if I knew who that was. I didn’t. He said, “Col. Glenn Eagleston is a fighter ace with 18-1/2 kills in WW-2 and Korea, and now he’s in your logbook under ‘instruction given’!”
 
Of the names listed so far, I can say I have been in close proximity to three, and shaken the hand of one (Bill Anders, commencement speaker when I got my masters degree). None would say they ever met me.

My very first light airplane ride, when I was 10 I think, was with this guy, a Tuskegee airman. Had no clue of the significance at the time.

About 15 years ago I was at an all day meeting and Buzz Aldrin was the special guest and keynote speaker. 50-75 people there as I recall. He sat at the next banquet table over. After lunch the guy running the meeting stood up to say "unfortunately Buzz can't stay all day; he has to catch a flight. Is there anybody here who can run him to the airport?" My heart sank. No way I could volunteer to take Buzz Aldrin in my 97 Nissan Altima with oxidized paint and faded upholstery, 2 car seats in the back, and Cheerios in the seats and Happy Meal toys rattling around the floor. Moral of the story...don't have kids if you want to meet famous people.
 
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John Glenn. I rented an airplane at KBAF in a visit to my old area. When I returned, there was a group surrounding this couple. Folks offering to carry their bags. They were declining; they could carry their own. I didn't know what the fuss was about until someone said something about "the Right Stuff." "Holy crap! That's John Glenn!" I have a photo of he and I standing together along side his Baron.
 
“Are Friends electric“ Gary Numan (Webb)8F560C07-D4C3-4C8B-8C42-C36A30E1609B.jpeg
 
I flew Frank Borman several times back in the 80's and 90's. He would fly into KDAL in his MU-2 or T6 and get on our Falcon 20 and go out to Atlanta for Home Depot's board meeting with one of our bosses. He was always nice and sometimes came up front to talk with us for a few minutes.
 
Smokey Yunick.

https://www.news-journalonline.com/article/LK/20110509/News/605069881/DN

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(he also flew helicopters)
 
Bob Hoover, Scott Cossfield, Eddie Andreini, Patti Wagstaff, Vance Breese, John and Martha King, Vicky Benzing, John Collver, Spencer Suderman, Dan Buchanan, Marcus Paine, Stanly Hiller, Martin Hollmann, Ken Brock and Harrison Ford.
 
Vance Breese said:
Bob Hoover, Scott Cossfield, Eddie Andreini, Patti Wagstaff, Vance Breese, John and Martha King, Vicky Benzing, John Collver, Spencer Suderman, Dan Buchanan, Marcus Paine, Stanly Hiller, Martin Hollmann, Ken Brock and Harrison Ford.
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I like the nonchalant way you slipped your dad in there.:D
 
Sat at a table next to Harrison Ford in a restaurant...that's all so far, still very new to aviation though!

I saw Harrison Ford after he participated in this runway incursion prevention video....

....and before he proceeded to have multiple runway incursions himself...
 
I occasionally skied with Robin Olds at Steamboat and usually had a few drinks with him afterwards.

Met a few other “famous” aviators but Robin was the one who was the only one I got to know well. R.I.P.

Cheers
 
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