A free lance operation was my goal and my first call was from none other than Bill Lear himself. He had a problem with his flight crew getting involved in drugs and asked if I would come out and straighten out the flight department. I went and it was a very rewarding experience, not only the salary but the different dignitaries that Mr. Lear had contact with. He would almost always have me attend these meetings. My first experience with Mr. Lear was a flight to Detroit to confer with the then President of General Motors. That was a lot of horse power for this just barely a pony rider. He would make the take off and after level off he would go aft and have a rum and Coke and go to sleep. (I did not approve of that procedure of relaxation, but never criticized him). About 10 minutes before start of decent, he would come back forward and make the let down and landing.

There was a group of playboys that used the jet service and off to Las Vegas we would go. We made so many trips that we had a canned flight plan on file with the FAA. If our destination was elsewhere, regardless of the heading from Kansas City, the aircraft would automatically want to turn to the Southwest in the direction of Las Vegas. On one flight out, there was a brain surgeon on board. One of the clowns threw a meringue pie in his face and it went all over the aircraft. The Doctor was about ready to do a procedure on this guy on the spot. The clown was required to pay for the cleanup of the aircraft at McCarren Field in Las Vegas. It wasn't cheap at midnight.

The flight out was 2+40 flight and the return was 2+10. It was always very quiet in the passenger section on return. What a "GANG". I have no idea if they lost so much that they were sullen about it or just plain exhausted from 36 hours of straight gambling. The flight crew had to suffer waiting at the different hotel's swimming pools where we stayed. The floor shows were great and the food was out of this world. "TOUGH LIFE".

Numerous times we would be a flight level 39,000 or 43,000 and we would hear an air carrier ask the controller's "What's the traffic at our 12 o'clock high”. The controller would reply, “that's a Lear Jet at 43,000”. The air carrier sometimes would ask, “How's the weather up there?” Our answer was, “Clear above!”

On one flight we had the owner of the Kansas City Royals and his wife and guests on board, bound for Los Angles. They decided to have lunch in Vegas. The Royal's owner had several race horses and was enroute to see them perform. They invited the flight crew to attend with them. We all stayed at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and a limo took us to the private viewing booth, air conditioned, fully stocked bar and food with waiters to accommodate. Tough life! His horses lost. The owner was a real gentleman and very interesting to be associated with.

We made so many flights to Vegas that we became acquainted with the controllers and would use first names after the position reports formalities were completed. The flights between Kansas City and Palm Beach was also a route flown so many times that the controllers would call us by our first name. If we should land in Memphis where Memphis Air Route Traffic Control was located, some of the controllers would take a break and come visit with us. In Palm Beach the tower operators wanted us to bring several cases of Coors Beer for them. It was impossible to obtain in Florida at that time. Good relations was a good policy at all times as it is anywhere, especially in aviation. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Or, do unto others. In Palm Beach we became so well known that the Fixed Base Operator would have a car for the flight crew to use while in town.

Our company came in contact with a lot of onlookers in Palm Beach. Some turned out to be more than onlookers and engaged us for their needs. The first two were semi-retired and had an oil well interest in Midland, Tx. We would dead head to Palm Beach or meet them in Dallas, or wherever they might be. Again Las Vegas, too many times to recall and to much to go back into my pilot's log book to sort it out. On one occasion, we took a planeload of passengers from Palm Beach to White Plains New York for the same gentleman that had the Midland interest in oil. It was a birthday party for him. He had us return to Palm Beach 3 more times that day for more of his friends. All had their golf clubs with them. We were heavy but not overweight. The last flight after a long day that started at 0630 was a relief. We were billeted in the Westchester Country Club where the birthday party was to be held that evening starting at 2000 hours. A steam bath and a massage relived some of the aching pains. We made the cocktail and birthday dinner party in good time. It was a blast. Our aches and pains soon forgotten with all the merrymaking that was taking place.

They recommend our company to a real estate wizard who owned the Empire State Building and so many hotels and shopping centers it was absolutely dazzling. When ever we came to Florida or the Gulf Coast it was always a race between he and myself to see who could be in the ocean or gulf first. On a dead head returning to Kansas City from White Plains at about 2300 hours and at 43,000 feet, the aircraft started decreasing indicated air speed, with no power adjustments It was noted almost at once that the EGT on # 1 engine had increased to and slightly beyond the limit. The engine was shut down and we descended to flight level 31,000. A normal single engine approach and landing was accomplished. We taxied in on one engine. On post flight, we found that the # 1 engine was frozen, and pieces of the rotor blades were prevalent in the tail pipe. A loner engine was brought in from the Lear Factory in Wichita along with 2 tech reps to change it out along with our own mechanic. We had numerous flights with this gentleman and his staff.

They would also go with the principal and his wife to Barbados for several days. One time the two of them were talking about what age they were going to use at Customs and Immigration in Barbados. They were toying with about 55 years old. For what reason I do not know. On arrival over Barbados, a relatively flat island where sugar cane and tourists are the prime source of income, we would bend the aircraft over to the right and left and announce, look at all the rum growing down there. It was tough on the flight crew to be billeted in the Hilton or the Holiday Inn right on the ocean. On one trip, the flight crew took an afternoon sailing trip on a four master sailboat about 120 feet long. The island music, good food and refreshments were enjoyed by all. The sailor leaned into the wind with the sails full. It made you feel like the old pirates day of sailing. Many good restaurants were available on the island.

We visited every one of the islands in the Caribbean. I had a problem at Martinique where French is the language. But with sign language we obtained what we needed and some Spanish helped but not much. St. Thomas was always used for the convenience of the insurance company owner. We would stop at St. Thomas and have a prepared lunch from his kitchen at home. We would have our lunch using the left wing as our table. The food was excellent. Then the long walk to the tower to file a flight plan and return to the aircraft for departure. With a full fuel load, we could have flown non stop to Barbados with the required fuel reserve.

Every let down and landing cost money as the landing fees at all of the Islands was high, plus the engine start up and climb back to altitude. On one flight to Barbados, the boss called and wanted to go to Trinidad the next day for some look see. We spent the day sightseeing and visited the upside down Hilton. The entrance is on the top floor and the rooms are built down on the side of the cliff where it was located. Parrots were flying about like Sparrows do here. They were beautiful. On return to the airport after lunch, we filed a flight plan and started to taxi and a high pressure hydraulic line ruptured. We had to be towed back to the parking area. The boss and his wife and guests departed on a Barbados Air Carrier for the return. Three of their aircraft. had the similar call signs of 8B FUN, 8B SUN, and 8B RUM.

Being on a Sunday there was no mechanic available and we did some cannibalizing using a piece of hydraulic line from a wrecked aircraft. Since I had been employed at North American Aviation, who built B-25s in Kansas City prior to my entering the service, I had a working knowledge of what was required to replace the line. All of the equipment was in place at the airport and the straight piece of pipe that was obtained and put into a machine that bent and shapes hydraulic lines. The major problem was in replacing the hydraulic oil. It went in at one quart at a time and man it was hot in the "Hell Hole" It worked and we returned to Barbados. I contacted Lear Jet in Wichita and they sent by air express the approved line to us. It arrived the next day and was installed by a FUN, SUN and RUM technician. No lounging on the beach on that trip. When we returned to Kansas City we had a nice tan and everyone was envious. Now I am paying for it with visits to a dermatologist on a regular basis.