Conrad Kalitta, better known as Connie Katila, is the sole owner of a Michigan Limited Liability Company, Kalitta Air. I make sure to go into the race shop once a day. Being born on 24 February 1938, Connie Kalitta is 85 years old as of todays date 1st March 2023. Somehow he keptthe car on the track and upright. But theres not a day goes by I dont think of Scott. As we have already discussed Connie Kalitta has a net worth of 210 million dollars. He was 46. 1938 in Michigan. And a Challenger for West Coast races. And Connie Kalitta waits for no one. Kalitta started his string in the American Hot Rod and the NASZAR Championships. As we previously mentioned, Connie was very private about his relationship. He raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was the son of Connie Kalitta, a Hall of Fame dragster driver and team owner, and cousin to Doug Kalitta, Jr. winner of the 2007 NHRA Top Fuel drag title, who is the son of the late Doug. John Teresi. My eyes together are 20/20 almost 20/10 uncorrected, but I am worried about the future is there any waviers available if my vision is perfect together? Scott Kalitta was back at the trailer when someone ran up totell him what had happened to his father. The rest are kept at a distance. CK: Nope. According to various online resources (Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDB), the most popular American businessman Connie Kalitta estimated a net worth of around $210 Million. Yankee Air Museum: Kalitta is awarded the 2015 Visionary Award, NHRA: Kalitta is the first ever recipient of the NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award, NHRA:Kalittas Lunch with a Legend showcases NHRA and Michigan community, The Ann Arbor News:Drag racing legend Connie Kalitta's passion evident at the track, in the air. A public memorial service to celebrate the life of Scott Kalitta will be held Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at Ernsthausen . Must checkCarter Reum Net WorthandWichai Thongtang Net Worth. Last year Scott beatConnie two of three times, but Connie whupped him good in thefinal at the Gatornationals, a loss that stung Scott badly. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You have entered an incorrect email address! Also very lucky. More than 150 racers are expected for the Laughlin Desert Challenge, first of six off-road events. [4], Kalitta stepped back from driving in 1971, focusing on growing his airline business. "I went into that wallthinking, '----, this is going to hurt,'" he says with a laugh. Its still traumatic. The Kalittas made drag racing history at Houston when they ran the quickest side-by-side race ever--Scott's 4.748 seconds beating his father's 4.789. I have never had any problems getting a 1st class medical, but somtimes like I said above my vision is questionable in one eye. He was 39. Conrad Connie Kalitta (born February 24, 1938, in Michigan) is the CEO of Kalitta Air and a retired American drag racing driver, once nicknamed The Bounty Hunter. JavaScript is disabled. Here, at the 1967 NHRA Nationals he prepares to push back to the pits after a run at IRP. "You've got to dowhat you've got to do.". So, NHRA now demands that it be 100-percent pure nitro. At the moment, though,Scott Kalitta has other concerns. "Which it did.". And thats the spirit we should keep throughout our life. That was followed by five years of failure, caused in part by arrests for drinking. Air-freight magnate and drag-racing legend Connie Kalitta looks back on his sometimes stormy but always high-flying career. 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Kalitta was played by Beau Bridges, in a lead role, in the Muldowney biography film Heart Like a Wheel (1983). Mailing Address:818 Willow Run AirportYpsilanti, MI 48198, Toll Free:1-800-521-1590World Wide:1-734-484-0088Fax:1-734-484-3640. In May of 2000, Pete Sanderlin was hired by Kalitta Air to assist in the start-up of the company as an international air cargo carrier. He has an Associate of Science Degree in Aviation Maintenance Technology from Vincennes University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Technology from Purdue University. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. AIA was one of the world's 25 largest airlines with revenues in excess of $400 million derived from both scheduled and on-demand air charters as well as third party engine and airframe maintenance service. After sitting out the 1995 season, he was back in 1996, strong enough to finish third in the Pomona half-mile, and he raced a full season last year. CK: Ninety percent business, 10 percent racing. CK: Its the old Wurtsmith base, near Oscoda, Michigan. Kalitta is the CEO of Kalitta Air and the owner of Kalitta Motorsports. As an owner and crew chief, he won NHRA championships with his son twice . Kalitta's father is the now-deceased Doug Kalitta Sr., and he is the nephew of Connie Kalitta, a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. For as long as there has been drag racing on the old Fairgrounds track at Pomona, there has been a Kalitta there. Maybe even mean. Also a nine-seat Falcon 20. The crash happened on June 21, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. during the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNational drag racing event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. ", "It's hard for Connie to show affection," says Scott's crewchief, Dick LaHaie, who has known Connie for 30 years. He is deaf in his left earafter spending so many years around cars and airplanes, and hehas been blind in his right eye since it was struck by a pieceof metal that had chipped off a chisel he was using when he was18. His height is 1.71 m tall, and weight is 71 kg. Connie Kalitta is a legend in the world of drag racing. Conrad "Connie" Kalitta has built an impressive racing operation over more than half a century in the sport of drag racing, at times fielding a handful of professional nitro teams and garnering a long list of accomplishments, including several NHRA world championships. And, he was ranked #21 among Top 50 Drivers, 1951 2000, on the 50th Anniversary list of the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers. The Sprint Car Racing Assn. These are happy days in the house of Kalitta. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc., 17030 Red Hill Avenue, Irvine, CA 92614, 949.417.6700 February 2, 1996: Connie Kalitta performs during the NHRA Winternationals held at Pomona Dragway in California. Physical Status; Height: Not Available: . A career marked by promise, success, alcoholic despair and then success again ended in the living room of his rural home in the village of Spreckles, south of Salinas. He had just crashed Pancho Rendon's car, and I was pitching in to help qualify Conrad's Funny Car. He burst onto the motorcycle scene in 1978 as a rookie from Salinas riding in a half-mile national at Ascot Park. The entire value of his assets is about $210 Million. An unfortunate accident on 21st June 2008 at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park took away Connies son from him. A good run lasts lessthan five seconds. AIA supported the Desert Shield/Desert Storm operations with award winning efforts. Kalitta Air. . Even at 72, the drag racing legend's eyes still sparkle and the inflection of his voice changes when he talks about 170 decibels of surround sound that exist before foot meets the throttle. Moreover, he is now an American executive and businessman, and he is still earning a lot of money from the same. Race / Ethnicity Kalitta was born in Michigan and grew up in Mount Clemens according to our news reports. Drivers downplay it, but drag racing is dangerous business. The Height of Connie Kalitta is 1.71m. Zoltans main focus at Kalitta Air is to ensure that the Companys aircraft are maintained in an airworthy condition, and that the performance of maintenance, preventative maintenance, and alterations of Kalittas aircraft are accomplished in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Company, Federal, State, and Local Regulations. Connie Kalitta is a American sports Businessman Questions and Answers What is his estimated net worth? But she always climbed right back in, smiling. Connie Kalitta 88 Ratings Cons " Poor Management." (in 10 reviews) " Nepotism everywhere." (in 5 reviews) See more pros and cons Pros & Cons are excerpts from user reviews. SUCESS Kalitta's success on the drag racing circuit continued throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He has won the National Hot Rod Association event almost 10 times. They are not authored by Glassdoor. Both havedeveloped ways to cope with the lost time. "It was really hardto miss something that wasn't there that much anyway," saysScott. He has made most of his money from his business ventures. Rick Mears, Jack Brabham and former riding mechanic Chickie Hirashima are the latest inductees into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. During that period, he has assisted in the purchase of more than 100 aircraft and represented the company in countless aircraft related transactions. He is nicknamed "The Bounty Hunter". 2 Future records only include new-built aircraft close to delivery and expected second-hand deliveries. He is also the CEO of Kalitta Air and the owner of Kalitta Motorsports. Also, the nickname totally justifies his actions and racing habits. [4] His first major event win was the 1967 American Hot Rod Association (AHRA) Winternationals in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a 427ci "cammer"powered Top Fuel dragster. Top Fuel racer Jimmy Nixwas killed last year when his car smashed into a guardrail at260 mph, and in 1990 Darrell Gwynn was paralyzed. He raced from the 1950s through the 1990s. He was the son of Comrad,"Connie" Kalitta who also raced and owned the team.His cousin Doug Kalitta is also a driver for the team. It was formed in 2000, when Connie sold AIA and started its service in November, the same year. Kalitta Motorsports is one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing with seven world championships and over 100 national event titles in five different professional drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959. Today Scott headsTrans Continental Airlines out of the same airfield as his dad,their offices separated by a runway. I have a lazy left eye My right eye is 20/15 uncorrected, my left eye is 20/60 uncorrected and 20/20 varible 20/25 to 20/30 corrected. Kalitta famously founded Kalitta Air in the early 1960s, when he purchased a lone airplane using his race winnings from one of his early seasons behind the wheel. [Connie Kalitta's drag-racing car crashing into guardrail], COLOR PHOTO:DAVID LIAM KYLE [see caption above--Connie; Scott; and Corey Kalitta]COLOR PHOTO: LESLIE LOVETT The Kalittas get a rush from competing head-to-head. $40K-$58K Per Year (Glassdoor est.) So was he. Connie Kalitta gained fame in his "Bounty Hunter" dragsters beginning in the 1960s. CK: A lot of people have put that tattoo on me, but its not the way I am. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. He is also a FAA certificated Airframe and Powerplant technician. [3], Kalitta was runner-up at the 1963 NHRA Winternationals in Top Gas and at the 1965 NHRA SpringNationals in Top Fuel. Is there anything I can do if my eye is having a bad day? I was going to say look at Connie Kalitta, he has a lazy eye and still flies no problem.but I've heard he's also been known to fly Learjets single-pilot.so maybe not the greatest example. Whats The Reason Enthusiasts Cant Get, Full Factory Tour: How Edelbrock Makes Its Cast Aluminum, High-Performance Racing Fasteners: How ARP Fasteners Are, Dobbins Clocks First 3-Second Mountain Motor Pro Stock, BirdDoc: The Six-Speed GT500 Record Holder And Its High Flying, Video: Installation Time-Lapse Of The Fresh New 3M Wrap On, New Season Of Street Outlaws: Fastest in America Debuts March 13, Lizzy Musi Preparing For Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings Season 6, SPEC Clutches: For That Next Engine Swap Or OEM Upgrade, Shop Tour: Brian Tooley Racing Expands To Be A One-Stop Shop, Retro Injection: Modern Fuel Injector Tech Gives Us Room To Grow, How We Fixed The Unsightly Wheel Gap And Stance On Our 2010 Camaro. Kathleen Ertman began working for Conrad Kalitta as his secretary in 1994 and has remained with him during the various corporate changes. They met again in the Gatornationals finals at. This is a hard man to have as a father. 24 Feb 2023 18:30:00 Till today, his talent is appreciated. "He's old, and he's my dad, and he may not be doing this verymuch longer, but I'm not cutting him any slack," says Scott.Connie's good eye is getting worse, and many people suspect thathis good ear is deafer than he cares to let on. Kalitta was married to his former wife, Mariana McGee, until 1975, and there is not much information about her. Continued throughout the 1960s and 1970s in Top Fuel ( { } ) ; You have entered an incorrect address... Air and the owner of a Michigan Limited Liability Company, Kalitta stepped back from driving in,! Started its service in November, the same airfield as his dad, offices. 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