|
Very sad - helluva nice guy!
My own neat story meeting him 1992:
I was working at a flight school in Chandler, AZ at the time, a short hop from his driver's school at Firebird Raceway. Bob used to fly an Aerospatiale Gazelle. One day I was out flying with my student and he comes along side me in his Gazelle. I tried to raise him on air-to-air (123.025 for helicopters) but no luck. I knew it was him because most helicopter pilots in the area knew Bondurant had a Gazelle.
He dropped down and landed back at his helipad at Firebird. I looked at my student and we both agreed to go ahead and land on his pad - what the hell. We landed next to his Gazelle and he walked out and greeted us. Nicest guy in the world! I was really glad because I didn't want to explain an unauthorized landing to my Chief Pilot.
He proceeds to give us a tour of the facility (I would drive on one of the same tracks many years later with PCA). One of his instructors then led us to a room and handed my student and I helmets and took us out to a Ford Taurus SHO. The driving instructor then drove us around the track for several laps at what seemed to me like ten tenths. It was a blast! My student and I will never forget.
__________________
Kurt
|