HEROISM HONORED; GLENDALE PILOTS RECOGNIZED FOR ACHIEVEMENT.

Byline: Donna Huffaker Daily News Staff Writer

Low clouds and an impending storm had prompted Glendale police Officers Steve Robertson and Sam Hopper to fly their helicopter back to the airport - until they heard the distressed pilot's call for help.

The inclement weather on that July day had disoriented the man and he dropped his single-engine plane so low to the ground that it had fallen off the control tower's radar system. When the officers located the pilot's coordinates, the man was moments from crashing his aircraft into the San Gabriel Mountains.

He didn't, thanks to Robertson and Hopper, who flew into adverse conditions and led the man safely back to Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport.

``It worked out well. Everyone went home,'' Robertson said as he and his former partner donned Medals of Heroism on Thursday at the fourth annual Glendale Police Awards luncheon.

Sponsored by Glendale Citizens for Law and Order, the yearly event recognizes extraordinary achievements of officers and civilian workers.

But to hear the two honored officers tell it, it was just another day at work.

Robertson, 33, and Hopper, 42, had been flying around Glendale on July 3, 1998, when they heard the shaking voice of a pilot who had lost track of his altitude and hovered just 200 feet above ground - dangerously close to houses, mountains and power lines.

While Hopper flew the police helicopter against strong winds and drizzling rain, Robertson spoke to the man in a soothing voice.

``The solitude of the cockpit can get to you. I reassured him and told him that we were up here, too,'' Robertson said.

Because the clouds were so low and opaque, the officers expected the pilot to come careening toward them at any minute. So Hopper prepared to dive out of the way when the officers saw the plane pop out of the thick, gray wall. They had the pilot hold his position at a safe altitude and led him from La Crescenta to Burbank. In the interim, the pilot continued dipping unsafely near power lines until the officers reminded him to fly higher.

The pilot was so rattled, flight controllers at the airport shut down all activity, allowing the man to land on any runway, Hopper said.

``He thanked us, shook my hand and smoked three cigarettes in a row,'' Robertson said.

The pilots' supervisor, Sgt. Ron Allison, praised his officers' work. Fortunately, their story had a happy ending, he said, adding that such volatile situations can turn tragic within seconds. Two weeks before the successful save, Allison's other crew answered a distress call in Santa Clarita and found that the plane had smashed into a mountain.

Others honored Thursday for their bravery and dedication were:

Sgt. Lewie Guay, Officer of the Year; Officer David Alzipar, Reserve Officer of the Year; Jennifer Lau, Civilian Employee of the Year; Sgt. William Halvorsen, Sgt. Mario Marchman and Sgt. Gary Montecuollo, marksmanship awards; Lynn Schlossman, Civilian Award; and Terry Kloepfer, Distinguished Service Award.

Divisional commendations were presented to Investigator Will Currie, Agent Tracy Lowrey and Officers Marty Lillibridge, Joe Allen, Sue Shine, Jerry Uebel and Robert Zahreddine.

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PHOTO Glendale police helicopter pilots Sam Hopper, left, and Steve Robertson were honored for leading a pilot lost in inclement weather back to safety.

David Sprague/Daily News