Excellence in Aviation

Pictures of the Day for 5/8/2010. I attended the Flight Test Historical Foundation's (FTHF) 2010 Excellence in Aviation Awards in Los Angeles, CA. The event honored four pilots: General Robert Cardenas, Bob Hoover, Clay Lacy, and David Tallichet. I recommend "googling" these guys- they are all very impressive men and aviators.

Below is a picture of me with Bob Gilliland (the first person to pilot the SR-71 Blackbird), my friend Al, and Bob Cardenas. I've met Bob Gilliland before at a previous event hosted by the FTHF last October. He's a bit of a flirt. ;-)


The picture below never fails to make me laugh. Al sabotaged my photo of Bob Gilliland and Bob Cardenas.


A banquet was held before the awards ceremony. I adore sitting down at a table with complete strangers since you never know who you will encounter and what interesting things can transpire. Tonight's banquet did not disappoint. I was seated next to a gentleman who can only be described as very "unique." I knew I was in trouble when he indicated (in response to my inquiry about his profession) that he was an "edutainer." He was telling me that given the fact he's a space nut and a big proponent of being happy, his personal motto is "all systems phenomenal!" This is the precise moment I started making mental notes to ensure I remembered his comments since they were all gems.