Famous pilots
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 813
Likes: 2
From: the hills of halton
famous pilots
Was channel surfing the other night and happened on a Bio of Chris Kristofferson who before he was a succesful singer was a Helicopter pilot in the US army and later for PHI in the gulf . He borrowed an ANG Huey to deliver one of his songs to Johnny Cash !. Are there any other people you know of who drove helicopters before they became famous in other fields?.
Last edited by widgeon; 6th September 2004 at 23:33.
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
Likes: 1,072
From: Downeast
Kristofferson holds a Commercial Helicopter License, Private Airplane Single Engine Land license...does not have a current medical. His license was issued 7 Jul 67. He attained the rank of Captain in the US Army, had received an appointment to teach English at the US Military Academy in West Point, NY. when he resigned from active service. His father was a US Air Force general.
Joined: Sep 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,721
Likes: 636
From: Great South East, tired and retired
Thomas M Cruise flies his own P-51 Mustang, handles the G5 and does OK in a Bell 47 too, though not licensed. But i think he was famous first and flew later, as did John Travolta and John Denver.
The ex-premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bonkers-Bananas, was the oldest licensed helicopter pilot in Australia.
The ex-premier of Queensland, Sir Joh Bonkers-Bananas, was the oldest licensed helicopter pilot in Australia.
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2000
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 14,479
Likes: 178
From: UK
Met Mr Cruise a few years ago when he was transiting through BDN (Nicole Kidman was making a film down the road and he'd dropped in on the wife and kids!). Short and scruffy, but a nice chap - had flown himself in a Gulfstream.
Another interesting plank pilot, Sir Ian McNair-Wilson - former MP for Southampton used to fly his Shadow from Bournemouth for French cheap wine, and back again, loaded up. A friend of mine challenged him on the safety of this and got the response "look, I'm a Tory MP in a government with a majority of one - they won't leave me out there".
G
Another interesting plank pilot, Sir Ian McNair-Wilson - former MP for Southampton used to fly his Shadow from Bournemouth for French cheap wine, and back again, loaded up. A friend of mine challenged him on the safety of this and got the response "look, I'm a Tory MP in a government with a majority of one - they won't leave me out there".
G
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 730
Likes: 0
From: Australia
I Bumped into ex world motorcycle champ Mick Doohan the other week, well saw him anyway i was refuelling at Sydney when he flew in in his Black B3...very swanky machine.
Hes only quite small in real life isnt he!..he gave a quick wave and then proceeded to hobble away to catch a car into the city.
Greg Norman the golfer fly's as well i think
Hes only quite small in real life isnt he!..he gave a quick wave and then proceeded to hobble away to catch a car into the city.
Greg Norman the golfer fly's as well i think
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 416
Likes: 0
From: West Wales and Zug, Switzerland
John Travolta was flying planks before becoming famous. Mick Doohan was introduced to helicopters by the late Barry Sheene.
The actor that played Wolf in Star Trek is also a plank pilot.
In UK the superbike rider John Reynolds was learning to fly helicopters as did the late Steve Hislop. Talking of ex DJ,s, TV people in UK as well as Noel Edmunds there is also Mike Smith(yes I know his user name)
The actor that played Wolf in Star Trek is also a plank pilot.
In UK the superbike rider John Reynolds was learning to fly helicopters as did the late Steve Hislop. Talking of ex DJ,s, TV people in UK as well as Noel Edmunds there is also Mike Smith(yes I know his user name)
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 402
Likes: 0
From: Omnipresent
Don't forget former World Rally Champion Colin McRae. He had an EC120 and currently runs a 350B2. His younger bro Alistair flies it too. Former Irish tarmac rally champ Bertie Fisher had another 350B but was sadly killed. Stephen Finlay who drove in Irish and British rally champs used to own a 350B3 but recently swapped it for a 355N. Pretty sure theres many others.
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 413
Likes: 1
From: 1500' AMSL
To Heliport,
Yes, Snoopy was a fixed wing pilot, but he did at least one tour in Nam, on a Huey..... and believe me, his beaggle ears were flapping like mad when following the Mekong river curves.
( I'll try to find this comic edition as soon as I'll be back to civlisation)
Yes, Snoopy was a fixed wing pilot, but he did at least one tour in Nam, on a Huey..... and believe me, his beaggle ears were flapping like mad when following the Mekong river curves.
( I'll try to find this comic edition as soon as I'll be back to civlisation)
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Hampshire, UK
Yep, G-SHZZ from 1992 > 1995 via an outfit called Corporate Enterprises Ltd. with a PO Box address in St Helier, Jersey.
Follow a previous thread here...... http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=142568
Other famous pilots include alledged robbers (not going to name any), alledged fraudsters (not going to name any again!), Lords (Exton, Cayzer, Hesketh), Marquises? (Milford Haven), sportsmen (Matthew Pinsent, both junior McRae's, the late great Barry Sheene), Bankers (yes, Bankers), TV Celeb's (Grant Bovey! [G-REAL], Mike Smith, Noel Edmonds, Dr Fox), Businessmen (John Caudwell - MD of Phones4You etc.)
If you dig deep enough, you'll find all manner of links & contacts, interesting enough for a hobby perhaps?
Follow a previous thread here...... http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=142568
Other famous pilots include alledged robbers (not going to name any), alledged fraudsters (not going to name any again!), Lords (Exton, Cayzer, Hesketh), Marquises? (Milford Haven), sportsmen (Matthew Pinsent, both junior McRae's, the late great Barry Sheene), Bankers (yes, Bankers), TV Celeb's (Grant Bovey! [G-REAL], Mike Smith, Noel Edmonds, Dr Fox), Businessmen (John Caudwell - MD of Phones4You etc.)
If you dig deep enough, you'll find all manner of links & contacts, interesting enough for a hobby perhaps?
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Also Jonathon Palmer, and all the various HRH's.
There was also a notable Lord, who was trained by my helicopter instructor. After gaining his licence, the Lord used to ask the helicopter instructor to fly the helicopter for him when he was unable/incapable for one reason or another (The butler did his pre-flights!).
One one particular weekend, the Lord asked my instructor to fly his helicopter down to the Channel Islands. My instructor was going to do it, but was thankfully prevented by his wife who had other plans for the weekend.
I say "thankfully" because the Lord had to take the helicopter himself, and awaiting his arrival were the police who promptly arrested him for the drugs which were hidden in the helicopter.
Made my instructor shudder for some time afterwards to think how close he had come, quite innocently, to potentially ending up in the clink, as happened to the Lord!
(I shall refrain from mentioning any names as it saves me having to go back and put "allegedly" in all over the place.)
There was also a notable Lord, who was trained by my helicopter instructor. After gaining his licence, the Lord used to ask the helicopter instructor to fly the helicopter for him when he was unable/incapable for one reason or another (The butler did his pre-flights!).
One one particular weekend, the Lord asked my instructor to fly his helicopter down to the Channel Islands. My instructor was going to do it, but was thankfully prevented by his wife who had other plans for the weekend.
I say "thankfully" because the Lord had to take the helicopter himself, and awaiting his arrival were the police who promptly arrested him for the drugs which were hidden in the helicopter.
Made my instructor shudder for some time afterwards to think how close he had come, quite innocently, to potentially ending up in the clink, as happened to the Lord!
(I shall refrain from mentioning any names as it saves me having to go back and put "allegedly" in all over the place.)