I met Richard Petty once in June of 2003 in Amarillo, TX. He flew in (not sure he was flying or not) in a Westwind with the last two letters of the N number being PR for Petty Racing. He walked into the FBO in his straw cowboy hat and boots with the signature mustache and drawled out in Southern talk "How ya'll doin today". Seemed nice as hell. He walked into the restroom when my student was still in there and like 30 seconds later my student comes out with his eyes wideopen and his mouth dropped and said "Richard Petty is in there"!
I met Chichi Rodriguez from the Senior Pro Golf tournement this summer up in Anoka Co. airport in Minnesota. He had his Jetstar sitting there for the week right next to Arnold Palmers Citation X. Missed Arnold but got a picture with the Citation X and got Chichi's autograph and picture with him right before he boarded his Jetstar. A guy from the control tower came down and wanted like 5 things autographed and Chichi was getting a little annoyed but did them all. He was pretty gracious with me. Pilots said that the Jetstar still hadn't been RVSM certified and they were stuck below FL290 with those 4 turbojets sucking and unbelievable amount of fuel. They told me the LBS per hour and it was alarming but can't remember the amount.
Flew on a Delta airlines flight out of Atlanta back in Feb. of 2003 going to New York. My student said that once he finished his private he would take me somewhere. At the time my student had actually held a Guiness book World Record for the most miles covered flying on an aircraft in one week. In just a week he went from Atlanta, to Japan (he was Japanes and a millionaire) to England, to Philly, to Nashville, to Atlanta, to Hawaii, back to Japan, to the Virgin Islands, and then back to here or something like that. He was a crazy man. He had made alot of money playing the stock market and his parents were involved in the Japanese government. He once got banned from flying on JAL for something. And he used to fly home from college in the U.S. for a day just to do his laundry. Anyway I was on this Delta flight and he got bumped to first class (Delta loved this guy) so he let me use the ticket and sit next to his dad in First class and he sat back in coach. Well the last person to get into the plane was the notorious Puff Daddy, P. Diddy or just Diddy whatever he is now. He noticed everyone staring but just sat down. When he got his salad in midflight he and his honey next to him were sleeping. Well he looked hung over and he about slumped over and fell asleep right in his salad before the flight attendant took it away. I didn't dare snap a photo in first class. But I got him walking away out in the terminal.
My buddy met Ron White in Carbondale, IL. Got a pic with him, Ron was already smokin' a big stogie out on the ramp.
I once drove Mayor Daley of Chicago from the ramp to the FBO after he flew in in a Premier for Paul Simons funeral. They were talkin in the back and I just wanted to ask him what the f he was thinking when he tore apart Meigs. I can't remember now but him and one of his aides (a woman) were talking in the back about something and he cracked a sex joke or made a comment that was overtly sexual. I about choked. Saw Ted Kennedy that day too but only from afar.
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