Dr. Richard Edney’s cell phone rang Aug. 2 with a call coming in from former Nascar driver Andy Petree.

Petree needed to sneak in an eye exam on his way to Greenville and looked to his longtime friend for an appointment. To get there, Petree flew in on a small helicopter raising more than a few eyebrows around Columbus.

“My patients and the kids at the orthodontic office were thrilled to see a chopper land and wanted their photos taken with Andy,” Dr. Edney said.

It’s not the first time Petree and his chopper have made an appearance in Columbus. Edney said his friend has flown over the town before to grab aerial shots and take Edney for a visit to his home on Lake Normon near Charlotte.

“Several people thought it was a medical helicopter this last time,” said Dina Edney. “So, we’re glad he was willing to get out and let the kids see the helicopter.”

Petree is now an ESPN commentator and known for his time as a well-known crew chief on the Nascar circuit.

Edney first met Petree in 1993 when he was the crew chief for Nascar driver Harry Gant.

“Andy came into my office with a piece of metal in his eye and after treating him he asked me to go to a race with him sometime,” Edney said. “I became an immediate Nascar fan after going into the garage area and onto pit row and meeting the drivers and pit crews.”

Eventually Edney even suited up as a member of a pit crew for a Busch series team. He kept up his practice but traveled with the team on weekends.  Before long,

Petree left Harry Gant’s team to become Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief and win a championship.

During all of the excitement of Petree’s career during those years, the two have remained friends. Edney said they have come to share a passion for flying as well over the years. Edney has been a pilot for 19 years, with 2,000 hours in the air. A few years ago, Edney said Petree took helicopter lessons and purchased the Ranger helicopter.

Now, Petree owns a smaller helicopter that he keeps near his home in Hendersonville and on occasion will take quick flights here to Columbus.

Dr. Edney started in private practice in 1987 in Asheville.  After six years of solo practice he merged into a group practice with 17 other eye doctors.

Edney left the group to return to his hometown and start his own practice in the same building as his brother, Steve Edney, an orthodontist.