“I am a little displeased about this, as are others on my staff, because we were left in the dark and what this has turned into doesn't benefit us at all.”Jim Dickerson, public relations director for the Airline History Museum
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A 50th birthday flight by actor John Travolta in Kansas City's premier vintage airplane has sparked a rift in the Save-A-Connie group as well as a federal inquiry.
Travolta and his entourage arrived in Kansas City on Friday, boarded the organization's four-engine Lockheed Super G Constellation and took off for Cabo San Lucas, a Mexican resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Some members of the group complained the flight had the appearance of a charter and that the plane should have been grounded that day because of weather.
Save-A-Connie officials deny the trip was a charter flight, which would be improper for the nonprofit group. Contending that a few disgruntled members were behind the criticisms, they said they simply had given Travolta, an aviation enthusiast, a ride to an air show in Mexico.
The air show, however, was set up for the Travolta flight and only featured the Connie.
A spokesman for Travolta, who turns 50 on Feb. 18, confirmed the trip, but would not discuss it. Actor Dan Aykroyd, who covered expenses for the flight, could not be reached.
Some members of the group, also known as the Airline History Museum, questioned the flight Saturday at the organization's annual meeting. Critics said the Travolta flight was kept under wraps and should have been shared with other members and the media.
“I am a little displeased about this, as are others on my staff, because we were left in the dark and what this has turned into doesn't benefit us at all,” said Jim Dickerson, public relations director for the group. He said a number of complaints about the flight had been e-mailed to him.
Others at Saturday's meeting expressed concerns that the flight may have opened the organization up to complaints that it was improperly operating as a charter service and that bad weather Friday should have kept the plane grounded.
One member took those complaints to the Federal Aviation Administration, which opened a file on the matter Tuesday, said Rich Carlson, manager of the local FAA Flight Standards District Office. Carlson said he was looking into the complaints, as he would any other case.
“It's not like we're all jumping into our government cars and rushing down there,” he said. He added that museum officials had already agreed to turn over contracts and other documents that they said would show the plane was not “chartered” and did not fly in icy conditions, which it is not certified to do.
“My concern is not damaging the organization,” said Foe Geldersma, a retired Trans World Airlines pilot and president of the Airline History Museum. “If someone wants to tear hell out of me, that's fine. But let's not tear up the organization.”
The Constellation, with its distinctive triple tail and 123 1/2 -foot wingspan, was once TWA's main commercial aircraft. The museum's Connie was built in 1958, one of the last to come off Lockheed's assembly line in Burbank, Calif., but was never used by TWA.
It was originally acquired by another airline and later hauled cargo during the Vietnam War. The plane was found abandoned near Mesa, Ariz., in 1986. The discovery sparked the formation of Save-A-Connie, which restored the plane and decorated it in TWA livery. The plane is hangared at the museum, located at Wheeler Downtown Airport.
Geldersma said members were extremely careful with the plane and would never take a chance of flying it in dangerous conditions. Although the area was digging out from the snowstorm Friday, city aviation officials said they did not think conditions were icy.
Geldersma said Travolta, an expert pilot who once owned a Constellation, toured the Kansas City plane late last year at an air show in Dayton, Ohio, and relaxed in one of its berths. He told Geldersma he was fascinated with the plane partly because friends, such as Marlon Brando and Gene Kelly, had flown on such planes during their Hollywood heydays.
His attorney called later and said Travolta would love to fly in the plane, Geldersma said.
He said Travolta arrived on his Gulfstream jet on Friday, toured the museum, bought over $200 worth of items from the gift shop, then boarded the flight for Mexico. “We took him as a guest passenger to an air show, which is proper. He didn't pay us.”
Geldersma confirmed that the operating expenses of the trip had been paid by Aykroyd but would not reveal the amount.
Geldersma, who was on the flight crew, said Travolta's handlers did not want the media there. “He was a nice guy and tremendously enthusiastic,” Geldersma said.
The plane returned to Kansas City on Sunday, leaving Travolta behind.
Larry Brown, founder of the Save-A-Connie Group and a current board member, said the organization cannot operate as a charter service under FAA rules, so an air show was set up and sponsored in Cabo San Lucas, Travolta's destination, so that the trip could be made properly.
“As long as it was set up properly, there's no difference whether you go in the front door or the back door.”
Geldersma, Brown and others enthusiastically defended the trip, saying Travolta could be a great asset to the organization, perhaps becoming a member and even helping the group financially.
Similar trips were made in the past, they said.
Geldersma said some disgruntled members were probably unhappy that they don't get to fly in the plane as often as they would like. He said that it's a shame a member can file a complaint with the FAA and remain anonymous.
To reach Mike McGraw, projects reporter, call (816) 234-4423
or send email to mcgraw@
kcstar.com.
