Brotherhood of pilot friends honor one of their own

Visit the Snooty Pig Café in Highland Village any weekday morning and you are likely to see a group of men sitting in a corner eating and chatting.

Numbering between a handful and a dozen, these guys share a common bond of flying. All are either retired or still active pilots who have flown in the military, commercially, and/or privately for many years.

They spend 60-90 minutes each day discussing topics both related and unrelated to aviation. Some are there every day, others just occasionally. But make no mistake, this is a brotherhood of likeminded gentlemen who genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

Starting when a couple of them met for coffee about 20 years ago, it has expanded to more people and at various locations before settling in at the Snooty Pig. They reside in Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lantana, Copper Canyon, and Corinth and represent all branches of the military. Yet the group doesn’t even have an official name.

“This is like a therapeutical group,” said Lantana’s Charles Elliott. “We solve each other’s problems. We laugh together and cry together.”

Not only do members of the group support each other but their spouses as well.

“They have no idea how much they give to me every day when Bob is out of town. They are just great,” said Highland Village’s Joanne James, who was with her husband as he was recognized Aug. 30 by the Federal Aviation Administration with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

Joe Murphy, the FAA’s safety team program manager, personally recognized James’ 50 years without any incident. Another group member – retired American Airlines pilot Neil Benton, 79, of Highland Village – received the same honor in 2016. They are among less than 10,000 pilots nationwide to earn the accolade since the program started in 2006.

James, 76, flew a single-engine Lancair 320 for 20 years – winning multiple times and setting multiple records in the Sport Air Racing League – until selling it last year. He piloted OV-10 Broncos during his eight years in the Marines.

“I feel like a go-kart racer among a group of Formula 1 drivers,” said James in humbly accepting the award.