I Have Another Slam Dunk Movie Idea For Those Schmucks In Hollywood And It's About The Incredible Feats Of Strength Of Pilot Thomas Fitzpatrick
While drinking, a Pilot bet he could land outside the bar, 2 hours later he touched down in central New York in a stolen aircraft. Years later he repeated the stunt because someone wouldn't believe him.
In September 1956 after drinking heavily at a bar in New York City, Thomas Fitzpatrick made an intoxicated barroom bet that he could travel from New Jersey to New York City in 15 minutes.
At 3 a.m. he stole a single-engine plane from the Teterboro and flew without any lights or radio before landing on St. Nicholas Avenue near 191st Street in front of the bar where the bet was made.
The New York Times called it a "fine landing" and a "feat of aeronautics". For his illegal flight, he was fined $100 after the plane's owner refused to press charges.
In October 1958 just before 1 a.m., Fitzpatrick again stole another plane from the same airfield and landed on Amsterdam and 187th after another bar patron disbelieved his first feat.
For his second stolen flight, judge John A. Mullen sentenced him to six months in prison. When asked why did had undertaken the 2nd flight Fitzpatrick told the police "he had pulled off the second flight after a bar patron refused to believe he had done the first one"
Fitzpatrick was a Marine during the Korean War and received a Purple Heart. He has three sons and was married to his wife, Helen, for 51 years working as a steamfitter. He died in 2009 at the age of 79.
Fitzpatrick has a mixed drink named after him for his feat called the "Late Night Flight"
Every now and then I come across something so awesome that I think to myself, "why didn't I learn about this in school", or, "surely there has to be a movie about this, right?"
The most recent one that fit into both of those criteria was the real life story about Robert Smalls. Which I blogged about last year.
Fucking unreal, real life, story that would make for a mega Hollywood blockbuster if those assclowns knew how to do anything except recycle the same shit over and over again.
This past weekend I came across another one, following the terrific twitter account "Historic Vids".
It was the story of a retired, decorated, Marine pilot, named Thomas Fitzpatrick, (Italian I think), and his post-war exploits of making some fucking outrageous bar bets, and then collecting on them by putting his massive balls on the table right then and there.
I urge you to watch both of these videos (not while you're high), because they are tremendous.
This story has it all.
A young 15-year-old kid with so much pride for his country that he lies about his age in order to enlist in the Marines.
When he's caught, he goes to his parents to plead with them to give their consent. Being the upstanding Americans they are, they gladly oblige.
(Sidebar - can you imagine a 15-year-old today enlisting to serve his country in the armed forces?)
He fought with the Marines in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was honorably discharged. He was so intent on serving his country that he then enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 20.
He was stationed in Japan when the Korean War broke out, and was sent there, where he became the first soldier from New York wounded in battle. He was shot while driving an ammunition truck through enemy lines to rescue captured American soldiers. A feat so brave he was awarded the Purple Heart.
Upon returning home to New York after the war he joined the steamfitters union where he worked for 51 years.
In his spare time he became a semi-professional boxer.
It was during this period that his daring NYC flight exploits took place.
Betting a buddy at a bar that you can make it from Jersey to downtown Manhattan in 15 minutes or less and then taking a plane to land on the city's streets is as diabolical as it gets.
(There was no way for them to get the plane out from between the narrow buildings crowding the streets so they had to dismantle it to get it off the street. Something that makes Fitzpatrick's landing even more impressive.)
Fitzpatrick was such a smooth talker and schmoozer that he convinced the plane's owner to drop the grand larceny charges against him and he got off with a $100 fine.
The fact that pulling this stunt once wasn't enough for Fitzpatrick is really crazy.
2 years later, he was telling his story to somebody who refused to believe him so Fitzpatrick had no choice but to prove he did it by doing it again.
This time the justice system wasn't so kind and he was sentenced to 6 months in jail.
Fitzpatrick died of cancer in 2009 leaving his wife of 50 years.
Fun Fact -
Now tell me you can't see a grizzled and grayed Matt Damon ponied up at a Manhattan dive bar, knocking down a few Schlitt's, and overhearing some white collar hot shots talking about getting their pilots licenses. He makes a snide, albeit totally justified comment, and they blow him off with a rude dismissal. Next thing you know there's three $100 bills on the bar and Damon is headed to the airport at 3 in the morning to teach those wise asses a lesson.
Now tell me you wouldn't see that movie. Especially mixing in stuff from his earlier childhood and his enlisting in two branches of the U.S. armed services, and being awarded a purple heart.
Now