98 Degrees lead singer tackling flying fear.

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BY PHILIP POTEMPA ppotempa@nwitimes.com 219.852.4327 | Wednesday, July 12, 2006 | (No comments posted.)

Flying with stars

Last month I wrote about Jeff Timmons, who shared lead vocals with Nick Lachey as part of the group 98 Degrees.

Timmons was in town last week performing with pop star Tiffany at Blue Chip Hotel and Casino in Michigan City.

I checked in with Crown Point attorney Donald Wruck III, who's the mouthpiece for Timmons, as well as former New Kids on the Block singer Jordan Knight, to find out how Timmons liked performing in the region.

I found out after last week's concert, Wruck and Timmons hit a few of the local favorite hangouts, including Jalape�os in Highland and Long Shots in Schererville.

The day after the Michigan City performance, Timmons had two shows in Hershey, Pa., so rather than doing the tour bus trek, Wruck persuaded Timmons to fly in Wruck's four seat Cessna 177 aircraft (which I file under the category of a "puddle jumper") kept at the Porter County Airport in Valparaiso.

Timmons is very afraid of heights, and in fact, in the 98 Degrees music video for "It’s All Because of You," he can be seen gripping onto the railing for the scenes on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Reluctantly, he agreed to fly, not realizing just how small the plane would be until arriving at the airport, nor how it is to fly for hours at 6,000 feet.

Three hours later, the duo touched down in Pennsylvania, in plenty of time for the gig (and for Timmons' queasy stomach to settle before hitting the stage).

Wruck told me the singer spent most of flight there with his head down reading a magazine to avoid looking out the window, but on the return trip to Valparaiso, Timmons actually contemplated for a moment about getting his pilot's license, before quickly deciding against it after hitting a bout of turbulence.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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