Friday, March 25, 2016

Ronnie Garvin: Airplanes and Rear View Mirrors

by Peggy Lathan
Mid-Atlantic Gateway

As most everyone knows, Ronnie Garvin is a pilot and he used to fly to the matches. I would pick him and whomever was flying with him up at the airport and drive them to the arena,  One day, who should get out of the plane but Tony Atlas and Tiger Conway, Jr.

Tiger Conway had some BIG HAIR
in the 1970s
Everyone climbed into my car. Ronnie rode up from with me. Tony and Tiger were in the back seat and both of them had these HUGE afros back then, and they completely blocked the view out of back window.  All I could see was big hair!  I had to tell them many times to "part their hair" so I could see what was behind me! At least one of you lean to the left and one of you lean to the right!

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Here's another funny Ole story straight from Ronnie.  Ronnie would try to get Ole to fly with him, and Ole never would. I don't remember why - if he was scared of flying or if he was scared of Ronnie!

In any event, Ronnie finally talked Ole into flying with him. Ronnie's plane had something like a glove box and it had broken so Ronnie had taken it out of the dash to fix it. So there was a gaping hole in the dash.  He knew Ole was nervous, so he decided to play a rib on him.  He put the broken box back in the dash and during pre-flight, he was telling Ole about the plane. He pointed to the box and told Ole that that was the most important part of the plane that kept it airborne and to be careful and not to bump it or anything.

When Ronnie took off, gravity took over and that loose box fell out right in Ole's lap.  Ronnie played up the rib, saying we're going to crash, and Ole was just having a fit. Ronnie started laughing and told Ole not to worry that everything was okay.  I'm betting Ole found another way back home that night rather than fly back with Ronnie!

Believe me, if Ronnie flew like he drove, I would NEVER have gotten in an airplane with him either.