Clay Lacy in Wikipedia

I soloed in 1947 in a J-3 Cub in Wichita, Kansas.  From the time I was five I knew that I liked airplanes, and, when I was 7, I got my first ride in a Beech Staggerwing.  By the time I was 19 I had 2,000 hours and United Airlines was running advertisements, looking for pilots. 

I was hired by United and started work in January of 1952.  My first assignment was as a co-pilot on the DC-3.  I was lucky being very junior and getting to choose Los Angeles as my base.  It was a decision that would steer my course and my destiny for more than 50 years.  I obtained my ATP in the DC-3 in 1955 and took leave to fulfill an Air Force assignment.  I flew the
T-6, T-28, T-33 and the F-86 for the California Air National Guard.  Again I was lucky - they also had Beech 18s and C-47s so I flew them, too.

After the military, I resumed my commercial flying with United.  During my stay, I was very involved with general aviation and got to fly the early turbine powered DC-3s as well as the very first flight of the 3-engined PT-6 powered DC-3.  There was only one ever built and I flew it at the Paris Air Show in 1976.  

I remember several occasions being with and around Donald Douglas himself. After Donald Sr’s death, there was one occasion where I was asked to give an airplane ride to the entire remaining Douglas family in a
DC-3.  This was in 1985 and it was the 50th anniversary of the famous airplane. I remember that Donald Douglas, Jr. was on board, as were about twelve Douglas family members.  But they also had Arthur Raymond  with them for that ride.  Arthur designed the DC-1 and was Donald Douglas’ closest confidant.  I remember that Arthur was very old at the time at didn’t want to climb the incline to one of the forward seats.  He sat in the last seat on the right for the flight.  I think it was his last time in an airplane.  Arthur died March 27, 1999, only a few days short of turning 100.

 In 1988 I flew around the world in a United Airlines 747-400SP setting a new record of 36 hours and 54 minutes.  The record received a lot of good media attention for United Airlines and I was honored to share that flight with fellow pilot and astronaut, Neil Armstrong.  I retired at age 60 in 1992.  I had held seniority spot number 1 for my last year and enjoyed the left seat of the 747-400.

I still own a DC-3, N814CL, and it will also be at AirVenture, but I will have it delivered out early as a display.  My DC-3 is in United Airlines colors and bears the name “Mainliner O’Conner”.  Ms. O’Conner was a long time stewardess with United and flew on that particular aircraft for many years.  Ms. O’Conner died several years ago. 

With more than 52,000 hours in my logbook now, I still fly quite a bit, but not like I used to.  It has been a long and treasured aviation career and I wouldn’t change any of it even if I could.  I am looking forward to personally bringing the DC-2 to this fabulous Douglas Reunion.  I will be at Sterling / Rock falls Whiteside County airport to get ready for this flight, and at AirVenture for the week.  I look forward to meeting up with all of my aviation friends, and reminiscing a bit about the life and times of my old friend, the DC-3.