04 Nov 2026 5 min read

Two Friends, a Learjet, and a Ladder—Loose in London!

Thai stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts.

In December 1994, I was a salty USAF captain who had been stationed at Ramstein Air Base (AB), Germany for over a year. I was an instructor pilot in the Air Force C-21 (Learjet 35A), the primary mission of which was transporting high-ranking distinguished visitors (DVs) throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and beyond.

On December 7, our mission was an important one, but also a fun one. We were transporting a three-star Air Force general from Ramstein AB, Germany, to London. We would spend the night and return with him the following day.

My copilot was my friend Tom, a fellow ROTC cadet from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He was fairly new to Europe, this airplane and these missions.

We departed Ramstein AB at 7:50 AM and, after an uneventful flight, landed at RAF Northolt, England. This was a military base located not far from Heathrow Airport in west London. We dropped the general off, put the airplane "to bed," and headed to the hotel.

Once checked in and changed into civilian clothes (civvies), we met downstairs in the hotel lobby.

A Day to Ourselves

It was 10 AM. We were at our squadron-approved hotel in the Soho district of London with the whole day off.

I'd been there before, but this was Tom's first time. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"There are lots of options, including shows and stuff," I replied.

"Let's check them out," he said.

We visited a ticket kiosk down the street and looked at the shows that were available. We decided the shows were a little pricy. What to do now?

Well, there was a pub across the street.

One pub led to another and before we knew it, we had spent the day pub-hopping around London. Soon it was time for dinner, and we spotted a Thai restaurant called Tui. We both liked Thai food and so we popped on in.

Inside it was a small mom-and-pop place, and it smelled great. The menu had a dish called Gai Himmapan, a stir-fried chicken dish with cashew nuts, onions, bell peppers, carrots, pineapples, and spring onions. I absolutely loved it.

This beer glass may or may not be a souvenir that came back with me from that yummy restaurant.

A Better View

Navigating our way back to the hotel, we found ourselves in the midst of a large crowd near the Empire Theatre. There was excitement and anticipation in the air. I asked a fellow standing there what all the fuss was about and he said, "Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger are going to be here!" (I later learned that it was the UK premiere of Junior.)

Just then the crowd went wild, but we couldn't see anything over the people in front of us. Tom and I took turns climbing onto each other’s shoulders and we were able to see Arnold walking through the crowd of fans. It was very exciting!

Arnold at Empire Theatre entrance that night with wife Maria Shriver and Emma Thompson - Dave Benett/Getty Images

Arnold outside the *Junior* premiere in Leicester Square that night with wife Maria Shriver and Emma Thompson - Greg Bos/Reuters, via Bridgeman Images

But it had been a long day, so we started to head out. We didn't get far when the crowd went wild again. Dang, we were off to the right side now and how would we see anything from here? Not to worry, there was a white van with a ladder mounted conveniently on the side of it near us.

In a flash I was on top. Stepping around the big antennas that were there (was this a TV news van or something?!), I had a great view of Danny DeVito as he walked through the crowd smiling and waving. "Hey, Dan-ay," I yelled while waving. He must have heard me, because he flashed a big smile and waved in my direction!

Danny at Empire Theatre entrance - Dave Benett/Getty Images

Apparently, Danny wasn’t the only one who’d heard me...

An angry voice with a London accent shouted:

“Hey, bloke, get off my bloody van!”

As fast as I went up, I was back down again, and Tom and I skedaddled out of there and back to the hotel for a good sleep.

It had been one heck of an awesome day.

Over the next year, I would visit London several more times. Once with the lovely Mary, my future wife, and once when my mom and sister Julie visited. Each time I made sure to take us to that Tui restaurant and order that delicious Gai Himmapan.

In fact, when Julie, my mom and I were there, all three of us ordered the same thing. The nice waitress/owner lady implored us not to do that. "Instead, you should order a variety to try more of our wonderful dishes."

Thanks, but no thanks, we're here for the Gai!

Thirty-Two Years Later

For our 30th wedding anniversary, Mary and I spent five days in London as part of a long European vacation. We stayed in Soho, no less, and boy, did I have plans to travel down memory lane.

We caught a showing of Les Misérables, the wonderful musical that we had seen together in London back in 1995.

I found the location of the Thai restaurant. No longer called Tui, it is now Thai Square South Kensington restaurant. I asked the waitress there about the previous name of the place and she said, "You mean the Tui?" Bingo! I'd found the right place.

It has two levels; this is the upstairs.

The food was as good as I remembered, and their beer glasses were nice – but not souvenir-level nice.

Back to the Empire

Then, just as Tom and I had done 32 years ago, we ended up at the Empire Theatre.

Didn't see any movie stars but did get a picture of me.

If you ever find yourself in London, I highly recommend staying in Soho, getting some delicious Thai food, and seeing Les Misérables. And if you spot a van with a ladder, get on up there and look around for movie stars!