Michael J Lofton
Flying Rocks
Stories from the Air, Flying Some of the Biggest Rock N’ Roll Stars of the World… From the zany to scary moments!
Suppose you’re intrigued by airplanes, famous musicians, or just some wacky interesting stories that relate to what happens backstage in the music and aviation world. In that case, this read might be for you, as some brief story shorts or a long strange reading trip.
Flying Rocks
Table of Contents
Entry Splash Page
Publishing Copyright and Disclaimer
Citations and References
Preface and Dedica on
Foreword
Past Flight Clients
Chapters
1. Jimmy Buffett meets Lynard Skynard in flight, part one / Pg 1
2. Lionel Richie and the Commodores Brick House Tour / Pg 9
3. The Original Cheeseburger Airplane – JB logo / Pg 21
4. Grateful Dead – Long Strange Lovely Trips / Pg 51
5. Ricky ‘Rick’ Nelson / Pg 59
6. Barry Manilow / Pg 67
7. Nazareth – Lightening, Smoke, and the Border Crossings / Pg 75
8. Osmond Brothers Jet / Pg 99
9. Grateful Dead – Banks Won’t Fly Them / Pg 113
10. Richard Marx – World Record / Pg 121
11. Jimmy Buffett – Viscount Tour / Pg 123
12. Backstage, Insights, and Other Shenanigans / Pg 129
13. Dan Fogelberg / Pg 137
14. Other Entertainers Flown (without deep stories) / Pg 141
15. Heads of State and VIPs (Suits) / Pg 157
16. Heart / Pg 163
17. Jimmy Buffett – Volcano Blew Again / Pg 173
18. Doobie Brothers – Reunion Tour / Pg 183
19. Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels Tour / Pg 197
20. Van Halen / Hagar Years + VH-III / Pg 207
21. Guns N’ Roses – Riot Tour / Pg 217
22. Grateful Dead – Cocaine and Wine & Final Show CHG / Pg 227
23. Jimmy Buffett Meets Skynard in-flight, conclusion / Pg 235
Bio – Outro – Acknowledgments
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Michael J Lofton
Author
The Book and I
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 is 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.
Flying Rocks!
Michael J Lofton
Author with his (past life) Twin Cessna 421 in 1978. Michael’s first solo airplane flight 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 fly and earning a private pilot’s license, along with his tail-wheel endorsement. While building flight time on the side, Michael attended an aviation technology school in 1970 – 73, where he earned an Airframe and Powerplant (A P) technician’s license. Further securing an Inspectors’ Authorization (IA) certificate. He could then legally inspect and work on most aircraft. He maintained two flight schools, rebuilt crashed airplanes (called basket-cases), and fabricated and inspected numerous experimental airships.
Michael obtained commercial pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) ratings. Most of Michael’s flight 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.
The author’s earliest years of flying rock n’ roll 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 flying biz career. Subsequently moving to Colorado in the late ’80s, he built private aircraft hangars in Durango CO and Los Alamos, NM. Michael continued his flight consultations for major music entertainers for their private aircraft touring needs until 2003. As of the publication date of this book, Michael now lives in New Hampshire to be closer to his daughter and the grand-kids. He maintains a side-business of providing digital new-age SEO content management services, while playing drums in a rock band.
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