[Rhodes22-list] R. M. Nixon

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 06:18:58 -0800 (PST)

Slim,

Everyone asks that question.  If I had some solid
"dirt" I would have been singing like a canary to the
New York Times.  I flew charter for the largest
charter outfit in Arkansas, did pilot service for
several corporations, and later flew two corporate
jets that were leased back for charter.  The governor
of Arkansas doesn't have an airplane so he either
charters or someone gives him a free ride.  Some days
a bank, some days a utility, some days a political
action committee.  If a freebe couldn't be found the
state itself might pay. A state trooper always dropped
him off and another picked him up.  There were always
groupies around but that wasn't unusual for
politicians.  I flew them all.  Most were extremely
friendly, especially Dale Bumbers while he was
Senator, Wilbur Mills after he left office. I didn't
agree with Senator Bumper's politics but he always
invited me to hear him speak anywhere we went, and I
appreciated the free chicken dinner from the
Democrats. I also flew a lot of rich and powerful
business types, i.e., Jerry Jones before the Cowboys,
etc.  They were almost all great people to work for
and took an interest in the pilots well being (duh,
like we didn't control theirs).  Billy, on the other
hand, was a different story.  The average age of the
"advisors" that traveled with him was about
twenty-five (about my age at the time) and they acted
like they ruled the world.  This isn't much of a dirty
story but its the best I can do.  Boy governor is
flying to DC to make a speech and wants to leave
Arkansas about 11pm.  I called the governor's office
and explained that National will be close after 11pm
so we'll fly into Dulles.  "Does the Governor have
ground transportation or would you like me to set that
up?  Standard routine stuff.  We had bi-fold business
cards with our company name on the outside.  On the
inside was our names, the N number of the Jet, the
name of the FBO where it was parked, the phone number,
and a copy of our proposed itenerary.  If anything
changed, a meeting ran over, etc., most customers were
good about calling, or having a secretary call, so we
didn't sit around at attention all day.  Billy never
did.  As we're walking out to the jet that night one
of his punks asks "what time are we getting to
National?"  I answered "were not flying to National,
were going to Dulles".  That started a whole
conversation about what the governor wanted and didn't
want and finally ended when I suggested he call the
President and ask that they re-open National just for
them.  Anyway, we get to Dulles, I hand them our card
with the proposed schedule, and explain that we're
going to a hotel to spend the day and will be ready to
depart at, whatever time.  "NO! The governor has to be
in Hot Springs for a speech tonight, wait here!"  I
was about to punch this kids lights out but needed to
eat and keep a career going and all so I said we would
wait.  Twelve hours later we're still waiting and
getting hungry.  Finally I said "screw this lets get
something to eat".  My First Officer says, "what if
Billy shows up and we're gone?".  "Good point, we'll
order catering".  Boy governor shows up about fours
hours later with no apology and as we're walking to
the airplane he puts his arm around me and says "Brad,
we have anything to eat?".  "Yes Sir Governor, we've
got potato chips, granola bars, crackers, and all the
scotch and soda you want!".  We get on the jet and our
catering is spread out on the center console of the
cockpit, its odor permeating the whole aircraft.  We
closed off the cockpit to keep their mitts off the
food and launched.  About an hour into the flight home
my FO says, "I'm stuffed, you want this other sandwich
and dessert?".  I opened the cockpit and looked back
at Billy eating a bag of peanuts and a Coke.  "Keep
eating, we're not leaving anything for those
assholes".  Sorry, weak story but the best I can do. I
  had some wonderful customers flying charter, Billy
was not one of them.

Brad  

                                           --- Steve
Alm <salm@mn.rr.com> wrote:
> C'mon Brad, let's have the dirt on Billy Boy.
> Slim
> 
> On 1/23/03 4:33 PM, "brad haslett"
> <flybrad@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Wally,
> > 
> > Wow, I would love to have been a part of that.  My
> > only exposure to a real President was I used to
> fly
> > Billy around when he was boy governer of Arkansas.
>  If
> > only I had known.  He was one of my least favorite
> > customers, a real jerk in fact, and the "punk
> kids" he
> > surrounded himself with were even worse.  We'll
> get
> > together over some beers and I'll tell you the
> whole
> > story. I got even with the a***, uh, governor one
> day
> > real good.  Maybe that's why I never got invited
> to
> > the Lincoln bedroom.  Excuse me, I digress.  Nixon
> was
> > the first President I ever campaigned for.  I put
> a
> > "NIXONS THE ONE" bumper sticker on every car at
> the
> > Fayette County Illinois fair in 1968 when I was,
> uh,
> > young.  He is still a facinating man, very flawed,
> but
> > interesting.  Opening China was brilliant! 
> Clinton
> > conferred with Nixon several times after he took
> > office.  Nixon loved it.  I can remember the day
> he
> > resigned like it was yesterday.  He brought a lot
> of
> > shame to the office that we're still recovering
> from
> > today.  And to think, he was in office during the
> > sexual revolution and didn't mess with the
> interns!
> > Pity, Pity.
> > 
> > Brad
> > --- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> Brad,
> >> 
> >> Back in the early 70s my Dad was stationed in San
> >> Diego. We lived on base
> >> and the President was coming to visit. We headed
> to
> >> the Naval Air Station
> >> and saw Air Force One come in for a landing and
> then
> >> taxi over to the
> >> cheering crowd. Nixon came down from the plane
> >> waving to the crowd and
> >> stopped to shake hands before jumping in his
> limo.
> >> Well Tricky Dick shook my
> >> hand and patted me on the back. I was only
> thirteen
> >> years old and didn't
> >> know squat about politics but I really liked
> Nixon
> >> after that. I mean after
> >> all he did shake my hand right?
> >> 
> >> Well a few years later we are living in Fairfax
> VA
> >> (Dads was working at
> >> Pentagon then) and Watergate hits the scene. Talk
> >> about bursting my bubble.
> >> First Agnew is gone and then Nixon announces his
> >> resignation.  My Mom wanted
> >> us to see history in the making. She loaded up
> the
> >> wagon with the family and
> >> we went down to the White House to witness
> Nixon's
> >> infamous exit. We saw him
> >> walk over to the helicopter, give his big two
> handed
> >> wave and fly away in
> >> disgrace.
> >> 
> >> It was kind of cool to see all of this first
> hand.
> >> It really opened up my
> >> eyes though and I have not trusted politicians
> ever
> >> since.
> >> 
> >> Wally
> >> 
> >> 
> >>> From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
> >>> Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> >> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> >>> To: wwrhodes@rhodes22.com,The Rhodes 22 mail
> list
> >>> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> >>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Social programs.
> >>> Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 12:05:42 -0800 (PST)
> >>> 
> >>> Stan,
> >>> 
> >>> That reminds me of the campaign rhetoric from
> 1992
> >>> coming from the "pork belly" Senator from NY,
> >>> remember, "the greed of the 80's".  Much of the
> >>> "paradigm shift" in the "new economy" of the
> >> nineties
> >>> was "smoke and mirrrors".  My best friend, a
> very
> >>> conservative stock broker, said all through the
> >> boom
> >>> there wasn't anything to back up the stock
> prices
> >> and
> >>> he was right.  Some CEO's, no, make that a lot
> of
> >>> CEO's turned out to be crooks. I hope they go to
> >> jail
> >>> but they probably won't.  Now we're in the
> middle
> >> of a
> >>> recession, business cycle, correction, what ever
> >> you
> >>> want to call it.  It would have come no matter
> who
> >> was
> >>> in office or who ran the SEC just as the Tulip
> >> Bubble
> >>> burst in Holland several hundred years ago.
> We've
> >> made
> >>> money about as cheap as it can get and people
> >> aren't
> >>> spending.  Now we're running up the deficit just
> as
> >>> FDR did to jump start the economy.  Cutting
> taxes
> >>> worked for Reagan, maybe it will work for 43. 
> The
> >>> truth is, as Richard Nixon lamented, the
> President
> >> is
> >>> either hero or goat as a result of the economy
> with
> >>> limited means to change it in the short run...
> Ah,
> >>> Richard Milhous Nixon!  Oh well, save that
> praise
> >> for
> >>> another day Bradley.
> >>> 
> >>> Brad Haslett
> >>> --- General Boats <wwrhodes@rhodes22.com> wrote:
> >>>> You are talking about the C.E.O. generation the
> >>>> government coddled after Levitt
> >>>> left the helm of the SEC, right?
> >>>> 
> >>>> stan/gbi
> >>>> 
> >>>> Rik Sandberg wrote:
> >>>> 
> >>>>> Rummy,
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> Absolutely agree that a "helping hand"
> >> sometimes
> >>>> is necessary and good. What
> >>>>> we have now is not a helping hand. The better
> >>>> share of these people are
> >>>>> doing nothing more than mooching their entire
> >>>> existence off of the rest of
> >>>>> us. Probably can't only blame either them or
> >> the
> >>>> government for that though,
> >>>>> as much as we'd like to, WE are letting them
> >> do it
> >>>> to us. I'm with Steve
> >>>>> here. Once you let people get used to getting
> >>>> stuff for nothing, not only do
> >>>>> they eventually stop appreciating these
> >> benefits,
> >>>> they soon also expect
> >>>>> more. Just ask them, they'll tell you they
> >>>> *deserve* this stuff. Some folks
> >>>>> just don't have the strength of character to
> >> take
> >>>> pride in making their own
> >>>>> way through life. Free handouts uncover these
> >>>> types very quickly.
> >>>>> 
> >>>>> Rik
> 
=== message truncated ===

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