Imagine flying basketball coach Roy Williams back from Los Angeles knowing that tomorrow morning he would make the hardest choice of his career.

Ross Razak, pilot for Kansas University casually tried to bait Williams to drop a hint about his decision involving North Carolina.

“But obviously he didn’t tell us anything,” Razak said of Williams, who left KU for his alma mater in April 2003.

Razak is one of four pilots the university keeps on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pilots fly KU coaches, officials, medical staff and dignitaries.

Razak graduated from Kansas State University’s flight school in Salina. He said he always wanted to go to KU.

“Unfortunately KU doesn’t have a flight school, so I just kind of bit the bullet and went there for four years,” Razak said.

In addition to Razak, the university employs Randy Pedersen, the chief pilot; Randy Singleton and Jeff Gnagy.

The pilots have combined for about 23,000 hours in the air.

“We fly anywhere from two to seven days a week,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen has flown former KU basketball coach Williams, current coach Bill Self, KU football coach Mark Mangino and basketball standouts.

The pilots often fly deans and professors to Washington, D.C. They have flown dignitaries such as Bob Dole, Jack Kemp and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu to Lawrence.

Most of the flights serve the KU Medical Center, Pedersen said. There are many Medical Center specialists who must travel quickly to patients in need.

Razak said getting doctors to where they need to go was the most important thing the pilots do.

Ross Razak is one of four Kansas University pilots. The pilots have combined for more than 23,000 hours in the air.

“We don’t just fly coaches around,” Razak said. “These people are out there saving lives.”

When the pilots do fly officials to Washington, it is to secure important funding for the university, Pedersen said.

“Most of the trips pay for themselves through promotions, endowments and grants,” Pedersen said.

The planes also fly students, speakers and promoters to annual honors banquets organized by the university for high-achieving high school students.