Turbosina

I've never flown a celeb but in a former life before aviation, had the opportunity to interact professionally with quite a few of them (I used to work at MTV).

• Harrison Ford: Totally cool, did not act like a 'celeb' in the least

• Gwen Stefani (No Doubt's lead singer): adorable and very friendly

• Jakob Dylan (Bob's son): cool

• Shirley Manson (lead singer of Garbage): delightful to talk to

• Butch Vig (drummer in Garbage, produced Nirvana's "Nevermind"): As cool a guy as you could hope to meet

•*Art Alexakis (lead singer of Everclear): frighteningly intelligent, way more so than his stage persona

On the other hand, P. Diddy (or whatever he now calls himself) was an absolute tool, as was Missy Elliott.

However, my best 'well-known-person' encounter was the time I got to drive Adm. William Crowe, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the airport in my beat-up Honda Prelude. He had only just retired as JCS chairman a year or so before, and here's this college kid driving him to the airport after a speaking engagement. He was a true gentleman, and we had one of the most interesting political conversations I've ever had in my entire life. (We got stuck in traffic on the NJ Turnpike, so the drive took 90 minutes, and he almost missed his flight but he never once complained.) In my opinion he would have made a great President.

G450Guy

I've been lucky enough to have flown several folks who were not only "famous" but just great folks.

We had Muhammad Ali in our jump seat. When we asked him who his toughest opponent was, the answer flashed in his eyes immediately. The Parkinson’s made verbalizing his answer take a while, but when he said "The DRAFT BOARD!" we almost fell out of our seats.

Jay Leno was just a great, down-to-earth guy who was really interested in the jet. Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) was the same. Cindy Crawford was a lovely woman and even better looking in person.

I also got to fly one of my all-time favorite athletes, John Elway. He was very gracious and even posed for pictures with our DOM who, at the time, was a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan (said DOM decked himself out in full Chief's regalia for the photo.)

I was flying with a former West Pointer when we had Roger Staubach on board. At cruise, he got out of the cockpit and went to the back. He grabbed Staubach’s shoulder and said “I just HAD to do this. I played against you in the Arm Navy game in ’62 and couldn’t lay a hand on you!” Staubach enjoyed it and they chatted about the game for a bit.

My wife met me on the ramp after we flew Mikhail Gorbachav. She gave me a hug as they were leaving, when Gorby looked at her and threw up his hands as if to say "What am I, chopped liver?" She went over and gave him a hug too, and all was well with the world.

I’ve only flown a couple of folks who weren’t gracious, but maybe they were just having a bad day. Overall, it’s been very cool.

Csy Mon

Had Ed Kennedy Jr. in the co-pilot seat of an Aztec years ago.
He got a few minutes of stick time. Nice guy.

Shook hands with Buzz Aldrin in First Class on a 767 once, great guy.

Can't think of many celeb pax but probably had some: A group of people chartered a B-747 once so they could all sleep across the 5 seats in the middle of coach, from JFK to Moscow, I think Jane Fonda was one of them, but never talked to her.

One time I was dead heading on a Middle East carrier and had the bunk behind the cockpit, no seat.
Some pax guy started talking to me while I was hanging out in the galley and was curious about the bunk.
Showed him the "bed room" and he offered to trade his First Class seat for the bunk. I said sure, let's swap and he gave me his seat number.
I went downstairs and took the empty seat.
All of a sudden I was surrounded by body-guards who asked me politely to get up and walk away.
Turned out the other guy had given me the wrong seat-number and I had ended up next to a President of some African country who was on the way to a well known Emir to beg more money.
He was a celeb in that part of the world and I was a nobody..
Found the correct seat and the body guards went back to idle mode.

dirtysidedown

Most of the ones i have flown don't want to be bothered and just get onboard and go. Usually a quick hello and briefing and off we go, very little interaction. Typically deal with their personal assistant's more than anything.

Luv2Rotate

Pierce Brosnan.

Met him at a little airport in CA while doing flight training at a "mom & pop".
Mr. Brosnan was top notch! He chatted me up and asked if I'd like a picture with him. I of course jumped at that opportunity (James Bond movies were big again) however, I didn't have a camera and my cell took crumby photos (old flip phone). He had his wife take the photo and asked for my address.
About a week later, I received a signed copy of his 007 photo shoot, the picture he and I took together and 4 tickets to see a movie at my local theatre with a note attached that read
"choose wisely" the new 007 movie was to hit theatres that weekend.
Pierce is top notch in my book.

HwkrPlt

I flew Donald Rumsfeld. Super nice guy, actually helped us load bags in the pouring rain.

I also flew Cosby's Pilatus. Nice guy, except when things don't go as planned.

Vince Gill and Amy Grant/Gill were super nice. Vince and Darrell Waltrip crossed paths in the FBO, and Darrell was absolutely starstruck. That was amusing.

Yo Yo Ma was really nice, and had a hot daughter.

Margaret Whitton played the evil team owner in Major League, and she is just as evil in real life.

zippinbye

Like some other's have said, one's employer might frown on speaking, ill or otherwise, of their customers/guest by an employee on a forum such as this. With that understood, I will neither confirm nor deny that any names mentioned were passengers on aircraft operated by a current employer. But, trust me, the vast majority were at prior gigs, especially when I flew for a regional out of LAX.

Top of the tool list:
Female: Kathy Lee Gifford (special needs, demanding, arrogant and noisy, with her then-young kids tended by nanny. Poor Frank, slinking quietly behind him. Drop the FAs nuts, and detracted from quality of travel for our other 1st class pax with "Look at me" attitude. I mean she seems ok on TV, but she was tough to deal with. Angela Lansbury was't any Angle. Her kind, grandmotherly persona from "Murder She Wrote" faded before my eyes. She was rude and nasty, but in a quiet way.
Male: Fred Dryer, the actor from Hunter and NY Giants defensive end (demeaning to gate agent, played the "do you know who I am" card to try and get into 1st class. I guess a semi star-struck man stepped up to answer the question; "You're Hunter, from TV." To which Dryer responded "that's right, that's me, that's who I am. I've never done anything else but play a cop ad nauseam!" The rant continued as he rebuffed a hand shake attempt and treated the guy like dirt. A real jerk performance.

i hope he was just having a bad day. Life would be tough with the attitude he displayed on that occasion - given his imposing physical profile, I suspect he had good reason to be upset with the coach seat he was stuffed into.

Class acts:
Male: Sonny Bono, before and during Congress (always said hello to the pilots, very cheerful and just oozed "cool." So down to earth, it was a wonder the plane ever lifted off; R.I.P. Sonny). Cliff Robertson stopped in a couple of times and wanted to talk planes. Nice guy.
Also Chuck Berry (recently deceased), who I sat next to in 1st class during the final months of TWA while commuting. He almost shot Seven Up out his nose when I asked him how his cousin Marvin was doing (Marvin Berry was a fictitious character in "Back To The Future," where Michael J. Fox's character went back in time and provided some new guitar licks for Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode."). Mr. Berry was cool as ice. He even reacted with grace when an idiot FA called attention to him on the PA as we deplaned.

Female:

Kathy Ireland (because she was more beautiful and truly pleasant in person, and she greeted me by first name on a trip subsequent to a flight where we had a 5 min. conversation and I had introduced myself. My F/O nearly fainted when this gorgeous, recognizable woman poked her head in the cockpit asking for me by name. I was on cloud 9 and king of the crew lounge that day.
Also Sheryl Crowe for similar reasons, minus the name recollection, and a young lady actress by the name of Bailey Madison. I'd say she was 11 or 12 at the time, and an accomplished movie star. She was mature, gracious and respectful beyond her years. She took the time to stop at the cockpit door and thank us for a nice flight. Having a girl almost the same age, Miss Madison provide me some assurance aside from my own daughter that not all youth are heading in the direction that much of pop culture might suggest.

Many more stories for another time. But having seen more celebrities than I have actually interacted with, the few above made significant impressions. I'm left with the thought that persons of fame vary in similar fashion to the general population - experience enough of them, and you'll see the good, the bad and the ugly. Speaking of which, Clint Eastwood was ok too.

C130driver

Not speaking from experience, but I knew one of the AF1 pilots and navs. He said the Clintons were by far the worst, esp the misses. Bush was awesome, Obama was okay.

ChicagoJohn08

My uncle used to do charter work in the 80's and flew motley crue. Said they left a trail of destruction & drugs behind then, but were great guys too the crew. He also flew stone WWF guys. Said most were "guys" guys. There were a couple that were complete tools and were completely self important.


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METO Guido

No corporate operator will have me but can't resist this one time visit. Nelson Mandela. Don't know if it was the effect on those passing by or simply the legend itself but almost surreal the sudden impression of dignity and grace. I'll never forget it.