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Flying Lessons: A Tale of Two Dinners

Bruce Cruikshank receives
certificate for his work with EAA
Chapter 663 during the chapter’s
annual awards dinner.
Dan Moore
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author attended the Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills, experiencing a humorous encounter with paparazzi.
  • The author contrasts the glamorous Hollywood awards ceremony with a smaller, more intimate Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) dinner.
  • The EAA dinner highlighted the achievements of amateur aircraft builders and pilots, emphasizing their dedication and perseverance.
  • The author concludes by praising Bruce Cruikshank, a Vietnam veteran and pilot who inspires others despite his physical challenges, as a true "Legend" deserving of greater recognition.
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The way I see it, Angelina Jolie and I have a lot in common. We’re both women pilots who own our own airplanes. We’ve both flown with Air Serv International in Africa. We’ve both spent time with Darfur refugees. And, as of one recent Friday evening, I can say with all truthfulness that we’ve both been photographed on a Hollywood red carpet by bona fide paparazzi. So, OK, I’m not with Brad Pitt, and I don’t make gazillions of dollars making movies. But I choose not to focus on those trivial details.

I was in Beverly Hills for the seventh annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards — a black-tie, star-studded affair complete with champagne, glitz and half a dozen A-list Hollywood movie stars, including Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. I was there as a guest of Bombardier/Learjet, the event’s main sponsor.

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