Clay Lacy

Nick said:
I realize that, however, I have heard way too many horrible things about this guy well before this thread ever started. Some of the responses in this thread just confirm the tales.

Besides, if the pay is that low, the only point is to keep current since unemployment is higher than what some on here have said he pays. If the only point is to keep current, there are better ways to do it than working for him.
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That is true...

I've been around VNY pretty much all my life and known MANY people who have flown for the operation or on aircraft managed by the operation spanning over the last few decades. Most of the successful corporate guys I've talked to say they wouldn't want to go back, but they did get their start there and probably wouldn't be where they are today if not for the connections they made. The sad part is over 10 years ago these guys were making $10 more per hour on the Lears than the pilots get today.... No wonder they can't find any Lear Captains...


Look at it this way... How many "artists" and actors or athletes you watch and/or listen to and enjoy for entertainment value but you really don't agree with their politics, outlooks on life or how they treat others around them...?? Clay is kinda like that. The guy is a good stick and I respect him for that, and I hope I cant still fly that well when I'm his age. And like it or not, he is successful. But as far as everything else goes... Meh.... not so much. There's obviously more to being a good pilot than being a good stick... Things like integrity come to mind... But then again, what the hell do I know, I'm just a burned out CFI who lives in a f'n hangar....
 
So when the Feds come knocking on your door:

Clay Lacy - "It's just a fib..." gets to fly two more years.

Bob Hoover- not so much.

Robert A. Hoover. He is a real Aviator. Even if he's a drunken womanizer, still has my vote.
 
There's a lot of guys in the corporate industry who are bent on not letting others have the opportunities they had. Will Cutter comes to mind.

The saddest part in all of this is that even if I had the resources, it's almost virtually impossible to let a kid clean your airplane in trade for flight time. That it cost almost $10,000 to get a PPL today is sad. I think that flying airplanes is the greatest thing in the world, and we have the best kept secret. To be able to give an opportunity to a young kid who lights up like I do when I see an airplane would be great. Unfortunately that has become almost impossible today. You won't hear many stories like Clay's or some of the older guys who caught a "break".
 
Back to the OP; if *everyone* turned down pay me upgrades, sooner or later, they will need captains. If everyone had the same mindset they would start doing it the right way. If the hoar is willing, the pimp always has a smile.
 
It almost seems like it would be fun to go there, and take note/ evidence of every FAR / FAA violation that he perpetrates, save up a bunch and then drop it off at the FAA and local/ regional news outlets.
 
TwoTwoLeft said:
All you that say that you would never work or him... Guess who's door you would be knocking on if he was the only gig in town... Just say'n....
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Not so sure about that as I was one of the "570" hired by United (my dream airline) in '85 that did not cross the picket line. Perhaps this is when Lacy was rewarded with his 'scab' distinction.
 

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I've worked for Clay in the past. I was 14 yrs. old when that strike took place so i don't feel that i know enough to comment. On a personal level i never had a problem with him. I've heard plenty of stories about him treating people badly but in the 5+ years i was there i never saw it. Seems like it's a small business that grew at a rapid pace and applying the old school mindset doesn't fit in todays enviroment. I have flown with him and i will say he is one the best pilots i've ever flown with, best person maybe not so much.
 
knot4u said:
I've worked for Clay in the past. I was 14 yrs. old when that strike took place so i don't feel that i know enough to comment. On a personal level i never had a problem with him. I've heard plenty of stories about him treating people badly but in the 5+ years i was there i never saw it. Seems like it's a small business that grew at a rapid pace and applying the old school mindset doesn't fit in todays environment. I have flown with him and i will say he is one the best pilots I've ever flown with, best person maybe not so much.
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I personally don't care how well you fly. You could be God's gift to aviation. If you're an ass hat, you should be treated as such. I am willing to bet that the majority of the people who work for him did not know what they know now when they were hired, and once they are in a contract, it's very difficult to get out of one that keeps revolving(IIRC every time you go to recurrent, you pony up for that as well). And I am also willing to bet that most people who's airplanes he manages don't know much about him either.

From what I understand with Lacy, you get hired, get a loan on your own, and they agree to pay it back for you. So if you leave, you are for sure stuck with the loan. I get training contracts. They are a necessary evil. But if companies took care of their people, they wouldn't need to worry about them.
 
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