Flying famous people

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

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Dave Taylor
As an offshoot to the 'famous pilot' thread, I thought to myself, maybe we should have this one too.
Probably not cool, if your current gig is flying stars around but worth a try...
I sort of thought of this today, when I saw this dude on the news; I flew him around.

Or maybe I should have entitled it Infamous people. (so glad they caught the *******)
 
I've had Ted and Bryan(at separate times) in my plane, does that count?
 
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He's not famous (well, maybe he was in the local neighborhood for a while) but one of our former employees died in a shootout with police in an upscale Napa neighborhood. I've flown him around a few times. One of the geekyest, mild mannered guy you would ever meet. You just never know.

Some of our people said they weren't surprised, but I never had a problem with him myself.
 
I was surprised how many people I flew ended up in the news for various troubles.


Or maybe not so surprised...
 
If I take my senior high school yearbook along in my plane, I can say that I have flown Beyonce.
 
I retrieved Ron Levy (formerly CapnRon) from Lancaster when was dropping his Cheetah off for radio work.
I flew left seat with (AVWEB) Paul Bertorelli from Oshkosh back to Manassas in 1992.
I was very close to having to transport Jerrie Mock back to Florida after a Smithsonian event, but a pilot who lived in Florida said he was going that way and took her.
 
You got me thinkin'... I spent a modest amount of time in air taxi, but still flew Paul Tibbets when I actually worked for him, Billy Graham to the Mayo Clinic, Warren Buffett from New York to Omaha, George Steinbrenner, Mickey Mantle and Catfish Hunter to Tampa one night from Buffalo, Dave Bing when I was a corporate pilot... Miss Ohio, if that counts.
 
I flew Wayne Night (Newman in Seinfeld) and crew around Denali National Park so they could film some travel show. He was a real pain in the ....

I also flew Wolford Brimmley to a location in southwest Alaska. He was going there to fish and film an advertisement for his friends fishing lodge. Really nice guy. He was the same in person as you see him on the screen. Very friendly and patiently answered every question that he was asked. I asked him if he really was a bodyguard for Howard Hughes, and all he said was, ''He was a nice guy''.

I once worked for George Bush. The used car salesman, not the former head of the CIA, former vice-president and former president and member of the Caterpillar Club.

I also went to school with Jack Ruby. The fierce high school football linebacker, not the shooter of Lee Harvey Oswald.
 
Some not so famous politicians, GOs, reporters, etc.
President Hamid Karzai
Senator / COL- Lindsey Graham
Senators - Orrin Hatch & Saxby Chambliss
Chairman Joint Chiefs - Richard Myers
Gen Stanley McChrystal
Gen David Petreaus
Adm William McCraven
Geraldo Rivera (Fox News)
Lara Logan (60 Minutes)
Barbara Starr (CNN)
Billy Blanks (Taebo)
Washington Redskin Cheerleaders
Jill Biden (not in my aircraft but in the flight)
 
I've flown General McChrystal as well...outstanding man.

A few politicians, a few TV personalities...that's about it.
 
Velocity173 said:
Geraldo Rivera (Fox News)
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Geraldo lived in the apartment building I grew up in when I was a kid. I probably met him in the elevator but don’t remember it, he moved out when I was still pretty little.

Mom would tell the story of when he got punched in the face on his show, and remembers him having a black eye or something.
 
Hehe, I flew the energy guy right after Enron to senate hearings... VERY quiet and demure... Didn’t go well for him as I recall.

Got called to fly (was on reserve) a 757 to Buffalo and back one Monday night... what ev.

sign in, not a 75, but a 76... hmmm...

met by a guy in civies, “you mike the copilot?”

uh, ya, why? Am I late? “No, I’m the coordinator”.

Ooooooooh... 9000 series callsign, a BIG plane, Monday night, football season... I’m a little slow, it’s a charter. So I ask who we are flying. “Falcons”, was the answer,

Hmmm, me says, why are we bringing them to Atlanta? “The ATLANTA Falcons” he says...

Ooooooh... are they one of those new expansion teams?!!!! I had no idea. He was NOT amused.

Turns out I think they’re famous.

Tools
 
Ted said:
Geraldo lived in the apartment building I grew up in when I was a kid. I probably met him in the elevator but don’t remember it, he moved out when I was still pretty little.

Mom would tell the story of when he got punched in the face on his show, and remembers him having a black eye or something.
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When I flew him in Iraq he wasn’t liked by too many there. He was coming off his big OpSec scandal where he was supposedly kicked out of country for revealing an up coming operation. While getting ready to load up, my crew chief told him to take off the cowboy hat he was wearing. He wasn’t too pleased about that and got into a bit of an argument. When he finally got in he didn’t even put on a headset so I could talk to him. But when we got to Baghdad he told us it was the best helo ride he’d ever been on.:rolleyes: Oh well.
 
Velocity173 said:
When I flew him in Iraq he wasn’t liked by too many there. He was coming off his big OpSec scandal where he was supposedly kicked out of country for revealing an up coming operation. While getting ready to load up, my crew chief told him to take off the cowboy hat he was wearing. He wasn’t too pleased about that and got into a bit of an argument. When he finally got in he didn’t even put on a headset so I could talk to him. But when we got to Baghdad he told us it was the best helo ride he’d ever been on.:rolleyes: Oh well.
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As I recall, he wasn't too well-liked as a neighbor in the apartment building either, and people were glad when he moved out.
 
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Ted said:
Geraldo lived in the apartment building I grew up in when I was a kid. I probably met him in the elevator but don’t remember it, he moved out when I was still pretty little.

Mom would tell the story of when he got punched in the face on his show, and remembers him having a black eye or something.
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When I was young (in about 1970) he was a new reporter on the local NYC news station. I think he was one of the first to make the news more about himself than the actual subject.
 
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Everskyward said:
When I was young (in about 1970) he was a new reporter on the local NYC news station. I think he was one of the first to make the news more about himself than the actual subject.
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As I recall that underscores what people didn’t like about him in the building. The residents were all pretty low key, so the guy for whom it was all about him didn’t fit in very well or was appreciated.
 
Ted said:
As I recall that underscores what people didn’t like about him in the building. The residents were all pretty low key, so the guy for whom it was all about him didn’t fit in very well or was appreciated.
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I never flew Geraldo, but most (not all) of the famous people I flew were more low key than their public personas. Their hangers-on and personal assistants, not so much.
 
Ted said:
Geraldo lived in the apartment building I grew up in when I was a kid. I probably met him in the elevator but don’t remember it, he moved out when I was still pretty little.

Mom would tell the story of when he got punched in the face on his show, and remembers him having a black eye or something.
Click to expand...

That punch basically started the talk show fights. After that happened to him the floodgates opened.
 
BrianNC said:
That punch basically started the talk show fights. After that happened to him the floodgates opened.
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Yes, I remember that he was the first. I don't think that gained him any favor with the other residents in the building either.
 
One of our guys flew "Lil Thug" and his hangers-on on a charter flight. Whoever that is.
 
The former and late Governor of Alaska, Jay Hammond.

Three SecDefs (Donald Rumsfeld, William Cohen, Robert Gates).

Bill Clinton (handshake felt like a dead fish)

George H.W. Bush, when he was Vice President.

Oh yeah, Al Gore. That was forgettable.

Sorry, these are all people who are famous, but only because they held some kind of public office

But on the other hand...

The entire Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team! (they smelled much better!)

America (the band).

Bruce Willis.

Probably a few other forgettable famous people.
 
I flew some politicians in MN...including the ONE who actually could fly on credit, and one who had his interns pull out their personal credit cards to pay for the trip.
 
There was times when flying cancelled checks I had Col. Sanders and Mr. Pibb on board....
 
I did not fly them but more importantly had to make crew selections and mission brief flying the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in the AOR with their couple of strap hangers and USO personnel in Bosnia...a full 2 and a half days with RON in Sarajevo and Budapest... this was a three ship UH-60 mission ( Two with pax and a spare ) and a couple of Guns while in theater. They did some 15 shows in two days and I cannot tell you more how professional and impressive these young women were...my problem was crew selection...I decided that single unmarried Warrant officers and senior married Warrant that could show me a picture of their grandchildren would make for the best crew selection...under know circumstances was a married pilot with kids was in on this deal...I had enough issues with the early days of social media and issues that might arise...it all went well and I can tell you that to this day I am a fan of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders...could give a crap about the football team...irony of it all my Warrior is painted in Dallas Cowboys colors from the grey and blue...makes me smile..
 
I flew the Cowboys Cheerleader three times over separate tours. Two of those missions had RONs.

Man, do I have some stories of stuff that happened on those flights. Buy me a drinky and I'll tell them...
 
IK04 said:
The former and late Governor of Alaska, Jay Hammond.

Three SecDefs (Donald Rumsfeld, William Cohen, Robert Gates).

Bill Clinton (handshake felt like a dead fish)

George H.W. Bush, when he was Vice President.

Oh yeah, Al Gore. That was forgettable.

Sorry, these are all people who are famous, but only because they held some kind of public office

But on the other hand...

The entire Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team! (they smelled much better!)

America (the band).

Bruce Willis.

Probably a few other forgettable famous people.
Click to expand...

I can attest to the Bill Clinton handshake. Shook his hand maybe twice and I remember it being quite weak. Never flew him but gave a PAR to him and Hilary on AF1...horrible handoff from approach.
 
Velocity173 said:
I can attest to the Bill Clinton handshake. Shook his hand maybe twice and I remember it being quite weak. Never flew him but gave a PAR to him and Hilary on AF1...horrible handoff from approach.
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Never met the man, but I imagine that when you are forced to shake many hands you learn to touch but not squeeze. Squeezing leads to reciprocal squeezing which likely leads to hand pain.
 
Flew Joe Biden, John Edwards and Michele Obama separately during the 2008 Iowa caucus race. Joe and I chatted casually alone for about 5 minutes about totally mundane things (no politics). John looked at me but didn't see me. Michele was exhausted and surrounded by twittering young women giving her briefing points. Also flew Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, if he is famous.
 
Arnold said:
Never met the man, but I imagine that when you are forced to shake many hands you learn to touch but not squeeze. Squeezing leads to reciprocal squeezing which likely leads to hand pain.
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When I was a kid, I went to a private school with about 300 students. One of the policies (I thought was a good one, albeit not appropriate in Covid times) was that you had to shake hands and say “Good morning” to one of the admins. Sometimes the principal, sometimes someone else. Basically trying to instill a good handshake, proper greeting and looking people in the eye.

Whoever stood at that door was shaking hands with 300 people that morning. And they always had good handshakes. Some people just never learn that.
 
Arnold said:
Never met the man, but I imagine that when you are forced to shake many hands you learn to touch but not squeeze. Squeezing leads to reciprocal squeezing which likely leads to hand pain.
Click to expand...

Yeah I’m not saying he lacked fortitude or was disingenuous it just struck me as not being firm.
 
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Russell Brand and Dom Irrera on the same flight. That was entertaining.

Donald Rumsfeld. He was surprisingly nice, considering.

Vince Gill and Amy Grant/Gill. Really nice people

James Taylor. Always late, always tipped.

Bill Cosby

Yo Yo Ma. Very nice, had a smokeshow for a daughter.

Probably others, can remember right now.
 
In1980, while the Iran hostage crisis was unfolding, I was part of a 2 helo detachment aboard a Navy AFS doing underway-replenishment for Navy ships in the Indian Ocean. We got special tasking to fly into Muscat, Oman and pick up an unnamed VIP.

The ship cruised into the gulf of Oman during the night. And we took off at first light. We had to fly straight-line from several miles off shore, direct to a specific taxiway at the airport, out of sight from the main terminal.

as we landed, a couple of long black limmos pulled up, and out popped the stout little man in plain kahkis with no rank or insignia. He quick-walked to the helo, grabbed the float coat and cranial out of my hand and hopped up the crew door steps, and strapped into a troop seat like it was old hat. He gave me a thumbs up and yelled, “let’s get outta here!”

The little guy in kahkis turned out to be (then) senator John Tower. He’d been out on some kind of fact-finding tour when the hostages were taken. And, he’d been quietly moved to safety by allies.

We flew hi. To the carrier as soon as we were in range. I’m assuming they got him to Diego Garcia for a flight home from there.
 
Closest I came was a local reporter. I can't even remember her name.

Some time before it officially opened, there was a GA fly-in at KDEN. Mostly for fun, it was also an opportunity for ATC training. We arrived at our FBO to pick up our rental and fly there. A pilot was going to fly the reporter as part of the story but the pilot was a no-show. So I was asked if I would take her.
 
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