Heart and imagination. Thrill and adventure. Skill and drive. These are the characteristics of a young boy from the Midwest who, through his joy of flight, became one of the world’s most celebrated pilots and changed the course of aviation history.
Over five decades ago, Clay Lacy introduced the freedom of flight to an illustrious group of entrepreneurs and Hollywood celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye, who were among the first to embrace private air travel. In 1968, he founded Clay Lacy Aviation at Los Angeles’ Van Nuys Airport as the first jet charter company west of the Mississippi – now distinguished as the world’s most experienced operator of private jets.
Throughout his adult life, Lacy was inspired by a circle of far-sighted friends and colleagues, ranging from U.S. astronauts who conquered space to daring aviators who bridged the earth. Fueled by an unbridled passion for flight, he foresaw the tremendous impact air charter service would have on the global economy.
In a career spanning over 60 years, Lacy mastered the air as military aviator, airline captain, experimental test pilot, world record-setter, air race champion and aerial cinematographer. On a parallel journey, the company he launched conquered the boundaries of time and technology – a legacy that continues today.
On the occasion of its 50thanniversary, Clay Lacy Aviation proudly embodies the core tenets, values and ideals that are synonymous with its name. Under the leadership of company President and CEO Brian Kirkdoffer, it manages a fleet of over 100 corporate jets valued at over $1.5 billion, with 250 million miles flown to countless global destinations.
“Our team of 500 men and women in locations across the nation strive to advance a single mission – to provide a legendary aviation experience,” said Kirkdoffer, who gained an appreciation for aviation’s infinite possibilities at age 15 when Lacy, a family friend, taught him how to fly and supervised his first solo. “Clay taught me that people of power, prestige and influence come through business aviation. He is the world’s most outstanding pilot and he gave me my start.”
The two maintained a personal relationship and, after earning a degree in business administration from the University of Washington, Kirkdoffer joined Clay Lacy Aviation as a charter pilot in 1990. Within five years, Kirkdoffer’s talent for business and piloting advanced business jets landed him four world speed records and the position as Clay Lacy Aviation’s first director of aircraft management.
In fact, the epic history of Clay Lacy Aviation is punctuated by a series of remarkable firsts. Lacy was the first to land a business jet in Los Angeles in 1964. A year later, he co-piloted the first transcontinental roundtrip flight between Los Angeles and New York during daylight hours. In 1968, he launched the first jet charter company on the West Coast catering to the biggest names in Hollywood and corporate America. The following year, he purchased Clay Lacy Aviation’s first Learjet and charted the course for a new era in private air travel and mobility.
By 1976, Clay Lacy Aviation was widely recognized as Southern California’s busiest jet charter company and the premier provider of aerial cinematography services to the entertainment industry, airlines and military. In 1981, with an expanding aircraft fleet, it established the world’s first all-jet fixed based operator (FBO) delivering world-class services and amenities with the exclusivity of a personal flight department.
The decades that followed were punctuated by expansion in all areas of Clay Lacy Aviation’s aircraft management, charter, sales, acquisitions, maintenance, avionics, interiors and FBO services.
In 1995, Clay Lacy Aviation was the first charter company to equip its Gulfstream jets with Blended Winglet™technology, a performance enhancement system that saves fuel and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. In 1998 and 1999, it was the first to offer the ultra-luxurious and long-range Gulfstream GV and Boeing Business Jet for corporate charter.
Through Kirkdoffer’s vision, over the next 12 years Clay Lacy Aviation acquired more than 60 additional managed aircraft and grew its professional team from 30 to over 250 employees. In 2002, the company established a strong presence at Seattle’s Boeing Field to serve the growing Northwest market, paving the way for Clay Lacy Aviation to support and maintain operations in 22 U.S. cities today.
In 2006, Kirkdoffer was named president of Clay Lacy Aviation and in 2009, the company was first to equip it charter aircraft fleet with high-speed Wi-Fi, offering clients an even higher level of first-class amenities and connectivity.
After 22 years of loyal service and two years following Lacy’s induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, in 2012 Kirkdoffer acquired majority ownership as president and chief executive officer of Clay Lacy Aviation. In 2017, he oversaw completion of a $10 million, six-acre expansion and redevelopment project at Van Nuys Airport, creating Los Angeles’ most secure and exclusive private aviation complex.
“Clay Lacy Aviation has helped many people fulfill their dreams, and has a unique ability to attract employees who are extremely skilled, loyal and dedicated,” said Kirkdoffer. Ultimately, great people are what make our company so special.”
In 2016, Clay Lacy Aviation expanded its services and facilities through the acquisition of Key Air, a 30-year-old aircraft management and charter firm. It also established a maintenance and operations center near New York City and Federal Aviation Administration-certified aircraft repair stations in Seattle, Wash., San Diego, Calif. and Oxford, Conn.
“This is the private jet age,” said Kirkdoffer. “Providing global businesses with corporate jet service is the core of Clay Lacy Aviation. The most productive entrepreneurs and executives do not fly on commercial airlines, nor do they have time to wait in airports. Everything we do is tailored to helping leaders be more effective. The future of corporate air travel is phenomenal.”
From its inception, Clay Lacy Aviation’s clients have been history-makers themselves. To this day, it is the only aircraft charter company ever to fly six U.S. presidents and a British prime minister, one of Kirkdoffer’s most memorable flights in the late 1990s as captain of the Gulfstream IISP.
Over the past fifty years, Clay Lacy Aviation has managed, maintained and globally operated jet aircraft from every major manufacturer. It is the aircraft management and charter company of choice for business and world leaders, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, professional athletes, sports franchises, celebrities and dignitaries.
Above all, in the legacy of its founder and with the most knowledgeable leadership team in the industry,
Clay Lacy Aviation delivers legendary safety, service and value to aircraft owners and jet travelers worldwide.
