THE ALLURE OF FLYING AMATEUR PILOTS SHARE SOARING SPIRIT.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer VAN NUYS -- Boots banked his Cessna Cardinal RG a half-mile above the sapphire surf of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . He had raced motorcycles, flown all over the world. But for this 60-year-old pilot from North Hills, nothing quite matched the view of the zillion-dollar Malibu coast. ``This is why people love to fly,'' said Boots, his legal name, over the intercom of one of the smoothest aircraft in the skies. ``Nice. Comfortable. It's like a privilege -- something few people in the world can do.'' The airborne exhilaration that inspired Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle Cory Fulton Lidle (March 22, 1972 – October 11, 2006) was an American right-handed baseball pitcher who died in a single engine plane crash four days after his team, the New York Yankees, were eliminated from competition at the end of the 2006 season. is shared by thousands of amateur pilots at 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. , the nation's biggest general-aviation airport, and other airfields around the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . While 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 concede there is danger to their hobby, regulations have minimized flight hazards over populated areas. Lidle and a flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor certificate vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an died Wednesday when their single-engine plane crashed into a New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. high-rise. The pitcher had talked often of his love for flying as an escape from professional ball. ``No matter what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. in your life, when you get up in that plane, everything's gone,'' Lidle had said in an interview. At Van Nuys Airport on Thursday, pilots awaited the results of the Lidle crash investigation. They also pointed out the relative safety of general aviation -- and their exuberance for flight. ``It's like driving a car and in most cases even easier, and less dangerous,'' said Boots, a certified instructor and top-rated airplane mechanic. ``But, it takes a great deal more knowledge and ability in case of a problem. Solving problems ``In a car, it's simply stop and call for help. In the air, it's fix it and solve the problem in flight.'' Boots, whose pristine plane bears his cowboy boots logo, learned to fly 25 years ago, having never stepped foot in an airplane. With an instructor by his side, he had mimicked the dual controls: hand on the yoke, feet on the rudder, eyes on the prop as the engine rumbled to life. ``Your adrenaline's pumping -- I'd never been in an airplane in my life. Trepidation. Man wasn't meant to fly, he was meant to ride motorcycles,'' he recalled. But man was meant to fly. And before long the 25-year-old businessman was throttling forward -- the Cessna 150's front wheel lifting off the tarmac -- and suddenly airborne at 65 mph. ``It's like magic,'' beamed Boots. ``For the first time, you're flying.'' Now, he floats over Lake Balboa, following a turquoise necklace of swimming pools, before tipping his wings over the Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to and making his way past Malibu mansions and over Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. before a perfect landing at Van Nuys Airport. The nation has more than 600,000 pilots, 200,000 aircraft and 19,000 landing facilities, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the 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 . Last year at Van Nuys Airport, there were 728 aircraft, of which 428 are piston-driven, according to airport officials. Private planes make up 77 percent of America's air traffic. Last year, those pilots and planes were involved in more than 1,600 accidents, down from nearly 2,600 accidents 20 years ago. In 2005, crashes killed 557 private pilots and their passengers, plus five people on the ground. In 1986, a total of 967 people were killed. Last year, 20 commercial airline passengers and crew died in the United States. ``There is an ongoing concern about mid-air collisions over the Valley and this area,'' said Gerald A. Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, which takes an interest in airport issues. ``But I wouldn't think there is an exorbitant fear here because the planes are in FAA radio tower control.'' At 6 a.m. each day, 20-year-old Kevin LaRosa Jr. flies over snarled snarl 1 v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls v.intr. 1. To growl viciously while baring the teeth. 2. To speak angrily or threateningly. v.tr. freeways of Los Angeles reporting the gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. for Traffic.com. But what really rocks the manager of Jet Copters Co. is flying the World War II vintage North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. P-51D warbird, valued at $1.2 million, parked in his company hangar at Van Nuys Airport. The polished fighter, with its 1,500 hp V-12 engine, can hit 450 mph as it dives toward Earth. ``When the engine revs, you can't hear yourself think,'' said LaRosa, who has flown with his father since he was in diapers. ``It really does feel like the top of the world. When you're on a roll, it's like the world is circling you.'' Her real love For Carmelina Nucci, who learned to fly from a grass strip in Canada she mowed in exchange for lessons, it's a love affair with the clouds. ``My real love, my true passion, is doing aerobatics aerobatics Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and dives with an airplane. As an organized sport, rather than as an air show attraction (“stunt flying”), aerobatics began international competition in 1960 under the auspices of the over Santa Paula with cool music piped into my headset,'' said Nucci, a neonatal and intensive care nurse in La Crescenta. ``That's pretty close to flirting with the sky.'' Len Moore first took off from a cornfield as a 16-year-old kid in Iowa. Now 72, he's almost got his pilot certification. He said flying his restored 1946 Ercoupe in U.S. Army Air Corps trim is ``indescribable.'' Now he hops to airports up and down the coast for ``$100 hamburgers.'' ``I was a little trepidatious about the whole thing at first,'' said Moore, of Chatsworth, a former race car driver, from his hangar by the famous ``One-Six-Right'' runway at VNY VNY Vision New York . ``I was used to an instructor on my right. It's a feeling of, `I can do this.' It's right up there with your first big race start -- all you can hear is your heart pounding.'' Staff Writer Chuck Bostwick contributed to this report. dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES U.S. PILOTS, 2005 Student 87,213 Private: 228,619 Commercial: 120,614 Airline transport: 141,992 Other (helicopter, glider, etc.): 31,299 TOTAL: 609,737 GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT, BY USE Personal: 149,700 Business: 24,200 Instructional: 13,100 Corporate: 10,200 Air taxi: 6,200 Observation: 4,800 Cropdusting: 3,200 Medical: 1,600 Sightseeing: 1,100 SOURCE: Federal Aviation Administration LOCAL GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORTS Approximate number of based aircraft, 2006 Van Nuys: 700 Whiteman: 700 Camarillo: 590 Santa Monica: 400 Santa Paula: 250 Fox Field: 200 Oxnard: 180 Source: Daily News research CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Boots (his legal name) flies his Cessna Cardinal RG over Los Angeles. He is a certified flight instructor and loves to fly. Boots first flew 25 years ago, having never set foot in an airplane. (2 -- color) Len Moore, pictured here in a Van Nuys Airport hangar, first took off from an Iowa cornfield at the age of 16. Now 72 and a student pilot, he's on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of getting his pilot certification. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Box: FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES (see text) |
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