Article: Yeager re-enacting right stuff 65 years later

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2308

fritzthefox wrote:

Part of the problem with the aircraft companies and model kits (or video games or t-shirts or whatever) is trademark law. Under the letter of the law, if they do not act to defend their trademarks, they can lose them. I think another part of the problem is simply systemic: large corporations act more like badly programmed robots than people...giant, idiot robots motivated by pure avarice that devour resources and crap pollution, smashing everything in their way. If you are violating their trademark, you are in the way.

Ford had an issue with this a while back. Their corporate lawyers were sending cease & desist letters to just about every company making aftermarket parts for Ford cars, including the resto side of things.
Luckily someone high up at Ford (I think it was one of the Ford family) found out what was going on & told their lawyers to back off.

muddyboots · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:38 pm

famvburg wrote:

All this negative stuff about CY makes me wish I had met the guy so I could have my own opinion. Back in early '87 or '88 he flew into my airport with another group of hunters to go hunting at a popular area north of town for a few days. I wasn't around the FBO back then but working in a shop and didn't know he'd been here until he was gone. I remember seeing the Citation III they were in on the ramp for a few days. When the FBO manager mentioned he'd been here, I told him if I'd known I'd gotten him to autograph his biography which my wife (then) got me for Christmas. I just wonder what the outcome would have been. Since running the FBO the last near-20 years, I've met a few celebrities. The tops were Jay Leno, Larry the Cable Guy and Doug Kershaw. Seemingly real regular folks who've done really well. Decent folks happy to have a little conversation, give autographs and do a pic or two. A couple of others I've met who'll remain nameless because I wasn't real impressed with them and they could have just been tired, it was late and they were ready to get on their plane go home or that may just be the way they are all of the time. Benefit of the doubt. Way back in the late '70s, I met Pappy Boyington away from airshows a time or two and maybe because I was just a teen, he was a decent old guy. At one CAF Airsho' in the late '70s, Paul Tibbets and I bumped into each other in a crowd, he even said 'pardon me' first and I realized who he was (He was a lot shorter than I envisioned, but his name tag was a clue!) and we exchanged introductions, handshakes and pleasantries. . I can only wonder about CY........

Not so sure about Leno. He has a bit of a reputation around LA for being a bit of a jerk about parking...Evidently he likes handicapped spots. No idea if that's true or not but I heard it from more than one person. I do know I ran into him driving one of his steam powered cars one time and we sat at a red light and he told me a little about it. So personally he was cool to me.

JohnB · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:54 pm

I have a couple of old cars and have several friends who have met Leno through their contacts in the car world.
Everyone has said he's a great guy.
He may ask for his rare/expensive cars parked in a safe area, but I don't believe for a second he'd ever demand a handicapped spot.
And he's a big supporter of the troops...he was in town a couple of years ago for a gig at the local casino...but before that show, he went tro Fairchild and did a show for the troops.

Another great guy is Chip Foose...a very nice guy.

DC3R4DC47 · **Joined:** Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:34 am **Posts:** 115

CY used to be a hero of mine, I met him in '03 when I was bossing an airshow, He is no longer a hero,just a man, but he was still one heck of a pilot, Ernie Gann is still my hero, along with Dick Zerbe,Jerry Nichols,and Frank Moss, round engine guys who set a standard in the low stratosphere and the sub flight levels.

muddyboots · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:00 pm

Yeah, I suspect you're right-it's bunk. Although handicapped spots were specifically part of the claims, even if he did park in a blue lined spot, I'm sure he'd happily move it if someone with a handicap tag needed the spot. I've certainly never heard of a specific event- it always seemed more an urban legend. And like I said, he was nice to me the one time I ran into him. Hollywood is a funny place. Rumors abound and it's always somebody's cousins girlfriend's aunt that saw it...I always wondered about Foose. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, not very macho, and not very pushy, just happy to be working at a dream job, and wanting to share his passion.

Another good one is Willie Nelson. I met him at a USO event in DC a long time ago and he and I sat in a little waiting room, waiting for Miss America to finish her act, and talking about my ribbon rack. He was Air Force once upon a time so he knew what some of my awards were. I doubt he would remember me but he sure made an impression on me.

marine air · **Posted:** Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:37 pm

Yeah, back in the day we had Agent Orange, Agent Blue, "Willie Pete" and Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson is still on a mission to deforest those hills and jungles "one leaf at a time."

Speedy · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:30 am

DC3R4DC47 wrote:

He is no longer a hero,just a man,

Regardless of how anybody who has posted on this thread personally feels, this is the best post of the thread. General Yeager, or anyone else, regardless of accomplishment, failure, self-promotion, or other....is still just a man. Kind of levels the playing field. My dad is old, in chronic pain, and if you don't know him you'd think he was a cranky, cantankerous old fart....which he kind of is. But he's also an Air Force B-29/C-54/SA-16/H-19 guy, taught me and my brother to fly, used to race stock cars, works on race boats and is responsible for a lot of who Hacker and I are today. He's 'just a man'.

famvburg · **Joined:** Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:41 am **Posts:** 540

I remember back in the summer of '82 one day, Willie nelson and his grew stopped at the local mall in their tour bus. I saw the bus but didn't think anything about it. They all went into a sandwich shop there and all everyone talked about was what a nice guy Willie was, signing autographs and talking with everyone.

muddyboots wrote:

Yeah, I suspect you're right-it's bunk. Although handicapped spots were specifically part of the claims, even if he did park in a blue lined spot, I'm sure he'd happily move it if someone with a handicap tag needed the spot. I've certainly never heard of a specific event- it always seemed more an urban legend. And like I said, he was nice to me the one time I ran into him. Hollywood is a funny place. Rumors abound and it's always somebody's cousins girlfriend's aunt that saw it...I always wondered about Foose. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, not very macho, and not very pushy, just happy to be working at a dream job, and wanting to share his passion.

Another good one is Willie Nelson. I met him at a USO event in DC a long time ago and he and I sat in a little waiting room, waiting for Miss America to finish her act, and talking about my ribbon rack. He was Air Force once upon a time so he knew what some of my awards were. I doubt he would remember me but he sure made an impression on me.

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Article: Yeager re-enacting right stuff 65 years later

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