The Racer--

For over 50 years, team owner and drag racing legend Connie “the Bounty Hunter” Kalitta has been an icon in the world of professional drag racing. Kalitta, who has been involved in the sport as a driver, tuner, and as an owner, has dedicated unequalled amounts of time and resources to building one of the most successful teams in the history of auto racing. Kalitta Motorsports has won five world championships and over 50 national event titles in five different drag racing sanctioning bodies since it was established by Connie in 1959.

A lot more than the elapsed times have changed since the days when Conrad “Connie” Kalitta raced a 1951 Willys on an abandoned Michigan airstrip for pink slips. One of only a handful of racers from the early days still active in the sport, he has had a front row seat for some of the more significant developments that have helped to shape the sport of drag racing. While semis and 8,000-horsepower nitro-burning machines have replaced flatbed trailers and front-motored dragsters, one thing remains the same – Connie’s desire to win.

In addition to 22 NHRA national event final rounds with 10 wins as a driver, Connie also has five world championships to his credit. The first came in 1977 when he served as crew chief for Shirley Muldowney. He earned the next two, 1979 and 1982, when he drove to IHRA championships. The last two came as team owner of Kalitta Motorsports when his late son Scott drove to the NHRA titles in 1994 and 1995. Nephew Doug, now the driver of the team’s Top Fuel dragster, earned Connie a team owner championship when he drove his Kalitta Flying Service entry to the 1994 USAC National Sprint Car Championship.

Connie’s first NHRA national event win came in 1967 at the Winternationals. It was also at the Winternationals in 1989 that he became the first person to break the 290-mph barrier. He was the runner-up for the coveted U.S. Nationals title in 1982 and 1984 before finally winning the event in 1994. Also in 1994, he won the Gatornationals by defeating son Scott in the first-ever father-and-son Top Fuel final in NHRA history. These are just some of the achievements that earned him a spot in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America into which he was inducted in 1992. He was also inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame on March 14, 2002.

The Flyer--

The same force that drives him to excel on the track also drives him to excel in the skies.  Kalitta has a lifetime of experience in the airline industry that goes back to 1967 when he began transporting parts for the automotive business with a twin engine Cessna 310 (purchased with his race winnings) that he piloted himself.  Over the years, Kalitta grew from a one airplane operation into a substantial airline conglomerate, American International Airways, Inc. (AIA), that used B747, L1011, DC8, B727, DC9, Twin Beech and Learjet aircraft in worldwide airfreight, air ambulance and charter passenger operations.  AIA supported the Desert Shield/Desert Storm operations with award winning efforts.  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.

In 1997, AIA merged with Kitty Hawk, Inc. and Kalitta resigned from the company and the Board of Directors to pursue other interests, mainly to start another company -- Kalitta Leasing.  Kalitta Leasing is an aircraft brokerage company that buys, sells and leases large aircraft.  By April 2000 Kitty Hawk International (the former AIA) ceased operations and filed Chapter 11.  Dismayed that the airline he built from scratch was shut down, Kalitta fought to purchase the Aircraft Certificate and resurrect the airline.  Kalitta Air received its DOT and FAA authority to begin operations in November 2000 and immediately began revenue service.

Kalitta quickly obtained the necessary approvals from the government and secured contracts with the USPS and the DOD.  After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, when airports were closed and all flights were grounded, there was one plane in the sky that night that was not an F-16 fighter.  It was a Kalitta Air 747 hauling relief supplies from the West coast to aid disaster workers.  In 2003 Kalitta was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for support of the Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom Operations and Kalitta continues to support the USPS with scheduled flights delivering mail and packages to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition to resurrecting the airline, Kalitta has also revived the aircraft maintenance facility in Oscoda, Michigan which was once the home of the old Wurtsmith Air Force Base.  The FAA recently presented Kalitta Air with The Diamond Award which is the FAA’s highest honor for maintenance training.  Utilizing most of the airport and several hangars, over 600 employees work around the clock to maintain the aircraft.

To sum up how Connie feels about his two worlds…"I do what I love, and I love what I do, I’m very blessed."