Aero Club Of SoCal To Present February 8

The Aero Club of Southern California plans to honor Clay Lacy February 8 with its prestigious Howard Hughes Memorial Award. Described by the group as one of the most versatile pilots in the history of powered flight and a local aviation icon, the jet charter industry pioneer will receive the award from no less than Bob Hoover.

Lacy (pictured) first took to the air at age eight while growing up in the farmland of Wichita, Kansas during the Great Depression. Now, at age 79, he has spent almost every day of his life around airplanes. In 1964, Lacy introduced the first Learjet to Van Nuys Airport (VNY) near Hollywood’s burgeoning entertainment industry. Four years later, he founded the first jet charter company west of the Mississippi, launching a new era in corporate air transportation and mobility.

An airline captain, experimental test pilot, air race champion, aviation record-setter, aerial cinematographer, philanthropist and entrepreneur, the club says Lacy has accumulated more hours flying jets than anyone on Earth and is widely credited with revolutionizing the business aviation and aerial photography industries. Among his nearly 3,000 film projects are Top Gun, Flight of the Intruder and The Great Santini. He is an inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the recipient of many other prestigious awards.

The Aero Club is a non-profit association founded in 1925 to increase awareness of aviation and to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace. Lacy is the 33rd annual award recipient. Past honorees include Jack Northrop, Jimmy Doolittle, Neil Armstrong, Chuck Yeager and Simon Ramo. More than 200 aviation and aerospace luminaries, leaders and enthusiasts are expected to attend the club's banquet for the ceremony.

The event is scheduled at 1800 PST for cocktails, 1900 for the dinner and presentation, at The Jonathan Club, 545 S. Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles. It's is open to the public, and a limited number of tickets is still available.

FMI: www.aeroclubsocal.org/eventscalendar.html