John Gavin - Actor ("Psycho"), Ambassador to Mexico, Friend of Johnny Myers

Director RJ McHatton with John Gavin

I drove up the windy road up to the top of the hill looking over Beverly Hills and to all of LA, to the home of John Gavin. I was there to interview John Gavin for my documentary “Flying Man: Life and Times of Johnny Myers.” John Gavin was a successful actor in Hollywood during the 50s and 60s, in movies like “Psycho” for Alfred Hitchcock. He also was a successful businessman and then became the Ambassador to Mexico under Ronald Reagan. John was also a good friend of Johnny Myers for over 25 years. John likes to be called “Jack” Gavin. We sat together as I recorded on video his memories of his friendship with Johnny Myers. I could tell that Jack Gavin stilled misses Johnny Myers. Jack talked about how he met John Myers at the Sunset Club. Jack talked about the good times he had with Johnny Myers. He talked about their times at the Los Angeles Country Club and at the Bohemian Grove outings. Jack Gavin talked about John Myers the man. He told me that Johnny Myers was a wise man, a humble man, a man whom he admired very much. Jack talked about flying with Johnny Myers. He told a story about how Johnny Myers could do rolls with the aircraft without anyone ever spilling their drinks. He talked about the character of John Myers. Jack talked about Lucia Myers and how she was the first woman on the Bank of America Board of Directors. Jack talked about Johnny Myers’ sense of humor and how he used to call himself “skinhead” because of his balding hairline. Jack Gavin said it must have been contagious, pointing to his own hairline with a smile. Jack was very nice in our interview and he did a great job in describing many excellent stories about John Myers. He talked about the great aviation stories that Johnny Myers would tell, only if asked. He said that Myers wasn’t the type of person who talked about the past unless you dragged it out of him. Jack Gavin talked about how kind Johnny Myers was to everyone and how he had great courage. Not the kind of courage one brags about. The humble kind of courage. I could tell that Jack Gavin had many fond memories of his experiences with John Myers. Thanks, Jack Gavin, for taking the time to talk about your friend, Johnny Myers.

David Price - CEO American Airports, Aviator, Friend to Johnny Myers

David Price with Director RJ McHatton

It was a beautiful day in Santa Monica. I was there to interview David Price for my documentary “Flying Man: Life and Times of Johnny Myers.” David Price is a very nice guy. I could tell that immediately. He came from very humble beginnings to become a very successful businessman, aviator, and spiritual inspiration to many people. David Price is the CEO of American Airports, the largest developer and operator of airports in the country. He was the founder of American Golf Corp which managed over 300 golf courses. He also is the founder of a Christian school and the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica. During our interview, David was awesome. He showed me some airplane models all over his office. These were models of all the different planes he has flown. David’s eyes lit up when talking about each plane. As we toured his office, David showed me his diploma certificate when he graduated from UCLA law school, pictures of his time as an attorney for O’Melveny & Myers, and he was very proud of a bell from the USS Arizona from Pearl Harbor. As we sat down for the interview David reminisced about his friend John Myers. I couldn’t get the camera started fast enough. David was moved by him memories. We talked a bit about his own life. David really is a self-made man. He came from humble beginnings. He is the son of Welsh immigrants but did go to college studying economics at USC and then went to law school at UCLA. He was a US Navy pilot during the early 1950s. He missed the Korean War, but clocked in lots of flying time as flight instructor. He talked about his childhood in the Santa Monica area where Lockheed was building airplanes for the war. He remembered seeing all the pilots in their flight suits. This was where he probably got the bug for aviation. He remembered all the cool interesting airplanes he saw in his youth. David talked about his first solo flight in an airplane. That is a moment that most pilots will never forget. David talked about his love for airplanes, especially those planes from WWII. He owns a few now and tries to fly as much as possible. He talked about his flying in the Reno Air Races and about the tremendous friends he has met through aviation, including his friend General Bill Anders. I asked David to talk about those days at O’Melveny & Myers, his first law firm experience. He talked about the incredible fundamental values he learned from those days. He said they were very professional, efficient, and extremely dedicated to honest day work ethic. Over the years David enjoyed working with many of the Hollywood celebrities who were clients of O’Melveny & Meyers. He told stories about working with movie stars like Marlon Brando and Bing Crosby. He talked about working with actor William Holden and negotiating the pay for his role in “Bridge Over the River Kwai.” David told about his blessings to have met and learned from some wonderful mentors over the years. He talked about a turning point in his life when he met Joseph Drown, a local businessman and real estate investor. He quit the law firm and went to work with Drown, which led him to leadership positions in several businesses like Getty Financial Corp, Beachcomber restaurants and the Bel Air Hotel. Then David went into the Golf business and the rest is history. During our interview, it was very interesting to me how David Price could recite Shakespeare and quotes from the Bible. We talked about John Myers and his being such a great friend to so many. We talked about how John Myers had so many friends that did not know each other. I mentioned this might be the best legacy a man could have, to have touched so many in so many different ways. David told me how he got to know John initially through John’s wife Lucia. Lucia was a remarkable woman in her own right. She was on the Board of Directors of Bank America for a long time. David talked about times with John Myers at the Sunset Club and at Bohemian Grove and at the LA Country Club. He talked about flying with John in his helicopter in Merced and about thier common love for aviation. I was very touched by my interview with David Price. He is a nice guy. He is a true lover of aviation. David Price a self-made man who reads the Bible, can recite Shakespeare, and loves to race WWII airplanes for fun.

Tom Jones - former CEO of Northrop, Lifelong Friend to Johnny Myers

Director RJ McHatton with Tom Jones

Tom Jones was very clear. He did not want to talk about anything where he wasn’t actually there. Tom said that he would be happy to talk about John Myers because he was a “Friend for Life.” Tom Jones has led a very interesting life, including many years as CEO of Northrop Grumman. But today we were there to interview Tom about his good friend Johnny Myers for our new documentary “The Flying Man–The Life and Times of Johnny Myers.” I was hoping that Tom would be able to give us some insight into Johnny Myers’ years working for Northrop. But it is easy to forget that Johnny Myers lived to be way over 90 years old. Tom really didn’t want to talk about those days. He wanted to talk about John Myers, the man. Tom said that he couldn’t pinpoint the first time he met John Myers because he seemed that they had lived their whole life as friends. John and Tom were in many clubs and organizations together. We talked about how John used to go to the Country Club a lot but that he did not play golf. John wanted to see his friends. Tom talked about how much John loved his wife Lucia. He said that Lucia was a beautiful and wonderful wife to John Myers. Tom told me some great stories about John Myers and how he was truly a remarkable human being. Tom said that John Myers was a gentleman, a person with impecable integrity and strong will. Tom said that John Myers was the kind of man you looked up to, someone who always had a great attitude about life and was always looking for ways to help others. I could tell that Tom Jone was a life-long friend of John Myers and that they both had some common traits – including kindness and respect for others. I really enjoyed my interview with Tom Jones. He is a real nice man.

Paul Thayer - Friend of Johnny Myers "The Flying Man"

Paul Thayer watching a video of his good friend Johnny Myers

RJ McHatton with Paul Thayer

We drove to Southern California to interview Paul Thayer about his friend Johnny Myers for our documentary “The Flying Man.” Paul is a great guy. He sat down with me and we talked about how he met Johnny Myers. Paul was a Fighter Pilot during World War II. He served in the North Africa campaign and then was quickly sent over to Guadacanal. After the war Paul worked at an airline where he met his wife Margery. Paul eventually got a job as an insurance sales man. Then one day Margery saw an advertisement that a company was looking for Test Pilots. Over 1800 people applied for the job but Paul Thayer got the job. That is where Paul met John Myers. Thayer worked under John at Northrop. Paul talked about how great a man Johnny Myers was. He said that Myers was a man of integrity. Paul told me some great stories about how he and Johnny Myers flew a P-61 Black Widow one time. He talked about how John Myers nearly died during the testing period of the Flying Wing. Paul told some great stories about how he and Johnny Myers and Jack Northrop worked together. We talked about how in later years John Myers became a successful businessman. He talked about some of the clubs they both belonged to over the years. Paul told me how much John loved his wife Lucia and how painful it was to lose Lucia.

Everytime our discussion went to stories of flying, Paul’s eyes would light up. I could tell that Paul loved aviation. He talked about Johnny Myers love for fast cars and fast boats. He also talked about John’s love for his dogs. I was really impressed by my interview with Paul Thayer. He is a very nice man. I have learned that Paul once was Under-Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan. I asked him about Ronald Reagan. He said that Reagan and John Myers were similar in many ways. I asked him if Johnny Myers was a good guy. He said that he was more than a good guy. He was a remarkable man. Thank you, Paul Thayer, for letting me interview you for our documentary.

Clay Lacy - Interview for "The Flying Man" documentary

Clay Lacy with director RJ McHatton

I drove down to Southern California to do several interviews for my documentary, "The Flying Man: Life and Times of Johnny Myers." I first met Clay Lacy last December when I interviewed him for a short video we made for the "Legends of Aviation" celebration. That time Clay was very kind to me, driving me around his hangars and showing me some of his collection of very cool airplanes.

This time I was dedicated to getting an interview with Clay Lacy, asking him to talk about his good friend Johnny Myers for my new documentary, "The Flying Man."

Clay Lacy is considered as one of the greatest aviators of all time. I have been told several times by several people that Clay has the most hours as a pilot among living aviators. Some say he has over 50,000 hours, some say its over 70,o00. Everyone agrees that Clay Lacy is a nice guy.

During our interview, Clay told some wonderful tales about his longtime friendship with Johnny Myers. He talked about how Johnny Myers saved Charles Lindbergh's life. He told me about the days when Johnny Myers was the courageous test pilot of the P-61 Black Widow Night Fighter and the innovative but super dangerous Flying Wing.

The best stories from Clay Lacy came when he talked about how much Johnny Myers meant to him as a good friend. Over the years they had so many wonderful times together. Clay talked about the qualities of character and integrity that came natural to Johnny Myers.

In the end, I am so grateful for having been able to meet and interview Clay Lacy. He is the man who worked with Bill Lear and the aviator who did a lot of the aerial photography for big movies like "Top Gun" and "The Right Stuff." Clay talked about how pilots are honest people. The more pilots I meet and interview, the more I begin to understand what he means. Men like Clay Lacy are the type of man we look up to and the type of man we need more of. Heroic, courageous, living life to the fullest.

Janice Merriweather - Interview

Janice Merriweather

Janice Merriweather worked for Johnny Myers for over 26 years. We drove down to the Long Beach Airport to the former office of Johnny Myers to interview Janice for our new documentary “The Flying Man” about the life and times of Johnny Myers. John Myers was a legendary test pilot who did “First Flight” testing on the famous Black Widow P-61 and the Flying Wing. In later years Myers was a successful businessman in the aviation industry.

Janice showed us John Myers’ office which has the best view of an airport I have ever seen. As you walk into his office you can see a fantastic array of models of several different kinds of airplanes from WWII to jets. Janice told us that John Myers these were some of the aircraft that Mr. Myers flew in his career.

Janice did a wonderful interview, telling fantastic stories about her years working with Mr. Myers. She told me about the integrity and character of Mr. Myers. He was a rare person. A man with values.

We really appreciate Janice Merriweather’s help with our documentary.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center -- Air & Space Museum - Dulles International Airport

The Flying Wing

P-61 "Black Widow"

I drove over to Dulles International Airport to see the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a new part of the Smithsonian Institute's National Air & Space Museum. The Center was named for its major donor, Steven Udvar-Hazy.

I was there to get some pictures and video footage of the famous "Black Widow P-61" and the "Flying Wing." Both of these aircraft were first flown by test pilot Johnny Myers years ago for Northrop. I am producing and directing a new documentary about the life and times of the great aviator Johnny Myers. Johnny Myers was a mentor to so many pilots. He passed away last year.

The P-61 was the first aircraft to primarily use radar and to fly at night during WWII. It was used at both the Battle of the Bulge and at Guadacanal.

The Flying Wing was really the early prototype for what eventually became the stealth bombers. Johnny Myers was the test pilot for the Flying Wings at Northrop.

Thanks to everyone at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for their hospitality.

Barron Hilton - Legend of Aviation - Friend of Johnny Myers

Barron Hilton

Barron Hilton - Legend of Aviation, Friend of Johnny Myers

My GPS said it was recalculating the route, which means I might be lost. This made me worry that I might be late for my meeting with Barron Hilton. But it all worked out and I made it in time.

I entered the World Headquarters of the Hilton Hotels and was met by the security team. I told them I had a meeting with Barron Hilton and my contact person was Pat. They called upstairs and said to me that Pat would be down shortly.

I had my camera equipment in light bags so it would be easy to carry and setup for the interview. In a few moments, a tall guy with a big smile named Pat approached and took me up to a nice conference room where I could setup my equipment. Pat helped me set up the room so it would look good in the camera frame.

After I was ready, in came Mr. Barron Hilton and we had a nice video interview. Barron was a great friend to Johnny Myers. They had spent many years in their friendship and Barron had fond memories of their times fishing and flying together. I could tell by my short time with Mr. Hilton that Johnny Myers was a really nice guy. I wish I had met Johnny Myers. It sounds like he was a real character and a real quality man of integrity.

These days its hard to see many heroes amongst us. I know we just need to look closer to find the heroes. When meeting men and women like Barron Hilton and Bob Hoover and Emily Howell Warner, I feel inspired about the good in people. I wish everyone had a chance to meet people like these. Especially teenagers. I think that every teenager should meet a real life hero. Maybe they would get inspired to become a hero too. Barron Hilton was a very nice guy to me and I appreciate him taking the time to meet with me to talk about Johnny Myers.

Thanks goes to everyone who helped make the interview possible.