Michael J Lofton

Broschiertes Buch

Flying Rocks

Stories from the air flying some of the biggest rock n' roll stars of the world.

Beschreibung

Flying Rocks Backstage Aviation Insights and Production Experiences of Some of the World's Most Famous Music Entertainers & VIPs. Ever wonder how your favorite rock stars got from city to city during the golden age of arena tours? Climb aboard for my personal memoir of arranging private flights for some of the biggest names in music throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Yeah, we'll touch on the darker side of private aviation in rock history - those legendary artists we lost too soon - but there's so much more to this story. This isn't your typical celebrity tell-all filled with gossip and drama, instead, Flying Rocks takes you behind the scenes into the controlled chaos of coordinating private air travel for rock's biggest tours. It's an insider's view of how we kept the show moving, literally, through the skies. If you geek out over aircraft, have a passion for rock history, or just love hearing wild tales from backstage and 30,000 feet up, this book's for you. Settle in for either a quick hop through some crazy stories or a full journey through an era when rock and aviation created their own kind of magic. Fasten your seatbelts! Entertainers including... Jimmy Buffett, Grateful Dead, Heart, Commodores, Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, Barry Manilow, Elvis, and more.

Autor

Michael's ¿rst solo airplane ¿ight occurred in southern California at Bracket Field Airport in La Verne, CA in Sept of 1970. He had just turned 18. It was in a tail-wheel Cessna 170A airplane, which he spent most of his earliest days learning to ¿y and earning a private pilot's license, along with his tail-wheel endorsement. While building ¿ight time on the side, Michael attended the aviation technology school, where he earned an Airframe and Powerplant (A P) technician's license. He then secured an Inspector's Authorization (IA) certi¿cate. He could then legally inspect and work on most aircraft. He maintained two ¿ight schools, rebuilt crashed airplanes (called basketcases), and fabricated and inspected numerous experimental airships. Michael obtained commercial pilot and certi¿ed ¿ight instructor (CFI) ratings. Most of Michael's ¿ight hours happened while trading aircraft maintenance and inspections on aircraft that his customers owned, in exchange for the opportunity to use their airplanes. He was a Safety Counselor for the Federal Aviation Administration. He also did a bit of aircraft repossessions for banks on the side. Most of Michael's fellow ¿ight school buddies were set on an airline career. This author, being the black sheep of their group, wasn't so sure about his ¿ying pilgrimage. Eventually, he steered toward the corporate aviation route. He had the opportunity to ¿y small aircraft all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico. On any given day Michael never knew where a ¿ight might lead. Many times his aviation comrades would just call out an airport to do lunch. Or, maybe even a quick hop over the mountains to the desert to land on a strip of uninhabited earth. He flew fishermen to Baja Mexico from Southern CA. The author's earliest years of ¿ying rock bands were from an office in a small mountain town in Southern California, called, Crestline. Within a couple of years, he had moved up the mountain to a place called, Big Bear City. With the assistance of local business investors, he started a Piper Aircraft Dealership at the local airport, while he continued to build his ¿ying consultation career. Subsequently, moving to Durango, Colorado in the late '80s, Michael continued his flight consultations for major music entertainers for their private aircraft touring needs. He also constructed small private airplane hangars in Durango, Colorado, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. His first biz experience was at the age of 12, running a bike repair shop out of his residential neighborhood garage in Altadena, California. Michael did have an early publishing career by creating a few (award-winning) glossy aviation magazine releases in 2000/01, along with co-publisher and producer, Paul Dutcher, called, Air, The Aviation Journal. Thereafter, Michael climbed into a marketing career. Michael continues (so far) to play in bands for small clubs as a semi-professional, having switched from guitar to drums in the early 90s. For many years, he was a radio DJ for College Station KDUR in Durango, Colorado. Michael was a skateboarder, had a paper route, a Little League pitcher (his Dad was the coach), raised homing pigeons, was a vanner, a surfer, and a streetcar racer. Now, he allows himself to play a bit of golf. Currently (at the onset of this publication) an online and brick-and-mortar, new-age SEO content conversion strategist. Michael performs MacGyver activities around his house, along with his SEOing consultation clients, from his current location near the New Hampshire and Maine border.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Flying Rocks Book
• Seitenzahl: 282
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Februar 2025
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 260mm x 168mm x 15mm
• Gewicht: 518g
• ISBN-13: 9798218580636
• Artikelnr.: 73398097