Crown of a Pilot’s Career

In a career spanning nearly 60 years, there isn’t a phase in aviation that Clay Lacy hasn’t been involved with. He’s flown commercial and military planes; set records in air racing; piloted the first flights of five aircraft; was a pioneer in corporate aviation in the San Fernando Valley; and developed an expertise in aerial photography for feature films and commercials. It is for all these accomplishments that Lacy will be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio on July 17. Lacy has done more flying out of Van Nuys Airport than probably any other pilot alive. He helped inaugurate the longer runway when it was extended over Sherman Way and piloted the large cargo aircraft dubbed the Pregnant Guppy, which had been built at Van Nuys. As aircraft charter and management firms at the airport are consolidated under ownership whose interest isn’t necessarily strictly in the planes, Lacy is a remnant of an earlier era when pilots simply took their passion and turned it into a business, founding his eponymous charter and management business in 1968. His longest-lasting contribution at Van Nuys is the introduction of the corporate jet to the West Coast. When celebrities, politicians and other important people made their first flight in a Lear Jet, likely it was Lacy at the controls. “Corporate aircraft at that time were in many ways left over cargo transports from World War II or piston aircraft,” said Ron Kaplan, enshrinement director at the hall of fame. “Clay was early in on corporate jet aviation and helped make Lear a household name and opened up that sector of the aviation industry.” Joining Lacy in this year’s class of National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees are Apollo 12 astronaut and naval aviator Alan Bean; the late Warren Grimes, developer of aircraft lighting; and the late Noel Wien, aviation pioneer in Alaska and the Arctic region. Corporate: For more than 40 years Lacy has called Van Nuys Airport home. “We have 65 airplanes that are used 95 percent of the time for bona fide business,” he said. Question: Any initial thoughts on being inducted in the National Aviation Hall of Fame Answer: I am very pleased because it is the highest honor I guess you can say they give in aviation. Some people refer to is as the Oscar of aviation or something. I guess you go along 60 years in life, you realize all the different things you do. The main achievement that I’ve had is I have been involved with more different phases of aviation than anyone I know. There are a lot of people who have had more experiences in some of these phases but I’m the only one who’s touched on all of them. Q: Was it just a progression as you went on through life to go into each of those phases? A: I have really been immersed in aviation probably to the point of being crazy. I started flying when I was 12 years old back in Wichita. I loved aviation; I loved airplanes. I wanted to get involved in all phases of it. Whatever I saw or knew what was going on I had a feeling I wanted to do it. That’s what I did. I kept doing this stuff all at the same time. Q: Is general aviation appreciated in the United States? A: It really isn’t in my opinion. I think people accept aviation now, flying airlines now is commonplace. I think general aviation, private flying, is decreasing. This airport in 1978 had approximately 1,450 airplanes based on it. Now there are only about 500. There is a difference though. There are 230 jets and back in 78 there were only about 10 or so. The desire to learn to fly for recreational purposes has gone way down because of a couple reasons. The cost has gone way up. There are more regulations and it’s not as much fun. It used to be a guy could take a two hour lunch and come out here and fly for an hour and have a good time. Nowadays most people are worried about going into the wrong air space. It’s more complicated in a way. People don’t feel they have as much as freedom as they used to. One more thing about Van Nuys Airport, I think the public isn’t aware of how important these airports are. Even the leaders, city leaders and things don’t realize how important they are. This airport every day has people flying in here for real bona fide business reasons. There is this perception by some of the public that people who come here are flying to Vegas to have a good time. We have 65 airplanes that are used 95 percent of the time for bona fide business. Q: The private aviation industry received a black eye when the Big Three CEOs went to Washington in their private jets to plea for bailout funds. Do you think that poor perception is something the industry has gotten over? A: I think it’s partially over. But the present administration in Washington still looks down on corporate flying. They should be looking up because with the economy the way it is there has never been a time that is more important for businesses to get in their airplanes and go do business. Time with business now is the most important thing there is; to get there and be first. Bill Lear put a sign in Dallas back in 1965, he was way ahead of his time but now it would be very appropriate. He ran a big billboard outside the terminal building that said “Welcome to Dallas – Your competition has been here and left in his Lear Jet.” Nowadays that’s true. Q: How involved are you still with the charter and aircraft management business? A: Quite involved. If I’m not out of town or off somewhere I am usually here. I have a guy who is president, and I am CEO. Brian Kirkdoffer is the president. He handles almost all of the customers as far as the airplanes we manage, and a lot of our charter customers. I stay more involved with what is happening in the maintenance shop and flight operations. Q: Do you still do a lot of flying yourself? A: Oh, yeah. Not like I used to but I still fly 30 hours a month or so. There was a time when I flew 120 hours a month every month. I’ve flown 12 days this month (as of June 24). Q: Having been at Van Nuys for so long what do you think has been the most positive change and negative change. A: There really haven’t been too many changes that affected it. For instance LAWA (Los Angeles World Airports) didn’t do something that affected more business. Most of the things they’ve done have hampered business. But it all goes on more than what anyone, the city or anyone can do on how the market and the economy is doing. The most significant thing that was done on this airport to make it have a longer life is back in 1958 when they built the underpass on Sherman Way. The government paid for that. The Air (National) Guard was still here and they wanted the runway longer. We were flying jets and it ended at Sherman Way. What that did for the airport was that it made it an airport that is really good today for corporate jets. Q: Going back to your business, is there anything you’ve learned since 1968 that you wish you had known when you started. A: I was a little slow to get in the management business. There was another company at the airport that got into it before me. We should have gotten into it earlier. We are the biggest now. This aircraft management has grown faster than any other segment in say the last 15, 20 years. Q: Since all air charter firms offer the same planes, does it come down to customer service to differentiate yourself? A: Customer service is a lot of it. By customer service there are a lot of things involved in it other than a flight attendant who offers sandwiches or something. CS and management the airplane flies when they want to fly. So, the availability of the aircraft is something we plan on. We schedule maintenance when possible around the owner’s schedule. There are other things, keeping it clean, keeping it hangared if they want it hangared. Customer service also involves being available 24 hours a day and having knowledgeable people to answer a question without having to call back three times or waiting 12 hours for an answer. We pride ourselves on it. Q: How are you seen around the airport? Are you considered the senior guy out here? A: I guess I am the senior. I have flown off this airport more than anybody ever has or probably every will. I’ve been flying off the airport since 1952. I brought the first jet to town, had the first jet charter service. In the jet service we are a leader. We get involved in a lot of things the other companies don’t. Like the aerial photography. A lot of companies don’t have the maintenance capabilities that we have. Q: What was it about the Lear jet that attracted you? A: It was the highest performance airplane at their time. It was virtually the first corporate jet. Not quite. Lockheed had one out and the Saberliner by North American. But those were built for the military. Q: Considering your long relationship with Lear have they ever asked you to consult when they are designing a new model? A: I was really involved in the Lear jet. I knew Bill Lear and he used to tell me “Anytime at all you come to Wichita and I’ll pay you a hundred dollars a day.” I went back there and had so much fun that I never sent him a bill for anything. I became manager of sales in the southwestern states. I was flying 727s for the airline. I knew a lot of things how other manufacturers approached different issues. I would look around and bring this up. I feel I had some input early on. Later my best friend owned the Gulfstream company and he used to consult with me on a lot of things. I had fun doing that.