When Leslie Nielsen would fly commercially, he'd step into the cockpit, and when the pilots turned around he'd repeat the scene, "I just want to tell you both good luck; we're all counting on you" then step out. I've heard a couple pilots tell the story that this happened to them. Both said it was actually a career highlight.
Leslie was an absolutely hilarious guy, even just his natural personality. He was doing an interview and farted on camera, played it off, and immediately everyone on set just guffawed it was so funny. He is sorely missed.
You mentioned the pre-flight check in this one. Could that be a video topic? Something you noticed that made a difference; adverse conditions; something you saw on the ramp or issue with another aircraft; any funny stories?? Love the videos and stories accrued during an amazing career and in such a sweet spot in aviation history!
What a great idea! I have a great friend that’s a captain on 757/767 for FedEx. He once found a 1/2 drank Coke can sitting on the engine cowling about a 1’ away from the blades. 🤦♂️
Ron Speaking of the 727, it was one of my favorite planes of all time and I used to fly it with National airlines colors. So many good memories about those flights.
Saw Rev. Al Sharpton while leaving after my shift @ EWR. There had been a police involved shooting in NYC a few days earlier (late '90's) and the remains of the person were being returned to Africa. I was walking down the corridor towards the exit where normally I can see the silver backdrop behind the ticket counter at the far end of the corridor. All I could see was dark, and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't see the backdrop. As I got closer, I realized that it was a mob of people along the railing between where I was and the ticket counter. Got to security (pre-TSA days) and coming through what was normally the exit was Rev. Sharpton and his security entourage (all of the entourage towered over Sharpton). As the exit was blocked by Sharpton and entourage, I asked the checkpoint security if I could leave though the metal detector & left that way. Sharpton was there to see off the remains of the person shot by police in NYC to Paris, connecting to Africa there. I don't know if he traveled to Paris /Africa or was there just to support the family. The mob that I saw were Sharpton's supporters.
Had a few over the years too.. We walked onto our 737 ATL ORD and all 8 first class seats were taken by Farakan and his posse. Had Ed Mc Mann a couple times and he boarded early and sat on the jumpseat during boarding and told us Marine fighter pilot stories. Barbera Eden was very nice in her mid to late 60s..on a 767 ORD to LAX came up after landing and chatted. Jackie Onasis LGA to IAD. Several sports figures. Walked onto our jet at IAD and the young stews were all beside themselves..kristen Stewart and Robert Patteson?? Were in First Class together..I didnt know their fame but Twighlight movies I guess. I was enlisted in the Air Force ( F4 crew chief) but I was flying the Aeroclub T41 and working in the command Post. Some O6 asked me to fly a Army General up to Fort Stewart in the T41. It Was Colen Powell. I asked him if he was ok to fly in that small plane with me and he says " Son, Ive jumped out of airplanes at 800 ft agl this doesnt scare me!
A guy a new who was an airline pilot and his wife who was a senior flight attendant used to do a lot of flights to the West Indies. They said the best celebrity the had on board was Keith Richards who spent most of the flight entertaining all the families going on vacation.
How do you fit Andre the Giant in an aircraft? Even in a first class seat. When you did manage to squeeze him in, how much did you have to trim to keep it from leaning over? Move some fuel around to even out the CG? Daley, grrr, yea, we’re still pissed about Meigs here.
I flew there many times. From my PT-210 to Cessna Citations of various models and even Challengers, it was always fun. Especially when the passengers or guests were paying the landing fee. You could literally (if you felt like it) walk to the "magic mile" and shop, eat, drink, party, whatever. I used to hit the Second City when they had a new show and it was always good. Last time I landed there "Promise Keepers/Losers Weepers" was on and a young Ratchel Dratch was breaking out. She is absolutely hilarious. Good times
I had a charter flight with Al Gore, and a couple others with family members who were met by him at the destination. They were all nice as passengers...but they were traveling by private jet, and the several vehicles that met us were all SUV's. One, interestingly, was late '80s suburban that was pristine, real nice, and probably 12 mpg with a tailwind. Public transportation for the rest of us, right? He'll burn our share of kerosene. Thanks!
lovely stories🤩👍🏽-hopefully you'll bring out follow up versions ;-) The country I live in is home to many proms, but very discretely they're left alone when showing up in public 😎
That was a delightful video @ronrogers . I’ve been meaning to ask: did you prefer flying the 727-100 or the 727-200? I love the 727 and find it an amazingly beaautiful aircraft; I personally prefer the -200 in terms of aesthetics; depending on the aircraft type sometimes I prefer the longer varieties, such as the 777-300 or the DC8-73, and sometimes I prefer the shorter variants, such as the 737-100 and -200, vs. the -400, -800, -900 and so on. And sometimes I love both extremes, for example, the short Boeing 720 and the long Boeing 707-320, or the DC-9-15 and the MD-80. But I have heard that as a rule stretched aircraft tend to be harder to fly than shorter aircraft, and I wonder if that applied to the 727, as I can’t recall ever hearing a pilot complain about the -200 model relative to the -100 model. Also, if you were ever to do a video on the difference between the 727-200 and the 727-200ADV, and the 737-200 and the 737-200ADV, that would be very interesting, since if I recall United had both types over the years and upgraded some, and the main difference was the ADV models had slightly more advanced avionics and a few refinements, but nothing on the scale of say, the difference between the 737-200 vs. the 737-300, which by the way is probably what got me fascinated with airliners, when I was a toddler flying with America West and reading with enthusiasm the descriptions of their aircraft in the inflight magazine, and recognizing their 737-200 and 737-300, and likewise with Southwest. And when I was 6 we used to fly United from LAX-SFO and then United Express from SFO to CIC in the Jetstream 31, which was a lot of fun despite the loud noise, and back then Chico was home to Aero Union, which had a beautiful fleet of Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed L188 Electra or the Naval version, the P3 Orion water bombers for fighting aircraft, and I remember being fascinated the first time we landed there at the sight of all of these vintage airliners with red tails and numbers painted on them. Sadly Aero Union has since gone out of business, and United Express no longer flies to Chico.
@@jcheck6 that makes sense. Did the -200 fly and descend as fast as the -100? Also, I would think tailstrikes are a problem on most stretched aircraft, like for instance, the MD-80 or the 757-200 if one rotates too severely? I only have one hour in my log book, from when I was ten and took a lession in a Cessna 152, which was pure bliss but unfortunately we were not wealthy enough to continue my lessons, so I completely defer to your experience here. By the way, my main interest is in the history of the different airlines and the experience of flight crews who worked for those airlines, so anything you might be able to share along those lines would be splendid. I am aspiring to write a book along the lines of the excellent books written by the late R.E.G. Davies, memory eternal, whose histories of the airlines were beautifully illustrated by himself and Mike Machat, and who managed to convey a sense of the uniqueness of each airline, albeit from a more biographical perspective. I might even do a TH-cam channel on airline history, but only if I found interested pilots and other employees who could share experiences. There is a superb aviation channel that did a lovely interview with a retired Braniff captain who now runs a flight school in the Dallas Fort Worth area. He described the wonderful mentoring he got when he joined the airline on the Lockheed L188, and later, the sad day when Braniff ceased operating, stranding him and some other pilots who were promoting the airline in Tampa; they were fortunately allowed to jumpseat back to Dallas on Delta.
@@theleastofpilgrims3379 They both descended equally fast when the spoilers (speed brakes) are extended. You really don't want to put yourself in that position as it is uncomfortable for the passengers. Think you are thinking of the 757-300 that has the tail strike issue.
@@jcheck6 wouldn’t the DC-8-51/63 and 71/73 and other extremely elongated aircraft also be prone to tailstrikes? I recall a China Airlines 747 that crashed due to improper repair of the aft pressure bulkhead which had been damaged in a tailstrike. There was one airliner that is quite well known, and to my chagrin I can’t remember which one, which actually had a tail skid or tail wheel due to its tendency to tail strike (this may have been the Ilyushin Il-62 or the Vickers Suoer VC-10). Thank you for your replies by the way, it is greatly appreciated. As a passenger I actually enjoy turbulence, but I recall in my youth one America West flight into Chicago on a 737-300 the descent seemed unusually fast and it caused some discomfort in my ears; I wonder if that was a pressurization issue? As an aside that was also the only time I found myself on a 733 on America West into ORD; normally when I flew with them on that route it was either the A320 or one of the ex-Republic 757-200s they bought off Northwest.
Ron might agree: ask yourself that again after walking in a sweaty flight suit back to the office on a Saturday afternoon trying to meet a certification deadline.
I just did a bit of a read up on Haig. Was quite the idiot. During the Falklands war he wanted to side with the Argies, and even wanted to leak information to the Argies regarding the British plans for New Georgia. At another time, a bunch of nuns were were beaten, raped and murdered by five Salvadoran national guardsmen and when the US Ambassador complained that the Administration was still supportive of the regime, Haig fired him. At another time he caused some alarm with his suggestion that a "nuclear warning shot" in Europe might be effective in deterring the Soviet Union. I don't know how a maniac like this could have risen to NATO Supreme Allied Commander during his military service. Ah, the Regan years...
When Leslie Nielsen would fly commercially, he'd step into the cockpit, and when the pilots turned around he'd repeat the scene, "I just want to tell you both good luck; we're all counting on you" then step out. I've heard a couple pilots tell the story that this happened to them. Both said it was actually a career highlight.
This story just made my day
Leslie was an absolutely hilarious guy, even just his natural personality. He was doing an interview and farted on camera, played it off, and immediately everyone on set just guffawed it was so funny. He is sorely missed.
You mentioned the pre-flight check in this one. Could that be a video topic? Something you noticed that made a difference; adverse conditions; something you saw on the ramp or issue with another aircraft; any funny stories??
Love the videos and stories accrued during an amazing career and in such a sweet spot in aviation history!
What a great idea!
I have a great friend that’s a captain on 757/767 for FedEx. He once found a 1/2 drank Coke can sitting on the engine cowling about a 1’ away from the blades. 🤦♂️
Cleveland has a nice lakefront airport just like Meigs, and it’s still open!
Ron Speaking of the 727, it was one of my favorite planes of all time and I used to fly it with National airlines colors. So many good memories about those flights.
I've been away for a bit. Trying to catch up. They said Andre once drank 48 beers on a flight from New York to Paris. Interesting video, Ron.
I had Burl Ives in the back of my Beech 99, ORD-MTO approximately 1986!
Saw Rev. Al Sharpton while leaving after my shift @ EWR. There had been a police involved shooting in NYC a few days earlier (late '90's) and the remains of the person were being returned to Africa. I was walking down the corridor towards the exit where normally I can see the silver backdrop behind the ticket counter at the far end of the corridor. All I could see was dark, and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't see the backdrop. As I got closer, I realized that it was a mob of people along the railing between where I was and the ticket counter. Got to security (pre-TSA days) and coming through what was normally the exit was Rev. Sharpton and his security entourage (all of the entourage towered over Sharpton). As the exit was blocked by Sharpton and entourage, I asked the checkpoint security if I could leave though the metal detector & left that way. Sharpton was there to see off the remains of the person shot by police in NYC to Paris, connecting to Africa there. I don't know if he traveled to Paris /Africa or was there just to support the family.
The mob that I saw were Sharpton's supporters.
Had a few over the years too..
We walked onto our 737 ATL ORD and all 8 first class seats were taken by Farakan and his posse. Had Ed Mc Mann a couple times and he boarded early and sat on the jumpseat during boarding and told us Marine fighter pilot stories. Barbera Eden was very nice in her mid to late 60s..on a 767 ORD to LAX came up after landing and chatted. Jackie Onasis LGA to IAD.
Several sports figures. Walked onto our jet at IAD and the young stews were all beside themselves..kristen Stewart and Robert Patteson?? Were in First Class together..I didnt know their fame but Twighlight movies I guess.
I was enlisted in the Air Force ( F4 crew chief) but I was flying the Aeroclub T41 and working in the command Post. Some O6 asked me to fly a Army General up to Fort Stewart in the T41. It Was Colen Powell. I asked him if he was ok to fly in that small plane with me and he says " Son, Ive jumped out of airplanes at 800 ft agl this doesnt scare me!
Great stories! Thanks for sharing!
A guy a new who was an airline pilot and his wife who was a senior flight attendant used to do a lot of flights to the West Indies. They said the best celebrity the had on board was Keith Richards who spent most of the flight entertaining all the families going on vacation.
Another interesting segment, my “But I digress “ shirt came yesterday.
How do you fit Andre the Giant in an aircraft? Even in a first class seat. When you did manage to squeeze him in, how much did you have to trim to keep it from leaning over? Move some fuel around to even out the CG?
Daley, grrr, yea, we’re still pissed about Meigs here.
I never saw him back in the cabin, but you have a point!
Man, you absolutely crack me up! I'm sitting here watching this video by myself laughing out loud. Keep up the great work I love it
Glad you enjoyed
It's really sad that Meigs Field was closed. Nice place for an airport and close to downtown with no noise problem.
I flew there many times. From my PT-210 to Cessna Citations of various models and even Challengers, it was always fun. Especially when the passengers or guests were paying the landing fee. You could literally (if you felt like it) walk to the "magic mile" and shop, eat, drink, party, whatever. I used to hit the Second City when they had a new show and it was always good. Last time I landed there "Promise Keepers/Losers Weepers" was on and a young Ratchel Dratch was breaking out. She is absolutely hilarious. Good times
Good stuff Ron. Thanks for sharing 🫡🇺🇸
Thanks for watching
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I had a charter flight with Al Gore, and a couple others with family members who were met by him at the destination. They were all nice as passengers...but they were traveling by private jet, and the several vehicles that met us were all SUV's. One, interestingly, was late '80s suburban that was pristine, real nice, and probably 12 mpg with a tailwind.
Public transportation for the rest of us, right? He'll burn our share of kerosene. Thanks!
lovely stories🤩👍🏽-hopefully you'll bring out follow up versions ;-) The country I live in is home to many proms, but very discretely they're left alone when showing up in public 😎
First thing that came to mind when Sean Penn's picture came up was, OMG another Madonna throwaway.
You probably had me as a passenger...:)
Being famous is a double-edged sword. As a backstage guy, I would watch the more popular actors down dress and hide, just to be left alone.
Farrakhaaaaannn!!!!
Ted Kennedy was apparently a private pilot too. I bet he once tried to land at Meigs Field and ran off the end of the runway into the water.
Did he leave those passengers to drown too?
Awesome stories Ron!
Glad you like them!
I just recently met an Arizona Cardinals football player. He came to the golf course I work at. And had lunch at the restaurant. 🏈 😊
Frakes may or may not remember you, but if you do get to meet him again, it will be a good experience.
Cleveland, the mistake by the lake!
That was a delightful video @ronrogers . I’ve been meaning to ask: did you prefer flying the 727-100 or the 727-200? I love the 727 and find it an amazingly beaautiful aircraft; I personally prefer the -200 in terms of aesthetics; depending on the aircraft type sometimes I prefer the longer varieties, such as the 777-300 or the DC8-73, and sometimes I prefer the shorter variants, such as the 737-100 and -200, vs. the -400, -800, -900 and so on. And sometimes I love both extremes, for example, the short Boeing 720 and the long Boeing 707-320, or the DC-9-15 and the MD-80. But I have heard that as a rule stretched aircraft tend to be harder to fly than shorter aircraft, and I wonder if that applied to the 727, as I can’t recall ever hearing a pilot complain about the -200 model relative to the -100 model. Also, if you were ever to do a video on the difference between the 727-200 and the 727-200ADV, and the 737-200 and the 737-200ADV, that would be very interesting, since if I recall United had both types over the years and upgraded some, and the main difference was the ADV models had slightly more advanced avionics and a few refinements, but nothing on the scale of say, the difference between the 737-200 vs. the 737-300, which by the way is probably what got me fascinated with airliners, when I was a toddler flying with America West and reading with enthusiasm the descriptions of their aircraft in the inflight magazine, and recognizing their 737-200 and 737-300, and likewise with Southwest. And when I was 6 we used to fly United from LAX-SFO and then United Express from SFO to CIC in the Jetstream 31, which was a lot of fun despite the loud noise, and back then Chico was home to Aero Union, which had a beautiful fleet of Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed L188 Electra or the Naval version, the P3 Orion water bombers for fighting aircraft, and I remember being fascinated the first time we landed there at the sight of all of these vintage airliners with red tails and numbers painted on them. Sadly Aero Union has since gone out of business, and United Express no longer flies to Chico.
I flew both the 727-100 and the -200. Most like the -100 because you did not have worry about hitting the tail when you rotated for takeoff.
@@jcheck6 that makes sense. Did the -200 fly and descend as fast as the -100? Also, I would think tailstrikes are a problem on most stretched aircraft, like for instance, the MD-80 or the 757-200 if one rotates too severely? I only have one hour in my log book, from when I was ten and took a lession in a Cessna 152, which was pure bliss but unfortunately we were not wealthy enough to continue my lessons, so I completely defer to your experience here. By the way, my main interest is in the history of the different airlines and the experience of flight crews who worked for those airlines, so anything you might be able to share along those lines would be splendid. I am aspiring to write a book along the lines of the excellent books written by the late R.E.G. Davies, memory eternal, whose histories of the airlines were beautifully illustrated by himself and Mike Machat, and who managed to convey a sense of the uniqueness of each airline, albeit from a more biographical perspective. I might even do a TH-cam channel on airline history, but only if I found interested pilots and other employees who could share experiences. There is a superb aviation channel that did a lovely interview with a retired Braniff captain who now runs a flight school in the Dallas Fort Worth area. He described the wonderful mentoring he got when he joined the airline on the Lockheed L188, and later, the sad day when Braniff ceased operating, stranding him and some other pilots who were promoting the airline in Tampa; they were fortunately allowed to jumpseat back to Dallas on Delta.
@@theleastofpilgrims3379 They both descended equally fast when the spoilers (speed brakes) are extended. You really don't want to put yourself in that position as it is uncomfortable for the passengers. Think you are thinking of the 757-300 that has the tail strike issue.
@@jcheck6 wouldn’t the DC-8-51/63 and 71/73 and other extremely elongated aircraft also be prone to tailstrikes? I recall a China Airlines 747 that crashed due to improper repair of the aft pressure bulkhead which had been damaged in a tailstrike. There was one airliner that is quite well known, and to my chagrin I can’t remember which one, which actually had a tail skid or tail wheel due to its tendency to tail strike (this may have been the Ilyushin Il-62 or the Vickers Suoer VC-10). Thank you for your replies by the way, it is greatly appreciated. As a passenger I actually enjoy turbulence, but I recall in my youth one America West flight into Chicago on a 737-300 the descent seemed unusually fast and it caused some discomfort in my ears; I wonder if that was a pressurization issue? As an aside that was also the only time I found myself on a 733 on America West into ORD; normally when I flew with them on that route it was either the A320 or one of the ex-Republic 757-200s they bought off Northwest.
Nice Thanks
Thank you too!
21:11 who is this woman? Is she a playmate from the 70s?
What on earth could be more glamorous and interesting than a test pilot?
Ron might agree: ask yourself that again after walking in a sweaty flight suit back to the office on a Saturday afternoon trying to meet a certification deadline.
You were at the Washington Hilton when Reagan was shot?
no, but shortly after. The van driver pointed out the prominent locations of everything.
I'm interested to know if Daley said anything to you. I take it by pre-terrorist Daley you mean the Daley before he destroyed Meigs.
Crapola that’s a new term. DCA only 7000 ft
What’s new about it? I was hearing that term 65-70 years ago.
I just did a bit of a read up on Haig. Was quite the idiot. During the Falklands war he wanted to side with the Argies, and even wanted to leak information to the Argies regarding the British plans for New Georgia. At another time, a bunch of nuns were were beaten, raped and murdered by five Salvadoran national guardsmen and when the US Ambassador complained that the Administration was still supportive of the regime, Haig fired him. At another time he caused some alarm with his suggestion that a "nuclear warning shot" in Europe might be effective in deterring the Soviet Union. I don't know how a maniac like this could have risen to NATO Supreme Allied Commander during his military service. Ah, the Regan years...
Why would they send the Captain to help a guy with his batteries?
The flight attendant knew I was an electrical engineer.
Actually, I was just standing there with nothing to do at the moment.
I don’t know what I’d do if the Captain came back to help me with my headphones 😂
Jean-Luc wasn’t available.
An electrical engineer changing batteries is like a surgeon removing a splinter 😂