There is no dreaming about it.
I didn't know he was married to Veronica Gamba until our High School reunion in 2001. You can also see her in the movie, "Smoky and the Bandit, part 3". She is the dark haired nude lady at the picnic at the end of the movie. My buddy, Jeff Hewitt (now a Gartner analyst in San Jose', Ca.) was married to her for 10 years. He said that Jeff Goldblum even called to ask her out while they were making the film, but he didn't know that she was married to my buddy.
You guys probably don't know that the Starjet almost made it into the James Bond movie, "Die Another Day". I was at the airshow in Oshkosh, Wi. in 2001 talking to the Williams Jet engine people and half jokingly said, "If I can get this into a James Bond movie will you loan me a jet engine?" (I had a display model in my hand). They said, "you bet". Well, just by chance another Williams Jet employee heard me say that and remarked, "I have a buddy in Bad Axe, Michigan who worked on the last Bond movie, "The World is Not Enough". He put me in touch with him, and Trevor in Michigan put me in touch with Simon Crane, the stunt coordinator for the Bond flicks. Simon Crane and Vic Armstrong (second unit director) showed the photos to Lee Tamahori (the director), and about three weeks later Vic E-mailed me and said, "We might use your Jet". About a month later Vic E-mailed me again explaining that they decided to use a much larger airplane (the Russian Antonov) instead. They had actually found out about my design too late to get it into the script, but said they will consider it for a future Bond movie.
At the time I was working in the control tower at Boeing Field in Seattle. About two weeks before the Oshkosh occurence, I attended a "black tie" event at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field which honored Pete Conrad (Apollo 12), who had been killed one year before. Several Astronauts were there, and Tom Selleck and James Cameron were supposed to be there, but couldn't make it at the last minute. The cheapest ticket was $250, but they were all sold out, so I had to pay $500 to attend. The day after I was down at the 727 that was being readied to take the astronauts back to California, which was being piloted by Clay Lacy (he got the BD-5 into the Bond movie, "Octo*****"). I asked the security guard if I could talk to Mr. Lacy, and he brought him over. After he saw the display model and said he would get in touch with the right people I heard a voice to my left say, "Hey that's pretty cool, whadya got there?". I turned, expecting it to be the average person, and it was non other than Buzz Aldrin. He talked to me about my design, and a lady I was at the dinner with the night before stood back and took a picture of us talking. Of course, I enlarged it and it is in a frame on my wall.
There is a local wealthy man in CoeurdA'lene, Idaho, named Dwayne Hagadone, who hosted a party summer of 2004 at his lakeside residence with John Travolta in attendance. John's sister, Ellen Travolta, lives within 20 miles of me, and that is why John ended up here. They filled the cruise boats at $100 per ticket to go over to the party and meet John Travolta. I found out about it too late to get a ticket. Ellen Travolta does work with the CoeurdA'lene Summer Theatre, so I went there and asked them to pass a message on to her for me. She later called, and my mother answered, and she said she couldn't accept anything for John (the display model), but gave an address in Encino, Ca. that I could send it to and it would get to him. I didn't do it yet, but I think I will have it professionally painted by a local airbrush expert and then show it to Mr. Hagadone, to get photos to John. Of course, now that Mr. Hilburger from Playboy is VERY interested I will have the Bunny airbrushed on the tail. My prediction is that they will do it as the Playboy Jet and both John Travolta and Tom Cruise will own a copy. So laugh it up for now, but when you see it in Playboy magazine you can ask me for a ride in it. The only question I have now is whether to buy a Ferrari, or a Lamborghini. I hate tough decisions.