PRESENTED BY7~ ~:Vkdf'
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RESOLUTION Clay Lacy WHEREAS, Clay Lacy, founder and chief executive officer of Clay Lacy Aviation, is one of the world's most respected and accomplished pilots; and WHEREAS, Clay Lacy's professional career includes serving as airline captain, military aviator, experimental test pilot, air race champion, world record-setter, aerial cinematographer and business aviation pioneer; and WHEREAS, Clay Lacy was born in 1932 in Wichita Kansas, the birthplace of aviation manufacturing, and piloted his first aircraft at age 12 while working at a local airport in exchange for flying time; and WHEREAS, in 1952, with 1 ,500 hours of flight time under his belt, Clay Lacy joined United Airlines as copilot on the DC-3 aircraft and retired seniority No. 1 in 1992 after 41 Yz years of incident-free flying; and WHEREAS, in 1953, Clay Lacy joined the California Air National Guard at Van Nuys Airport, where he flew the F-86 fighter jet and became the officer in charge of instrument training; and WHEREAS, in 1962, Clay Lacy and fellow Air National Guard pilot Jack Conroy made the first test flight of the Pregnant Guppy, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser modified to carry the Saturn rocket booster in support of our nation's space program to put man on the moon; and WHEREAS, in 1964, Clay Lacy flew the first Learjet into Van Nuys Airport, shaping a new era in corporate air transportation and mobility and founded Clay Lacy Aviation in 1968 as the first jet charter company on the West Coast-now distinguished as the most experienced operator of private jets in the world; and WHEREAS, in the early 1970s, Clay Lacy helped revolutionize air-to-air cinematography with the Astrovision camera system and has filmed more than 2,000 projects for the military, feature films and television, including nearly every airline commercial ever produced; and WHEREAS, Clay Lacy holds 29 world speed records, including a 36-hour, 54-minute, 15- second around-the-world record in 1988 flying a Boeing 747SP that raised $530,000 for children's charities, as he is a strong supporter of many philanthropic causes and aviation scholarship programs; and WHEREAS, Clay Lacy has spent nearly every day of his life in aviation and has flown more than 300 aircraft types, logged more than 50,000 flight hours and accumulated more air miles flying jet aircraft than anyone on Earth; and WHEREAS, Clay Lacy has achieved worldwide acclaim for his indelible and lifelong contributions to aviation, including three recent honors which deserve to be recognized; and WHEREAS, on Oct. 20, 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration presented Lacy with a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Certificate in recognition of his aviation expertise and safe operations for over 50 years, an honor he shared with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan; and WHEREAS, on Oct. 9, 2010, the Seattle Museum of Flight presented Lacy with the Pathfinder Award for his significant contributions to the aerospace industry; and WHEREAS, on July 17, 2010, Lacy was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame for his legendary achievements as an air pioneer; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Los Angeles recognize and congratulate Clay Lacy for his achievements and contributions as an aviator, innovator and entrepreneur. We honor him not only for his excellence, but for having the courage to dream, the passion to inspire others and the vision to help revolutionize the general aviation industry. PRESENTED BY7~TONYC D ~:Vkdf' AS Councilmember, 5th District SECONDED BY: _______________________ NO\/ 1 9 2010 ADO PTE ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS "'' NOV X9 2.0\0 LOS ANGELES CllY COUNCIL .