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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Aviation Pioneers Celebrated 40-Year Friendship

Clay Lacy met Neil Armstrong at an event held by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots just months after Armstrong walked on the moon. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, as Lacy got to see another side of the astronaut and test pilot, who was famously shy in public. “He didn’t instigate a lot,” Lacy said. “You had to engage him, and when you did, he was delightful and treated everybody as an equal.” Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25 at age 82, and the world lost a great aviation pioneer. Lacy is yet another aviation pioneer. He has been flying since his boyhood days in Kansas and been behind the controls of every type of aircraft out there —commercial, business and military. He is credited with bringing the first business jets to Van Nuys Airport in the 1960s and continues to operate his aircraft charter and management firm at the Valley airfield. Lacy recalls one fond memory when he joined Armstrong in a 1988 flight around the world to raise money for charity. At the time, Armstrong had another commitment at the same time as the flight and changed his plans to fly aboard the 747SP dubbed Friendship One, Lacy said. “Everybody on the plane had their chance to take their picture and talk with him,” he said. In 2010, Lacy shared a stage with Armstrong at the National Business Aviation Administration annual meeting, when he and Armstrong each received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, Armstrong wrote the introduction to “Lucky Me,” a book published in 2010 chronicling Lacy’s career, which was compiled by publicist Stacy Geere. Lacy said he was honored that Armstrong contributed to the book, although it was Geere who made the initial contact. Geere offered to write a sample introduction and allow Armstrong to make changes where he saw fit, but he rejected the suggestion. “He took the time to write every word,” Lacy said. Jet Edge Adds New Aircraft Jet Edge International at Van Nuys Airport has added a 2001 Lear 45 to its charter fleet. The aircraft will be based on the West Coast and comes with on board Wi-Fi capabilities, an entertainment system, and forward galley. The plane has a range of up to 1,800 nautical miles. The Lear 45 is the first super light aircraft offered by Jet Edge, said President Bill Papariella. “Adding the plane to our fleet reinforces our commitment to providing a broad range of the most popular aircraft to meet our customer’s needs,” Papariella said in a prepared statement. Jet Edge also provides Gulfstream aircraft and Hawker, Citations, and Challengers through a partnership with XOJET. Airport Snags FAA Grant Van Nuys Airport received an $18.4 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration that will pay for repairing the airfield’s main runway. The grant will pick up 90 percent of the cost of the repair project with the state and the airport picking up the remaining amount. Los Angeles World Airports has a preliminary estimate of $20.4 million for the project. The grant ensures Van Nuys will continue to operate safely and efficiently to provide quality service to its users, said Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “Van Nuys is one of the country’s busiest general aviation airports and is a powerful economic engine for the Los Angeles region,” Huerta said in a prepared statement. The repair project, expected to start in early 2013, will place an asphalt overlay on a 4,400-foot section of the runway with shorter sections receiving a full reconstruction. The work will be conducted in three phases with a full runway closure of 10 days and 26 nights between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Board of Airport Commissioners will vote in October on accepting a bid from the contractor that will do the work. Manager Receives Accreditation Van Nuys Airport Manager Jess Romo received his accreditation as an airport executive from the American Association of Airport Executives. To receive this accreditation Romo had to pass a 180-question multiple-choice exam, fulfill a writing requirement, and be interviewed on his knowledge of airport management, business administration, and general transportation economics. Romo became manager of Van Nuys in 2010. He also serves as manager for LA/Ontario International Airport. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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