Kermit's Blog

Change yourself . . . and you change the World!

Category Archives: Notable Friends and Visitors

A Famous Author Visits . . . and a Possible Movie Opportunity!

Famous author, Richard Bach, came by for a visit and checked out our Travelair 4000.  Richard is most famous for his classic Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which is about a seagull that transcends the perceived limitations of his species while trying to get them to go beyond themselves.  He also wrote many other classic books revolved around aviation and is a legend in the aviation and writing community.

Richard and my Travelair 4000

I first met Richard about six years ago when he came to visit Fantasy of Flight during the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In.  He has become a great friend, as we both enjoy aviation and using it to get people to look within themselves and self-discover the potential that lies within.

Probably the other most famous book Richard wrote was Illusions, the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. It’s a great story about a barnstormer giving rides during a season in the mid-west that happens to bump into another barnstormer and the adventures of self-discovery that follow.  Famous film director, Zack Snyder, has told Richard he intends to do a movie-version of the story as soon as he finishes filming Superman II for Warner Brothers.

Guess what airplane the reluctant Messiah flew? . . . a Travelair 4000!  Richard has recommended the use the Fantasy of Flight Travelair for the film!  Now, how cool is that? I  sent a video clip of the Travelair flying to Richard and Zack so we’ll see how all this unfolds!

Kermit

Famous Astronaut visits Fantasy of Flight!

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell recently came by for a visit and tour of Fantasy of Flight.  He was the sixth man to walk on the moon and the Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission.  After successfully landing on the moon and departing, his job was basically done.  On the trip back to Earth he sat in thought as the capsule rotated for cooling purposes from the suns rays.

While looking out the window, he saw the Earth, then the sun Sun, then the Moon . . . every three minutes . . . for three days.  At some point, he had a very transformational and mystical experience which changed his whole perspective of life.  As a direct influence from this experience, he founded the Institute for Noetic Sciences to study human consciousness.

Edgar and myself touring Fantasy of Flight

But there’s somewhat of an interesting twist of synchronicity to our stories.  When Edgar founded IONS in Petaluma, CA, he also found interested people to help support and realize his dream.  As it turns out, and I didn’t know this until several years ago, the chairman of the Board of Directors for IONS for the first twenty years . . . was the lawyer that negotiated my famous geologist grandfather’s oil-royalty in Australia.  It has been my grandfather’s generosity that has allowed me to share my passions and good fortune with others.  Small world!

Edgar is also well known for his outspoken views on UFO’s and getting the government to disclose what they “really know” about them and alien life forms.  While giving Edgar a tour through my offices, I couldn’t help but take a picture in front of one the doors where the bathrooms are located, of which there are four.  One is for Ladies, one for Gentlemen, one for Angels, and one for Aliens.  In my world, you just never know who might stop by!

While the door is definitely an inter-dimensional portal to other realities . . . it also serves as a storage closet for Earthly maintenance products!

Small world?  Hey, maybe it’s a small Universe!

Kermit

Tuskegee Airmen return!

We hosted a symposium again at Fantasy of Flight for Black History month honoring the Tuskegee Airmen.  They were the black pilots that flew for America during WWI and got their name from the field they trained at in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Hanging with my friends after a flight to honor all that they did

Again, I got a chance to fly my P-51C Mustang for them as the attendees looked on.  They talked about their adventures and exploits as well as the hardships they went through due to the racial prejudice and segregation at the time.  I was honored when they inducted me into their organization as an honorary Tuskegee Airman because of be being the first person to paint an airplane in their colors to help promote their cause.  Their signature markings were the red nose and tail.

Helping tell the story!

Several news stations came out to cover the event and I got a chance to sport the red jacket they gave me!

Kermit

Living Legends 2011!

Got a chance to go to the annual Living Legends of Aviation again.

 

Shot taken from my table at the Gala, which is held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA

They always have a pre-party the night before and this year it was in a big hangar at the Van Nuys airport with many of the latest jets on display.  One day!

I got a chance to catch up with an old friend, Cliff Robertson, a famous Oscar winning actor for his role in Charlie.  I first met cliff when he visited my museum in Miami in the late 1980′s.  After showing him around, I took him up in my original WWI Avro 504 with a rotary engine!  He never forgot me!  I later got to spend even more time with him when he became the first Chairman of the EAA Young Eagles Program.

Cliff and I at Pre-Legends Party!

He also starred with our DeHavilland Mosquito in the films Mosquito Squadron and 633 Squadron and used to own a Stearman, a Spitfire, and a Messerschmidt 108!

On the cutting edge of trend . . . or hopelessly behind the times? Actually, just being ourselves!

I couldn’t believe he had started growing a ponytail so I couldn’t resist taking a picture from of us behind!  I think we were the only ones at the party with ponytails!  It’s great to hook up with old friends and meet new ones.

It was a great event and it’s fun enjoying the glamor and the glitz!

You never know who you might run into!

And sitting at the table next to me . . . Harrison Ford and his wife Calista Flockhart!  I first met them, and got to know Harrison when he was the third Chairman of the Young Eagles Program while being on the Board of the EAA.  He’s an avid flyer and enjoys flying his Husky, Bell Jet Ranger helicopter and Cessna Sovereign.

Looking forward to next year!

Kermit

Quail Hunt 2011!

Got invited out again to the Kelleher/Agather Quail Hunt in west Texas again and had a blast.  I’ve blogged about it before so won’t go into the details of the event but this year had some interesting and fun twists.

My Roommate!

Guess who my roommate was?  Country Star Aaron Tippin!  He did some singing for the group on an old guitar and I got a chance to bang out a few songs on an old piano they have at the ranch house where we all gather to eat, drink and be merry.

Shamans Bud "Light" Feather and Kermit the Brave "Lost-his-Feather" pleading to the Great "Spirits" to show up later for the evening's festivities in an actual Indian ceremonial cave complete with petroglyphs!

As is the protocol, we drive around the 200,000 acre ranch all day in search of the elusive Quail (I’ve never had the heart) and gather in the evenings to tell tall tales with aviation greats such as Bob Cole (Jimmy Doolittle’s copilot), Dick Rutan (around the world flight), Bud Day (longest POW in Vietnam), Tex Hill (highest scoring Flying Tiger, now deceased), Sean Tucker (airshow performer extraordinaire / heli-ski partner), Clay Lacy (movie pilot), and an assortment of Air Force generals, etc.  As I mentioned before, most of the shots fired are with a glass and based on the groups past hunting record Fish and Game is considering giving us a conservation award!

My carriage for the trip!

This year was a great surprise when I got a chance to fly out from Ft. Worth and back in a Cessna Citation Jet.  I got to ride up front and actually got to take-off and land it.  What a blast!  I am hoping one day my Stayhealthy investment will pay off so I can get my own personal transportation.  I guess I’d better get my Instrument Rating first!  We’ll see!

Aaron listening to Naked in Jamaica!

During the weekend I got a chance to play Aaron my songs Naked in Jamaica as well as Daddy’s Little Girl! He was impressed!  What a great fun group of guys.  I can’t wait until next year!

Kermit

Visit by a Legacy!

We were recently was visited by Dawn Holland, the granddaughter of Lowell Bayles, who was the famous Golden Age pilot that won the Thompson Trophy Race in 1931 in the Gee Bee Zee.

Presentation of Dawn's artwork

Dawn never got to meet her grandfather who, unfortunately, he was killed later that year trying to break the world speed record in the same airplane with a more powerful engine.  Dawn came out and presented me with a painting she did herself of the aircraft in honor of keeping the spirit of her grandfather alive.

Our reproduction of the Gee Bee Zee

I acquired a very faithful reproduction of the aircraft, which is on display at Fantasy of Flight.

Kermit

World Acrobatic Society Award in Extreme Sports!

I just got inducted as a Legend in the World Acrobatic Soceity for my participation in Extreme Sports! In this case, “Acrobatics Society” doesn’t relate to airplanes . . . it relates to gymnastics, circus performers, high divers, etc., although my award in the “Extreme Sports” catagory did relate to my aerobatic flying.  The event was held in Las Vegas at the Circus Circus Hotel and I got a chance to meet a lot of really fun and interesting people, including some from my High School days that started Miami Gymnastics and coached at different schools.

While I was building my first airplane my senior year of High School, I competed on our first year Gymnastic Team.  Since I was learning how to fly at the time and flipping around in the gym, it only seemed natural to begin flipping around in the sky!  After High School, I competed several years in college gymnastics.  It was during this time I began to compete in airplane aerobatics.

My early college formal education was somewhat lack-luster because my interest was in working on my airplane, NOT studying.  When I finished my airplane, I got serious about school and got accepted at Purdue University to pursue an Aeronautical Engineering degree.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have a men’s gymnastic team.  And while this was the end of my gymnastic career, and my formal education, it was when my aerobatic career really began to take off.  I dropped out of school and, with no formal training, designed and built my own competition airplane, making the US Team when I was twenty-four years old!

While I realize I never would have gone to the top in gymnatics, it became a stepping stone to a great flying career!  In two airplanes I designed and built myself with no formal training, I flew in six World Aerobatic Championships, winning twenty medals at the world level, becoming two-time US National Champion, as well as winning several invitational contests around the world.

So, while the award was for my aerobatic accomplishments in the sky, I was accepted into this prestigious group of acrobats because of my gymnastic background and am the first person in my type of sport to even be considered!  What a cool honor!

Kermit

Living Legends Speech on YouTube!

I just got notice they posted a link to my speech from the Living Legends of Aviation Gala last January and wanted to share it with everyone.  Not so much for  the Award, which I already posted on my blog, but for the message it conveyed.  If you watch it you will see why I’m so passionate about what I’m doing with Fantasy of Flight.  I had typed my speech out for reference prior to the Gala to use for reference but when I arrived early at the Beverly Hilon, I poked my head in as they were setting up for the event and they asked me if I wanted to use the teleprompter!  I had never seen one before and got a chance to practice my speech once.  It was a lot of fun and I thought I went on to do a great job later that evening!

The link includes an introductory video they played to set me up, introductions from Sean Tucker and Bob Hoover, and then my acceptance speech.  Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ5xEX9nyGw.

Kermit

Oshkosh 2010!

An empty "North Forty" due to soggy ground a day into the Fly-in!

This year’s Oshkosh was a great one, even though it got off to a soggy start.  With a lot of rain prior to the event, they kept the “North Forty” closed to general aviation traffic for several days, only allowing show planes to arrive aand park in the dry areas.

I got a chance to hook up with an old friend, the World’s Greatest Aircraft Collection’s DeHavilland Mosquito!  We were very fortunate it was on display at the EAA Museum and not in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992.  It has been many years since it has flown (1989) and once I get some additional hangars built at Fantasy of Flight, I intend to truck it back to Florida where we will go through it and get her flying again.

I got the chance to stop by and visit the KW Research Hangar where they keep all the aerobatic show planes during the fly-in.  This was the first building EAA built at Oshkosh (1983) that wasn’t a shower or a toilet.  What a legacy!  I have been an EAA member since I was sixteen, joining in 1969, and have been on the Board of Directors for almost twenty years.

One of the cooler things I got to do this year was attend a press conference where it was announced that my long-time friend and Heli-ski partner, Sean Tucker (right), and I got accepted to be on the Board of Directors of the Lindbergh Foundation.  As Charles Lindbergh began to fly around the world, he began to notice from the air how technology was beginning to impact our environment.  The Foundation was set up to promote balancing technology with the environment on the 50th anniversary of his famous flight.  It’s a great group of people with lots of opportunities to help out and network with a whole new group of friends!

I also got to read my All of Life is a School book to the kids at Kid Venture.  We had a great time and every kid got to keep an autographed copy!  Now how cool is that?  I finished writing my next book in the series called The Spirit of Lindy (how timely) and have begun the process of developing the artwork.  We hope to have the work finished by the end of the year, which might allow enough time to get it published before Sun ‘n Fun in April.  We’ll see.

With Ray Bensen!

Someone I had not seen since our Wings & Strings music festivals days many years ago was Ray Bensen from Asleep at the Wheel.  They played several times in the seven years we held the festival at Fantasy of Flight and got the crowds swaying and dancing one night at the Fly-In.  It brought back a lot of many fond memories.

With 7/8 scale homebuilt "Storch"

Another cool thing I got to see was the scaled down Storch that was part of an article in the latest EAA Sport Aviation magazine comparing this scaled down homebuilt with my original WWII German aircraft.  They did the photos and interview during Sun ‘n Fun last winter and I found myself on another cover, although I still find myself wondering why no one’s ever asked me to be a centerfold!

Kermit

July Cover of Sport Aviation magazine

Rockin’ Robin!

1927 Curtiss Robin with an OX-5 engine

On my way up to the Oshkosh Fly-In I got the chance to stop by and visit a long time friend of mine, Henry Haigh, and thank him for the donation of his gorgeous Curtiss Robin to the World’s Greatest Aircraft Collection. Henry lives just outside of Detroit, Michigan and I had not seen him in many years.

I first met Henry in 1973 at the US National Aerobatic Championships in Texas. It was my first Nationals in the beginning Sportsman Catagory and he was flying Unlimited in a modified Pitts. Having already built most my first airplane in High School, I was already fascinated with developing and building an aerobatic airplane of my own design.  Since Henry was in the process of modifying his plane and trying new things, and at age 20, I spent a lot of time asking questions.

Curtiss Robin Cockpit

I had not seen Henry in many years and felt I needed to stop by and reminisce about old times as we’re not getting any younger.  He’s now 87 and has recently had some health problems.  On the way to his house, I got the chance to stop by and see his son Henry Jr. whom I had also not seen in years.  He  just happened to have a 40% R/C scale model of my Weeks Solution, which he says flies great.  Now how cool is that!

With 40% R/C Weeks Solution

Anyway, not only did I want to catch up with Henry Sr. and reminice about old times, but personally thank him  for the donation of the Robin.  We recently assembled the aircraft and ran its OX-5 engine with the intent of getting it flying soon.  It will make a great addition to the displayable aircraft at Fantasy of Flight and will one day make a great character for my series of illustrated children’s books!

Thanking Henry for the Robin with his 18 WAC medals in the background

Henry and I became great friends over the years and flew on six US Teams together.  At the 1988 World Aerobatic Championships in Red Deer, Canada he bested me by 35 points out of 17,000 to become Overall World Aerobatic Champion!  I was happy for him and can’t complain for the second place finish because I think I’ve won more medals than anybody in US Aerobatic History with a total of 20!  But I will always wonder if the Robin donation was a way to help make me feel better.  No complaints from me Henry, and a big thanks for not only the Robin but for being such a great long-time friend as well!

Kermit