Benihana Founder Was Member Of 'Double Eagle V' Crew

To most of the world, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki will be known best as the founder of the Benihana chain of Japanese steakhouses... described as "equal parts restaurant, magic show and performance art" by restaurant architect David Rockwell. But Aoki also left his mark on the aviation world, before passing away last week at the age of 69.

The Balloon Federation of America tells ANN Aoki was among four men who made the first successful crossing of the Pacific Ocean by gas balloon. The Double Eagle V -- helmed by Aoki, Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, and Ron Clark -- flew 5,768 miles from Nagashima, Japan to California's Mendocino National Forest in November 1981.

Following that record-setting adventure, Aoki continued flying a special shape hot air balloon... humbly fashioned in his own likeness, complete with Benihana chef's garb.

One could say Aoki was the embodiment of the American dream... of both its best and least-desirable qualities. The son of parents who ran a coffee shop in Japan, Aoki emigrated to the US when he was 19, according to The New York Times. He opened his first restaurant years later, using the $10,000 he'd saved selling ice cream from a truck. Seven years later, he owned 15 restaurants.

Not all was rosy, however. Aoki resigned from the company he founded in 1998, under investigation for insider trading. He later pleaded guilty to charges he used an illegal stock tip to invest in Spectrum Information Technologies, ahead of news Apple Computer Chairman John Sculley would soon join the company. He sold the stock soon after, making hundreds of thousands of dollars... most of which he later paid in the form of a $500,000 fine, along with three months' probation.

Aoki made it a priority to flirt with danger. Besides his ballooning ventures -- arguably his least-risky endeavor -- Aoki also raced catamarans and powerboats. One accident while training in 1979 nearly cost him his life; a second crash in 1982 "only" injured his leg.

In addition to those exploits, Aoki also raced in the original "Cannonball Run" cross-country race, driving a Volkswagen Beetle stretch limo. He founded a New York nightclub, as well as a short-lived competitor to Playboy magazine. New York Magazine reports he sued four of his six children in 2006, alleging they tried to wrest control of the Benihana empire from him and his third wife.

Aoki passed away last Thursday, due to complications from pneumonia. We're sure that wherever he is now... it's a more interesting place for his being there.

FMI: www.bfa.net, www.benihana.com