BRIGADIER GENERAL OLBERT F. LASSITER

FOUNTAINBLEU HILTON, MIAMI

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AIR BAHAMA HISTORY
BY FRED COX

A wonderful evening in Miami
at the Ray Anthony Show in 1968.

In the front founder of Executive Jet
and co-founder of International Air Bahama,
Dick Lassiter with wife Helene (Falk),
Gudrun Federico and Ray Anthony,
Betty Kunziger, Gunilla Crawford,
Gun Vidal and Gunilla Hammar.

Cockpit crews by Charlie Hinton

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In the early 1960s, retired Air Force General 
Dick Lassiter told actor Jimmy Stewart 
(whom he’d gotten to know during a stint as a 
technical advisor on war movies) about his 
plan to launch a private jet charter service 
for the powerful business executives and 
celebrities. Stewart agreed to kick in money, 
as did TV star Arthur Godfrey.
 
Another well-known military man, General Paul 
Tibbetts (captain of the Enola Gay) got 
involved, too. This crew launched Executive 
Jet in centrally located Columbus in 1964, 
and promptly bought the first Learjets that 
rolled off production lines. Executive Jet 
became the pioneer of private jet chartering, 
known for its fast planes and attractive 
stewardesses (Lassiter was said to have had 
a taste for both). But the business went 
through management shake-ups and was hit 
hard by the oil crisis of the mid-‘70s.

JD STONE AND DON TORRES

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Air Bahama Captain JD Stone
dedicated the song to General
Lassiter by making a speech on
the intercome during an Air
Bahama flight in June 1969!
Helene Brownson still has the
tape with JD´s powerful voice
to prove it! Helene was married
to Dick Lassiter at the time.

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BRIGADIER GENERAL
OLBERT F. LASSITER

General Lassiter was chief of the U.S. Air Force 
Command Post, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, was 
assigned to his present duties in August 1963. 
A command pilot, he started his military career 
in the Florida National Guard while an engineering 
student at the University of Florida.

WINNER OF GOLDEN GLOVES

An avid physical fitness student - he won the national 
Golden Gloves title as a lightweight and welterweight. 
Before graduation with an engineering degree, he spent 
two years in the Florida National Guard and two years 
as a radio operator in the U.S. Marine Corps. 

Upon graduation, General Lassiter entered the aviation 
cadet program. He won his wings and was commissioned 
a second lieutenant in May 1940. 

FIRST SOLO FLIGHT AT THE AGE OF 15

His first solo flight, however, was in Miami, Fla., in 
1935. At the age of 15 he flew a small Aeronca airplane 
to log his first solo. During World War II he flew 36 
combat missions in P-38 and B-25 pursuit planes and 29 
combat missions in B-29 bombers.

STUNT FLYER IN HOLLYWOOD

After the war, he did stunt flying in a P-38 in the 
Hollywood movie "A Guy Named Joe," starring Spencer 
Tracy and Irene Dunn. Later he flew in scenes for 
the movie "Women Courageous," and in 1952 he was 
technical adviser for Paramount Studios' 
production "Strategic Air Command," starring 
James Stewart. 

The two men later worked together on "Cowboy 57," 
when General Lassiter was a B-52 wing 
commander at Westover Air Force Base, Mass. 

In 1947 General Lassiter flew the B-29 "Pacusan Dreamboat"
for the world's distance record and the world's speed record 
for 5,000 kilometers and 10,000 kilometers. In addition, 
he broke the U.S. transcontinental record in 1948. 

The world's distance record, set 1-2 Aug. 1947, was 9,002 
miles without refueling, and stood until Dec. 15, 1960, 
when it was broken by a SAC B-52G which flew 10,000 miles 
without refueling. However, the record still stands for 
the propeller-type aircraft. 

General Lassiter was test pilot and project officer for 
another record flight, the around-the-world, non-stop 
flight of a B-50 bomber nicknamed "Lucky Lady." 

COMMANDER OF THULE AIR FORCE BASE, GREENLAND
In 1950 he did much of the test flying on the new B-47 
Stratojet bomber. He later served as SAC project officer 
on other test programs at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 
After commanding the 55th Reconnaissance Wing at Forbes 
Air Force Base, Kan., General Lassiter became the first 
SAC commander of Thule Air Force Base, Greenland. 

FLEW MORE THAN 300 TYPES OF AIRCRAFT
His record of having flown more than 300 types of 
aircraft includes rocket, jet and turbo-prop 
experimental planes. He completed B-52 training at 
Castle Air Force Base, Calif., in 1958, and was 
commander of the 99th Bombardment Wing (B-52) at 
Westover Air Force Base, Mass.
 
Prior to his current assignment, General Lassiter was 
commander of the 801st Air Division, Lockbourne Air Force 
Base, Ohio. 

General Lassiter retired Dec. 31, 1964.   
Died Dec. 6, 1973.



(Up to date as of November 1963)

Excerpt from Air Force Biographies -
http://www.af.mil