RONN'S QUEST FOR TOTAL VENTRILOQUIST AIR SUPREMACY BEGAN IN 1988. Ronn learned to walk on a high-wire for an American TV special called, "Circus of the Stars." The goal was preposterous, but fun - to perform a ventriloquist act 40 feet up, on a one inch cable, without a net. It was such a bizarre but successful stunt, that Ronn later repeated it two more times (with different variations), on his own TV series in England. This rare photo shows Ronn in the early stages of training. Clearly, he is not paying enough attention to his instructor, Leon Forte, of the famed Flying Walendas.
	At different times, and different heights, Ronn trained to walk a high-wire stretched over both a net and/or an airbag. Ronn gradually lost his fear of falling which explains why he's laughing in this shot. "I'm no longer afraid of heights," he'd tell his friends, "but I have a lot more respect for gravity."
In the first of many such exhibitions, Ronn rides a bike over a 40-foot drop while Buffalo Billy gripes and complains all the way across. Look closely - Ronn is actually controlling an electronic version of his puppet friend via switches sewn into his white gloves. The wires ran up Ronn's sleeves and into an uncomfortable metal harness under Ronn's clothes. Billy was welded to the harness. BILLY: Is this dangerous, Ronn? RONN: Yes. We're very high and we could fall... BILLY: Then why are you bugging me with this. Why don't you use a live child?

	In 1997, Ronn was invited to perform at a gala celebrating the Dubai Airshow by a member of that country's royalty. Ronn accepted, and for four days, as a guest of the Royal Family, he had free reign to explore all of the newest advances in aviation. Ronn was hooked. This was too cool! He had to learn to fly!
For most of 1999, Ronn was booked at Harrah's Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada (in the middle of the Mojave desert along the beautiful Colorado River). Ronn was finally in one place long enough to focus on learning to pilot a small plane. Pictured is the Cessna 172 owned by flight instructors 'Tookie' and Don Hensley.
	June '00 - While working on a cruise to Alaska, Ronn rented a small plane and a co-pilot and flew as high as possible without the use of oxygen, to circle Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. Whitney), the highest point in the North American continent. Note: pictured on the extreme left is one of many huge glaciers that runs down from below Denali's peak.
(He wishes!) Ronn is dreaming in this shot. Pictured is a WW II Navy trainer. His Alaskan pilot loaned Ronn the helmet (cowl?), and snapped this photo.
	2001... This is a REAL wish. It's Ronn's dream plane. Shown is a Cessna CJ1, a new more efficient design in small business jets. Believe it or not, Lucas is actually thinking of buying one. It does not require a co-pilot, seats 6 (more, if they're puppets) and can cruise just under Mach 1 at an elevation of up to 41 thousand feet. That's way above commercial traffic. Surprisingly, the price is also way under a million dollars. The flying lessons may cost more than the jet!

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