AIR FORCE ONE AND ME

We've established...I think...that I'm sort of an aviation junkie. If I haven't then I'll correct that right now.

I'm an aviation junkie.

I think we've also established that I'm afraid to fly. If I haven't I'll also correct that right now.

I'm afraid to fly.

Which is why Saturday night was super neato. I got to go into a really spiffy jet which was not going to go up into the sky where spooky, icky, scary things are. For once I could enjoy being in a jet and not ask for someone to knock me out.

The jet was Air Force One which is on permanent display at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It was Ronald Reagan's Air Force One which is why it's at the Reagan Library and not at the Clinton Library. I'm not sure if Bill Clinton has a library. Maybe someone could look it up. I'd do it, but with things being so busy and crazy right now, I just don't have the time. Sure I could have googled it in the time it took to type this sentence. But I have something more important to do.

And that important something is to show you this picture...

This is a picture of my wife and I as we entered Air Force One. Actually, that's not my wife's head. She has requested to remain anonymous so I have replaced her with Herve Villechaiz.

You probably can't tell, but I'm super excited to go into Air Force One. I love jets. We've established that. We have, right?

I don't normally go around in a suit but we were at the Reagan Library for a fundraising dinner for the Pregnancy Counseling Center of Mission Hills. (Which is a super cool organization that helps women in crisis pregnancies to keep their babies by providing all sorts of great resources.)

Anyway, guests of this fundraiser got to walk around the library for free before dinner. Part of that walk included Air Force One. In my case, I ran. I ran to Air Force One. My wife said to slow down. But I didn't. Cuz I like planes. We've established that. Read the first sentence.

There also happened to be another event that night. I don't know what it was...but the people at that event were super important. More important than us. My wife and I were mistaken for those more important people. Perhaps it was my blue tie. I don't know.

Once inside Air Force One, and mistaken for these more important people, we were then invited to sit in the cockpit. I was all gooey and said something like, "Really? We can? Wow. Seriously?" I think I started to cry. Which leads to my second picture

I'm in the captain seat. My wife is in the co-pilot's seat. Again, that's not my wife's head. I've replaced it with Herve Villechaize because she doesn't want her picture on the web thing.

I wanted to sit in the cockpit forever, press all the buttons and make engine noises. I would have unless we didn't had to go to the dinner. In fact, I think I told my wife to go to the dinner and come back when it was over. She didn't like this idea. Before we left the cockpit I kissed the wheely thing.

As we made our way through Air Force One, we were treated better than other people. Because, if I haven't made this clear, we were mistaken for being important people from the other event.

Now, I've done this tour before. It's a great tour. But there are few velvet ropes keeping you from stepping into certain rooms. Like the cockpit. And...Reagan's personal office. However, as we approached that section of the plane, the rope was removed and I was bid welcome to sit in President Reagan's chair at his desk. Which leads me to the last photo.

This is me. I put Herve Villechaize's head there just because.

This is where Ronald Reagan sat and did Ronald Reagan things. And had my wife and I not been mistaken for being more important than we are, I never would have gotten that chance to sit here.

So, if you ever go to the Reagan Museum and want to sit in the cockpit, wear a suit and a tie and look like you're important. Don't bring Herve Villechaaize because he's dead and that would be awkward.