Tommy Fitz – The Pilot Who Landed at a New York Bar

08-08-23

Episode Transcription

Made by robots for robots. Only read if you're weird.

Unknown Speaker Hey man, what's up? Today we're gonna do an episode about someone who's still alive Unknown Speaker all right, weird intro we've done in a fat minute. Okay, great. Go for it. Have you ever heard of Jose Conseco still alive? Unknown Speaker I mean, it's not the first time we've done one. Yeah, Speaker 1 I don't know why you gotta be like, Hey, man. Today we're going to do an episode about someone who's still alive. Did they survive something crazy? Is that what you're saying? Unknown Speaker I mean, depending on your perspective, yes, sure, go ahead. Have you ever heard of a Thomas Fitzpatrick? I know him as Tommy Fitz. Speaker 1 Tommy Fitz. Yeah. No, but he sounds like he runs a like a 50s themed diner. Oh, come on down to fixes. Speaker 2 It does. It does. There's a fitness here. Yeah, right. That's the train place. Unknown Speaker That's a Fritz's. Oh, cause Right, right. I think so. Yeah. Fritz, for instance. Yeah. Anyways, yeah, don't ask about train places. I your train boy. Today we're going to talk about my favorite train places. I'm a trainee Speaker 1 My goal is to get enough dirt on people that I forced them to come to my shows at a black. Here's my tour dates. If you don't come I'll ruin you. Speaker 2 They were just like, yeah, we need to do this for the war. You can get your license later. Who cares? Unknown Speaker Yeah, they are. Things I Learned last night Speaker 2 they were taught me Fitz fits. Darn fits. fits. So tell me if it's he was a dude. Who lived days with dude. Yeah, in while you're still alive. Still alive. Still alive. Speaker 1 What's trapped? You know how you know we record too far in advance to do this. Right. Let's record another version. Can't guarantee anything here. So today's episode is about a dude Speaker 1 All right. Okay, so Tommy Fitz is Unknown Speaker was a real possibility. Honestly. He was born in 1930. So Unknown Speaker okay, just use whichever one you need. Yeah, we'll send you a thumbs up or thumbs down. Speaker 2 So dad taught me fit study fits me. He's born in Manhattan. Okay. New York. The big one. Yeah. And he was your average New Yorker in the 30s. Right. And 40s and 50s. All the years he was alive. Your average in New York Unknown Speaker is a lot. Still, he still is average. Speaker 2 Jersey. Now is your average New Jersey or New Jersey? New Jersey? Sure. Okay, so he, he's an interesting fellow for a couple of reasons. One, okay. When he was 13, he said it'd be cool to be in the army. Since 1943 Yeah. And he's like, he's like, they'd be cool. And so he just joined lied about his age. And they were like, yeah, we can use you. It's fine. Like we know you're lying, but it's fine. We can use it people. Yeah. Warrants fears. Like what Speaker 1 did he do in the military war? Yeah, I get it. But are you stupid? What are you a dumb person? I'm saying sorry, I shouldn't say that word anymore. Stupid or shut up. So are you What did he do in the military? Honestly, like he wasn't on the front lines storming the beaches at 13. Right? Yeah, so Unknown Speaker he joined Marine Corps and he was Speaker 1 a lot to go through. Yeah, at that age. Yeah, for sure. Verde beaches are storming the beaches of Normandy and adulthood. Speaker 2 This is this is 43 this is late war. They're not there's no beaches anymore. It's kind of just it's kind of like we just running around looking for Hitler. That's all that sure the war is at that point. Got it. Anyways, he did eventually get into someone Unknown Speaker say that's when the true war really started. Speaker 2 Some some will say that we haven't stopped that war yet. We're still looking Unknown Speaker Some ones they were still fighting that war. Speaker 2 So he got into recon planing for a little bit too, so he started flying recon planes. Unknown Speaker Now what? 14? Yeah, yeah. Speaker 2 So picked that hobby. I guess you can say career at 14 when he was 16. The military found out now the war is over. They don't need teenager Yeah, anymore. At 16 the military finds out and is like, Hey, you can't do this anymore. And then so then he went and he got a permission slip. That's not a joke. It's Speaker 1 my dad says I can go to like a be here. Hey, Dad. The United States military's parents already said yes. Can I stay over at their house tonight? Unknown Speaker This is really awkward, because Unknown Speaker I'm supposed to go to Sam said, Yeah, Speaker 2 I have some classified things I'm supposed to go do. So I need you to say I care. Unknown Speaker I can't tell you what. Speaker 2 I can tell you what we're gonna do, dad. But I need you to tell me it's okay for me to do. Unknown Speaker Please. Please let me go. Speaker 2 I'll give you two flights. I'll give you this coupon for two flights in my plane. Unknown Speaker Okay, so he starts reconnaissance. Yeah, he ends Speaker 2 up getting stationed in Japan. And he's in there for 15 Min 16. And so it's what 5046. Now, Speaker 1 as long as your parents know, we didn't care if your parents knew three years ago when you were 13. Yeah. But now we have a permission slip. Now we Speaker 2 got a permission slip. So okay. And so he ships off to Japan get stationed in Japan, and he's there for a few years. And then the Korean War starts bubbling up. And he actually gets injured. And he received a Purple Heart for it. But then because of that he's honorably discharged. And so he misses out on the Korean War. What age does he get discharge? 20. Speaker 1 So he's 20 years old. Yeah. And a Purple Heart veteran. Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He actually had like seven years of service, or to some stuff in Japan. And like, arguably, not officially Korean War, but it's like, it's, it's the Korean or the hat. But yeah, you could wear the hat if you want. Oh, sure. Yeah. It's kind of like, Speaker 1 I, I'm gonna veto whatever you're gonna say, no, let's just go ahead to the next. The next part. Unknown Speaker It's, it's kind of like when. Okay, it's kind of like when you like. You play varsity, but you're like, a third string. So you get a letter. But it's like you didn't you'd never even like, saw the field, you know? Sure. similar scenario, you're saying Speaker 1 his Purple Heart is you're equating a Purple Heart veteran, but like kids, just wanted to make sure Unknown Speaker kids break their legs all the time. Oh, cool. Cool. Speaker 1 Cool. Cool. You're you're saying a Purple Heart veteran, is the equivalent of a third string. Speaker 2 He got injured in a car wreck in Japan. That's what it wasn't even. Is it real? No, no, no, no, no. Okay, yeah, I actually, I don't know if there's a record. I mean, I'm sure there's a record in like the military books somewhere. But there's not like a public record of what happened to him to get a Purple Heart. Okay, because that's not the interesting part of his life. We're getting to that part. Unknown Speaker Okay, so obviously, that's a lot of life lived by 20. Speaker 2 Yeah. And it explains why he's the way he is then. Okay. So he does whatever he returns home, finds a couple of jobs works as like a steel Miller. Sure, whatever that means making steel and stuff. And one night in September 30 1956. He is at a bar in northern Manhattan, at the end of a bachelor party, did the bachelor party thing. And then he's been living in New Jersey for a couple of years now since he got back from Japan. So he like he hasn't spent a lot of time in Manhattan. This is his old stomping grounds. It's kind of like live we live in the glory days, you know? Sure. When he was 13 and Speaker 1 13. running the streets of New York. Yeah. We live in the glory days. And so when he was 13, couldn't find his way around, ran into Donald Trump in a hotel, ordered some pizza took down some bad guys, Speaker 2 as you do as the most average New Yorker 13 Yeah, you know, I, here's the Speaker 1 linear 13 don't know your way around the subways. It's easy to get lost there. It's a 15 reference, one of the Taylor Swift's hit songs from 2008 and Speaker 2 I was talking to someone yesterday about Taylor Swift. That does like live production for events. Sure. Let's take a guess. I bet. I bet Alex gonna have a better guess at this cool. How many trucks semi trucks? Do you think their? Their stage production brings on top with them? 2020 What do you think? Think it's in like the 80s. Now, Unknown Speaker holy crap. No way. He Speaker 2 told me he told me 63 Okay, yeah. And but he said he said that. It might be, it might be closer what you said, because he said there's two units. And so what they do is and that's the stage production, the stage production will go, they'll skip a date. So yeah, we'll go to the next day with that. Speaker 1 They're already setting up so she's here. We're recording this in 2021. Yeah. But we're very far Speaker 2 ahead. But she's here like this Friday, isn't she? Yeah. And he's at the stage because already here that's what I'm saying. They roll in Yeah, a couple days that they're setting up the stage and then the arrowhead or why wait? Yes, then yeah, of course. Yeah. So that's crazy bonkers, dude. Anyways, Unknown Speaker you know, I've got a couple of tickets. I'm trying to resell. Unknown Speaker Yeah, how are you? Yeah, yeah. What's the price Speaker 1 are you trying to buy? It depends what the price is right now. It's Nope, just kidding. It's higher now. It's higher now. It's higher now. It's higher now. You know, just keep going up. Give me a number. I can't it's impossible. Unknown Speaker Okay, cool. Speaker 1 What do you like 20 6300 Oh 7200 It's just it's just jumping like I needed to pull the trigger these days. We're fans are rich I guess. Speaker 2 Or are in debt bear very much a both a little both to her. Okay, so Unknown Speaker she Speaker 2 there's a moment in the middle of that show where the whole stadium no miles wide, just stops like the whole it just it goes silent. And then everybody they start this kind of like low hum. And they're like Speaker 1 my goal is to get enough dirt on people that I forced them to come to my shows at a black you know, some people have an email list. I got a black. Oh, no, I've got probably 1000 People in Jacksonville, Florida than I am. But we do a show there. They'll all show up. Anything. Don't sit down my newsletter. This is like a you better show. Here's my tour dates. If you don't come I'll ruin you. Man. Here's my live shows show up or tell everyone your secrets. Well, I'll steal the secrets out to work. Speaker 2 I love that. That's an you know, it's poetic. Yeah. Okay, so this guy Tom is Unknown Speaker one of our Patreon supporters know so much. So I don't know how we got here. I apologize. Speaker 1 Hey, thanks for listening to this episode. If you like our show, please leave a review. Leave a comment if you're watching on YouTube and go check out other episodes. Here's one of them. I hate the Lonnie Zamora incident. You know me just not a big fan of the alien episodes. But if that's your jam, that's out there. So go check that out. It's very fun episode. I think you'd like it. I hated it. So anyway, back to this episode. Unknown Speaker But Tommy Fitz, yeah, I Speaker 1 understand. tartufi He's back. He's up in Manhattan. He's up at 18 running the streets. Now he's back torn. Yeah, he's Unknown Speaker like, 2026 2060s out. It's a Unknown Speaker Germany for a while Unknown Speaker it Japan. Yeah, probably World War Two. Probably. I Unknown Speaker don't know how you said he went from Japan and then lived in Germany. Speaker 2 Jersey. Oh, New Jersey. Okay. Yeah, sorry. People mix those two up all the time. You're You're good. No, he lived in Jersey for a little bit. Sure. And a bit back to Manhattan. Drive. It's it's it's a trip. And so he was like, you know, this bachelor party is over. It was like a bachelor party, whatever. But I want to go back to my old stomping grounds. So it goes to a bar that he used to go to as a child. And yeah, I guess I don't know. Everybody, every every place. I've seen this story retail acts like he's like reliving, like his, his time in Manhattan. But when he was in Manhattan, he was. Speaker 1 Yeah. But he goes to this bar. He doesn't go to a bar. There's a wiggles concert. My favorite band again. He goes, he goes to Speaker 2 this bar, and he's hanging out at this bar. It's late. It's like one two acre. And while he's at the bar, he gets in this argument with another patron at the bar. Okay. over whether or not he could get to where they were from Jersey City in 50 minutes or less. And the guy was like, No way. You cannot pull this off. You could not get here in for teammates. He's like I guarantee you from Jersey City, right to here. bar to this bar in 15 minutes. To give you an idea, I actually took a screenshot on the maps of where this is so this is like Northern in the map there's a red dot this is barely Manhattan anymore where this bar is like it's it's Speaker 1 it's an where's he at in New Jersey that he's gonna come from? I didn't take a screenshot of that, but it's I just assumed you didn't want to screenshot the road directions to see how long it would take now, I think maybe that was useful. Fine. Give me a second. Just gonna point to the side of the TV. Here it's you know, the point of bringing this up. What was really thinking? Now, LaGuardia, Unknown Speaker let me tell you about LaGuardia. Tom Bennett. Speaker 1 There is a bagel place in that airport. That is phenomenal. So good. I couldn't tell you what it's called. I do know where it is on the airport map though. And every time I fly to LaGuardia, I gotta get a bit. I'm stalling for time. But I do go get was the W and George W. Bush. Was that was that Washington? What is now I think it was Washington. Walker. It might be Walker. It's like Walker, Texas Ranger. Speaker 2 I don't know. What is it? I think it's Washington. I think I've always thought it was Washington. Now I'm googling this. Speaker 1 George Walker Bush. It's Walker like Walker, Texas Ranger, Speaker 2 just saying I never would have guessed that. Huh. I always just assumed Washington. Okay, ready for this? Sure. I've had this already for a while. There it is. Speaker 1 Okay, so now take a minute. Yeah. I mean, like it was taking driving. Speaker 2 But that's with modern New York traffic. Sure. today. I look traffic looks pretty bad on the northern end of that. Yeah. That run. So all that to say it's not it's not a quick drive, you know, right. Wherever, right. Unknown Speaker And this is 13 miles, it says 13.8, almost 14 miles. Speaker 2 This is 1956. Two? Yeah, yeah. So this is a trip. Speaker 1 So he says, I could do it in 15 minutes Speaker 2 and 15 minutes. And the guy the guys here doubting him. Like he's like naked, you could not pull this off. And he's like, how Speaker 1 was he suggesting he would get from point A to point B? He's like and run it. Speaker 2 He's not given like a, an idea. Like, he's not I could get from there to here in 15 minutes. Yeah. And the guy's like, I don't believe you kind of do that. And he's like, I could, he's not saying like, on foot or No, he's just saying I could do it. Okay. And so they kind of argue about it for a little bit, whatever. It's like when I am. And then he's just like, Alright, and so like, kind of Irish exits, like everyone's sitting there to the drink, and he just walks out the building. So no one really sees him leave. But Unknown Speaker okay, they all see him return. Speaker 2 Two hours later. One of the patrons of the bar that night, it's just before last call. recounts that he heard what sounded like a loud fan. And he looks outside the windows of the bar to see this. Oh. If you're listening, there's a plane in the street. Unknown Speaker Just parallel parked, furloughed part plane. It's visit a wing. Speaker 2 This is a couple days later, while they're like, Okay, we gotta get this out of here. And you can't take off. They had to take it apart. Yeah. Oh, shoot. Yeah. And so here's what he did. Here's what he did. He said, All right. And so he got a taxi back to New Jersey City back to Jersey City, which took like an hour. Speaker 1 Yeah, it gets. Jersey City. He has a plane, no. Jersey City. He had all a plane. Speaker 2 So Jersey City, he had relatively recently done some work as an airline mechanic or an air, not airline, but like regular airplane mechanic. So like, playing a small lawyer at Teterboro airport, which is like a small regional airport in your city. And he, he had done some work there. He also was working on getting his actual pilot's license out of that airport. And so he did not have his actual pilot's license, because which is interesting. Yeah. Because he honestly, he did recon flights in the military, but maybe the military at the time didn't license you. They were just like, yeah, we need you to do this for the war. You can get your license later. Who cares? I don't know. But I guess he maybe it's a civilian license. He needed to get separately. I don't know. I don't know what the legal terms are. 50s were, but I do know he was studying to get his license. Out of this airport. He'd done some mechanic work out of the airport. And so he went and he found Cessna 150 and just took it took off and flew up to Manhattan. And then came to St. Nicholas Avenue near 100. Street. Yeah. And came in and yeah, landed right on the street about three o'clock in the morning, no lights, no radio. When I did, and then taxi to the bar and parallel parked in front of the bar and got out and said, I took off 15 minutes ago. And everybody in the bar was always a little bit more impressed about the plane thing than they were about the got here in 15 minutes thing. Unknown Speaker Well, you could have taken 60 We still would have been impressed we still would have. Speaker 2 Because Because here's the thing, this is New York City. This is I mean, there's six seven storey buildings at the time. Yeah, so Unknown Speaker he's bringing it down the middle, like you're dodging buildings, Speaker 2 you're dodging, building all the light poles. They they describe it like threading a needle. Like, right in between all the end there's traffic to and that a lot. It's 3am. But there's still there's cars out there. And there's Unknown Speaker a Cessna as you can see. Yes. Speaker 2 Yeah. So I mean, he pulls it off. He lands. He's also I mean, it's it's 3am He went to a bachelor party and spent a couple hours arguing with someone in a bar, like he's definitely intoxicated. And so he lands that plane. Everybody the bar is like two super cool. Speaker 1 And then the police are like, Hey, excuse me. Are the bars carrying them outside on their shoulders? Hey, this guy didn't he Unknown Speaker didn't play Tommy. Tommy fit the police roll up. But they go who did this? He did. He didn't do that. I don't know why. I don't know why I'm saying I keep saying that. I can get out of here in 15 minutes. Speaker 2 Yeah, no, they're all hanging out back in the bar. They're celebrating your heart and someone, someone in the that comes over to the bar intercom and says, Hey, if you parked illegally parked at 3am, and the planes is getting towed out front. Speaker 1 Whoever has the Cessna 150 Your lights are on. Speaker 2 Also, I don't think you can park a plane there. So Unknown Speaker the police show meter was broken. Speaker 2 The police show up. They started asking questions. Yeah. And they're like, Hey, so what's up with that? And he's like, Oh, well, you know, I was I was flying out to the other airport. And I had some engine problems. And so I Oh, so he claimed I decided our emergency land right here. Grab a drink. Everybody here was you know, they saw that thought it was my ring. So I came in saying my couple drinks. It's not like it's just, you know, her want me to Speaker 1 sign their faces and and autographs and pictures? And like, I kept saying I wouldn't, I wouldn't use the word hero. I think they did. Write that down in your little cop notebook that you got here. It's ag aro. Yeah, but I don't. Unknown Speaker I want to I want to, Unknown Speaker I wouldn't say I wouldn't say Speaker 2 yeah, I would, I would say it was kind of something from deep within. Like, you know, when like things just, it just Speaker 1 takes I would say we're having an officer I left here got a taxi blacked out and woke you again. We're playing outside couldn't tell you don't know where the plane came from. We don't know what PTSD is. Yeah. But this sure sounds like it. Speaker 2 So the police officer is like, that's a cool story. What about the reports we have a plane that went missing around two o'clock from this airport is it Unknown Speaker 30 minutes ago. Speaker 2 And then the reports of a plane taking off without radio or lights from that same airport. And then you know, a plane that matches that description. Just so happens to be out here. And you got me. Yeah, Unknown Speaker so he talked. Unknown Speaker So he gets arrested? On the 15th. Unknown Speaker Yeah. Speaker 2 Yeah, not on the landing. So he gets arrested for that. The owner of the plane comes forward. Has a word with Tommy decides not to press charges because he says it was a hero. did say he literally said It's impressive that he landed it and there's no damage. So but now they have to take it apart. So he didn't Yeah, so he didn't press charges. I don't know who paid to move it. Maybe the city I don't know. But they did take it apart and they shipped it back to the airport and put it back together. Hey, thanks again for watching this episode. If you're enjoying it and you're enjoying chillin, you've been around for a little bit, I want to invite you to be a part of our Patreon We have a Patreon that has early access to all of our episodes ad free content, both audio and video. We have a discord with our hosts and producers. That's a ton of fun getting to hang out with all of our patrons in there. We also do once a month now we do these live streams with our patrons. We hang out we get to know each other, we eat pizza. It's a blast, along with a bunch of other benefits like a merch discounts message on your birthday like fun stuff. It's definitely worth it. We're having a blast with our patrons. But if that doesn't sound like something for you, that you're just kidding, no, we love you. Thanks for checking out. Dylan podcast. How do you how do they get it though? I realized I forgot to put a CTA in mind. Oh, dang, we're doing Yeah, Speaker 1 they can text Tillandsia 66866. Thanks, Jared. Unknown Speaker They ship it. Okay. Speaker 2 Well, I mean, like a truck. They loaded it into a truck and drove it to the airport. I don't see Speaker 1 why it flies. Yeah, but what do they what are Speaker 2 they gonna take it apart and then take it down to a different airport and then fly it three minutes to that airport when they could just drive 20 minutes? Speaker 1 Was it 20 minutes? It was a 20 minute drive. Why was the argument over 15 minutes? Speaker 2 Well, what I'm saying is the other airport. Oh, it was probably 20 minutes. I don't I don't know the distance of every airport should I do. Anyways, Unknown Speaker part of my training. Speaker 2 They put a blindfold on your face. Yeah. And then they describe a runway to you and you have to tell me where it is. Speaker 1 Yeah, they are. Yes, they are. Okay, so no charges pressed, no charges where he goes, let me do it again. So he's been three days ago, I didn't figure this out. My favorite is Tim's face when my job I had my story on accident. Okay, Speaker 2 he spends three days in jail while they figure this thing out. And then he gets out after it goes hard to jail goes about his life. The police are like well, I mean, he got away with it. I guess. A goes about his life. Couple of years later, he's back at this same bar likes his bar a lot now because it's the fame. He's got his picture. pictures on the wall. Yeah. It's like he won the blazing challenge used to hang out with a picture with like, you know, hi. And this picture, they call him Timmy, Speaker 1 but he goes with it. Yeah. And he goes now it's close enough to my name. Speaker 2 But don't you kick dare call me TV, you say? So he's taken out of this bar. And the people are talking to him. And some guys like you didn't do that. The plane thing? Yeah. And this guy's like, you didn't do that. That didn't happen. This guy Speaker 1 has an ego issue. Where he goes, I don't believe you. Speaker 2 Yeah. Is it because I didn't do that? And he's like, Yeah, I did. And he's like night. And so he again. Irish exits. Just kind of disappears. I was like, he's like, I'm going to the bathroom. Two hours. Tommy. Tommy. No GS. Tommy, he's always disappeared and coming back with a play. It's thing he does. Where did you find that play? Yeah, he does the same thing. He gets a taxi goes down to the same airport. Find someone else's Cessna 150 different plane. Yeah, but it's same. Same plane. Different. Plane. Yeah. Same type of plane. Different plane. Speaker 1 I know how that works. We both drive Honda Civics. I'm not going to get in your car when we leave here. I drive a Honda Civic. And you're like, No, no, I get that. You drove a Honda Civic. Civic. I drive a Honda Civic. Stupid. Speaker 2 Card. Every car. Okay. Okay. Okay, okay. So he takes a taxi out to that airport. Yeah. Taxis out to the roadway, and then takes off and pulls it off again. This time, though. It's not three o'clock in the morning. It's like earlier evening, like 1010 o'clock search traffic. Oh, no. And so he actually as he's coming in for a landing, there's a car. And so he comes in for the landing and he touches and goes over the car and takes off, hits 20 feet over the car and comes back down and lands behind the car. Unknown Speaker That's super dangerous, but okay, well, yeah, Speaker 2 I mean, landing on the street is super dangerous in general. Oh sure but pulls it off doesn't damage the plane doesn't damage any vehicles does it damage light poles or the buildings or the streets or anything? And the patrons in the bar describe the same experience as they're all sitting there being like where's Tommy go and they just hear what sounds like a loud as he taxis into this parallel parking Unknown Speaker here comes the fan Speaker 2 you know? So he lands drunk again gets out everyone's excited. The police aren't really mad this time. Because you just are like your this wasn't an emergency. Yeah. No it was isn't he's like though it was an emergency and like, tell us about the emergency. Well, he didn't. I said I did this thing. And it Speaker 1 was a crisis of my inner self. Yeah, if Speaker 2 I couldn't prove that I did this, then I'd be dead. It was an Unknown Speaker identity crisis what it was. Speaker 2 And so he gets arrested for plane theft. Yeah. And so the charge that he was given was grand larceny. Yeah. For the theft. The the pilot did press charges for that. And so he got slapped with a really big fine for that. But the judge Speaker 1 the bar all came together and paid it though. Pocket around for our friend Timmy, who's flown here twice. And you believe him now? Don't you? Doubting Thomas. Speaker 2 It was a love offering and the story goes, I don't know if it's true. But the story goes that that love offering inspired a young man who was in the bar that night. Also, like 11 like to Unknown Speaker fall through some ice Speaker 1 Oh, I was just nevermind to fall through. So yeah, and he got saved and then a whole movie. Oh. It wasn't for Tommy, flying that plane and landing in New York City. I wouldn't have fallen through that ice and got a whole Christian movie made about me. Unknown Speaker Okay Unknown Speaker what's next? Yeah Unknown Speaker sorry. You're having a real breakthrough Forget it. Forget. It sparked my interest. Speaker 2 I was just gonna say like a Southwest thing. Like it was guys. Like, what if there was an airline that had this much love for its passengers? Oh no, yeah. So the judge came down pretty hard, because they said, hey, if if we would have actually punished him last time, he might not have done it this time. Unknown Speaker He was proven wrong. Yes. Third time. Speaker 2 I'm pretty hard on him. They gave him six years in prison for Oh geez. Or illegal parking of an airplane was the sentence, which apparently is six years in prison? I don't think it is. But this time it was because the grand larceny? I guess they couldn't for some reason. I feel like that was probably an easier charge to get a larger sentence. Sure. But the illegal parking of an airplane was what they they hit him with. And they gave him six years in prison for that. And so he said in an interview about it, he said it was that dang drink. So far the alcohols fault. Unknown Speaker It is the only episode. Here's the thing, though. Speaker 2 Here's the thing, though. He didn't never do it again. As we know. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. You seem surprised. Speaker 1 Well, I don't know. It just I just thought there was an interesting part of the story. Are you not interested in a plane leaving in the street? Love that? Speaker 2 Yes. Crazy. You you have a quarter pilot's license, you should be interested in this topic. She's asked your flight instructor next time you go on Unknown Speaker my reel. You should ask your chat menu on flight simulator. Unknown Speaker Yeah, yeah, well, I actually land planes in that one. i Alright. It's been a while. Speaker 1 It's been a while. It's been a while. Are you gonna pick that back up? Yeah. Speaker 2 Brent asked me about that. Yesterday, did he? I said do you think Jared is going to pick that back up? Unknown Speaker Why would I not it's been a while it's been a while. Unknown Speaker Yeah, cuz you landed that plane in front of that bar and then we'll Speaker 1 just got to pick better bars to do that. Pick the ones that are like out now. Yeah. Isn't Okay, so I wanted to throw some axes one night right? Downtown, and I land my plane at bury the hatchet. And know for those that don't know how the FAA works is that in 2015? I took an a depressant, yes. For like two months to see if it would help. Yes. And my counselor decided it didn't. Yes, it didn't make that much of a difference. And so I quit taking it. But the FAA is like, whoa, why did you take that? You can't you can't be in a plane. Yeah, you took her? Why are you gonna? What are you gonna do? You know, and so, so now they're making it really difficult for me to get my pilot's license, which is also why all of your airline pilots never report any of their health or mental issues also, and ended up having shorter lives because of it. Yeah. And you know, when I say the FAA is super annoying. Speaker 2 You know what, you know, FAA stands for fiddle. Speaker 1 Things last night is a production of space Tim media produced by Kristian Taylor audio is edited by Alex Garnett video by Connor Betts social media is run by Caleb Walker and graphic design by Caleb Goldberg. Our hosts are Jaron Meyers and Tim stone please follow us on social media at tilam podcast that's ti O N podcast, leave a review, comment, subscribe, wherever you are. Thank you for listening to things on the last night Transcribed by https://otter.ai


In the vibrant streets of New York City, where dreams and challenges intertwine, a daring tale unfolded that left patrons at an uptown bar utterly astonished. Tommy Fitz, a man of audacious spirit, engaged in a bet that led him to execute a remarkable feat – not once, but twice – by landing a Cessna plane in front of the very bar where the wager had been made. This jaw-dropping display of determination and flying prowess etched Tommy Fitz’s name into the annals of 1950s aviation lore.

A Bold Wager and a Maverick’s Determination

Amidst the clinking of glasses and lively banter at an uptown New York bar, a spirited argument ensued. Tommy Fitz, known for his daring nature, found himself embroiled in a heated debate with a fellow patron. The subject? Whether he could make it from New Jersey to the uptown bar in 15 minutes. As skepticism filled the air, a spark of determination ignited within Tommy.

Unfazed by the disbelief around him, Tommy discreetly slipped away and hailed a taxi. A short ride later, he found himself at a private airport in New Jersey, where an unattended Cessna plane awaited its fate. Tommy took to the skies with a mixture of daring and mischief, his fingers gripping the controls steadily. With the wind in his hair and the cityscape below, he navigated the aircraft back to the bar with unwavering focus.

Landing in Front of Legends: Tommy’s First Triumph

As astonished patrons looked on, their skepticism gave way to awe as Tommy Fitz’s Cessna descended gracefully, its wheels touching down smoothly on the street in front of the bar. Cheers erupted, and disbelief turned to jubilation. Tommy had done the seemingly impossible, turning a daring bet into a triumphant reality. The brave pilot had made his point, and his name echoed through the bar, a legend in the making.

Remarkably, the owner of the Cessna, though surprised by the audacious feat, chose not to press charges against Tommy. The bar’s patrons and witnesses celebrated the extraordinary spectacle, and Tommy’s name became synonymous with fearlessness and aviation prowess.

A Repeat Performance and the City’s Stern Response

Years later, the memory of Tommy Fitz’s legendary landing had faded somewhat, overshadowed by the passage of time. However, the maverick pilot was not content to let his daring feat be relegated to the past. Once again, a bet was made, and another challenge was thrown down. Could Tommy replicate his astonishing landing?

Undeterred by doubters, Tommy set his plan in motion. The Cessna’s engine roared to life, and the aircraft soared through the skies once more. In a heart-pounding reenactment, Tommy executed another flawless landing in front of the very same bar. The crowd’s cheers and applause reverberated through the streets, a testament to Tommy’s unwavering spirit and unparalleled flying skills.

Yet, this time, the city was less forgiving. Determined to make an example of Tommy Fitz, authorities levied a harsh sentence against him for his audacious actions. The city’s response marked a turning point in the tale, underscoring the boundary between audacity and recklessness.

Legacy and Inspiration: A Maverick Remembered

Tommy Fitz’s audacious flights from New Jersey to an uptown New York bar remain etched in the collective memory of those who witnessed his daring feats. His story is one of determination, ingenuity, and a willingness to push the boundaries of what is possible. Tommy’s audacity inspired a generation to dream big and seize opportunities while also serving as a reminder of the fine line between daring and legality.

As we reflect on Tommy’s incredible journey, we are reminded that legends are often born from a blend of audacity, skill, and a touch of mischief. His tale encourages us to embrace our passions, dare to challenge norms and navigate life’s challenges with unwavering resolve. Tommy Fitz, the maverick pilot of the 1950s, will forever remain an emblem of boldness and aviation prowess, a true icon of his time.


Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning and laughing a lot while you do, you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!

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Sources

Thomas Fitzpatrick (Pilot) – Wikipedia


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