`PAPA ALPHA' FINALLY SIGNS OFF AFTER 47 YEARS, VAN NUYS VETERAN EXITS CONTROL TOWER.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer VAN NUYS -- The nation's oldest air traffic controller made his final approach Thursday from the world's busiest general-aviation airport. Phil Aune, 70, the ``Voice of Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. ,'' stepped down from the control tower after tracking his last plane, a single-engine Cherokee. Throughout his 47-year career, the soothing voice of ``Papa Alpha'' had guided millions of planes in and out of Van Nuys Airport. ``I've been crying; it's very emotional,'' said the gray-haired grandfather and FAA veteran just after his last shift ended at 1:40 p.m. ``My last airplane.'' Before dawn, Aune (pronounced awe-nee) hoisted Old Glory for the last time outside the six-story box of glass west of runway One Six Right. At the top of rush hour, three Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. television and radio traffic aircraft and four traffic choppers flew in tribute past his capacious ca·pa·cious adj. Capable of containing a large quantity; spacious or roomy. See Synonyms at spacious. [From Latin cap glass window. Midmorning mid·morn·ing n. The middle of the morning. , two engines from the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. ``crash crew'' at VNY VNY Vision New York -- the FAA designator for the airport -- stopped before the tower to let fly honorary streams of firefighting foam. After noon, actor and pilot Patrick Swayze called Aune from London to wish him a fine farewell. ``Phil is sort of the Vin Scully of Van Nuys,'' Dan Katz, president of Hollywood Aviators Well-known aviators People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or , a flight school in Van Nuys, said while dropping off a basket of farewell cookies. ``He really is the voice of VNY. ``He's just amazing. He's such a fixture here. It'll be sort of funny not to be able to hear him on the radio.'' Aune signed on at Van Nuys Airport in 1959 when it was surrounded by fields of corn and wheat. He was among the first hired by what was then the newly founded Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control . Over the years, Aune would track Hollywood celebrities from Bob Hope -- who used VNY for his 'round-the-world USO USO: see United Service Organizations. (UNIX Software Operation) AT&T's Unix division before it turned into USL. See Unix. tours -- to pilot-actors Danny Kaye, Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Because he was hired before the mandatory retirement age of 56 was instituted, Aune was grandfathered into his FAA control tower chair and was one of the rare controllers who could track more than one plane at once -- and take no notes. To aviators, he was always steady, always calm and always could recall the name of every pilot and every plane. ``As a pilot, if you have a controller who is stressed, without a calm voice, it adds to your stress,'' said Howard Lewis, a traffic pilot and airport rescue firefighter at Station 114 at the airport. ``But when you have a calm voice like Phil's, it gives you confidence.'' In the tower, Aune strapped on his earphones. Raised his binoculars. Then scanned the skies for moving specks hovering against the hazy hills. A half-dozen veteran controllers joined him to check the radar and eyeball See eyeballs and eyeball driven. instruments from wind-speed dials to altimeters as planes from ``prop jobs'' to Leer jets skimmed the runways. ``There's a lot of experience we're going to lose, no question about it,'' said Robert Jones, acting air traffic manager. ``Phil knows every nook and cranny Noun 1. nook and cranny - something remote; "he explored every nook and cranny of science" nooks and crannies detail, item, point - an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole; "several of the details are similar"; "a point of information" of this tower. ``He's taught all these young bucks well.'' Aune slowly walked down a tight circular stairway to turn in his badge and key. Retirement? The West Hills father of three and grandfather of seven can clearly see himself on a high-seas cruise, skiing in Mammoth, two-stepping at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth or riding his pink-flamed Harley-Davidson into the sunset. But he cannot seem to shake the noise of countless aircraft seen from nearly 50 years in the control tower. ``I'm counting airplanes as we speak,'' Aune said. ``After a while, you've been up in the air so long, it's hard to land.'' dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 John Lazar/Staff Photographer CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Phil Aune, the ``Voice of Van Nuys Airport,'' is finally putting down his binoculars after 47 years as an air traffic controller. (2) Phil Aune is saying goodbye to the Van Nuys Airport control tower, where he spent 47 years as an air traffic controller. The 70-year-old was hired by the FAA in 1959, and the veteran is one of the few controllers who can track more than one plane at a time without notes. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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