Clay Lacy, a native of Wichita, Kansas, began flying at age 12 and had logged 1,500 flight hours by age 19 when he started work for United Airlines in the right seat of a DC-3. He retired as senior pilot after 40 years at United, having flown DC prop planes, 727, DC-8, D-10, and 747-400 aircraft. In 1964, while at United, he earned a Learjet rating and became a salesman and demo pilot. Upon leasing a Learjet, Clay became the first executive jet charter service west of the Mississippi, operating out of Van Nuys Airport, where he had previously served as an F-86 pilot for the USAF. 

Buying his first Learjet in 1970, fledgling Clay Lacy Aviation quickly became known as “Hollywood’s Private Airline,” carrying celebrities worldwide. The company later expanded, adding numerous aircraft types and a second base of operations in Seattle. Clay also spent significant time as part pilot, part director, and part cinematographer, conducting over 2,500 air-to-air photo flights for hundreds of commercials, television and feature films. He was instrumental in the pioneering development and use on his Learjet of the innovative Astrovision camera system, designed by Bob Nettmann in the mid-1960s. Clay personally pilots his camera-configured Learjet, which includes IMAX capability, skillfully enabling spectacular aerial filming such as that seen in Top Gun, The Right Stuff, and Operation Red Flag: Fighter Pilot. 

Lacy is a veteran air race pilot and holds numerous world-flying records. He is also noted for variety of philanthropic contributions that often include the promotion of aviation, such his 1988 around-the-globe flight in a 747 that raised $530,000 for children’s charities. Today, with over 50,000 hours of flight time, one of Clay’s personal goals remains to fly each and every day. 

In making the announcement to the NBAA audience, Col. Robinson said, “To suitably present the breadth of Clay Lacy’s contributions, including his multiple roles in promoting aviation to literally millions the world over, is a daunting challenge. We look forward to prominently recognizing Clay Lacy’s accomplishments soon with those of the Wright Brothers, Donald Douglas, William Lear and all 203 men and women honored, to date, by the Hall of Fame.” 

Lacy will be formally enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame at the 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony, to be held at the Dayton Convention Center on Saturday, July 17, 2010. Widely known as “America’s Oscar Night of Aviation,”