STEPSONS TAKE FLYING LESSONS TO HONOR FATHER KILLED IN SANTA PAULA HELICOPTER CRASH By Cindy Von Quednow | Ventura County Star The stepsons of a 42-year-old man who died in a Santa Paula helicopter crash Friday are planning to take helicopter lessons as a tribute to him. Wes Myers said Tuesday that his stepfather, Philip Isaac Margolis III, was an experienced pilot who could “fly pretty much everything.” “He was a great pilot and a great man,” Myers said. “This is just a tragic mistake.” The fatal crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. Friday near the Santa Paula Airport. The helicopter clipped some power lines in the 900 block of Corporation Street before crashing nearby in the Santa Clara River bottom, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The fallen lines started a fire in some bamboo but burned less than an acre. Margolis had rented the helicopter about 9 a.m. Friday from a business at the Oxnard Airport. He was expected to return about 10 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the crash, and it was unclear if the power lines caused the accident or were just in the helicopter’s path on its way down. Myers, however, said he believes Margolis did not see the power pole and lines because they were obscured by trees. He said his stepfather enjoyed flying helicopters partly because they can fly lower than other aircraft, but he was a responsible pilot who followed Federal Aviation Administration rules. “He just flew into the lines and didn’t even see them,” said Myers, who flew over and visited the crash site with his wife. “It would be the same as hitting a dear on the road that suddenly jumped out.” Aside from learning how to fly a helicopter, Myers wants to see if he and his brother, Lou Myers, 29, of El Segundo, can work with utility companies to mark power lines and make it easier for pilots to spot them. “This might help prevent an accident in the future,” he said. Myers, 31, of Calabasas, said he and his brother, as well as their wives, are fixed-wing aircraft pilots, and Margolis was the person who helped foster his love of aviation. He said he had flown across the United States and to Mexico with his stepfather. “He raised us and helped support our love for aviation,” Myers said. “He was our mentor and our friend. He was a great father.” Margolis lived in Las Vegas but traveled to California frequently to visit his stepsons and the family’s ranch near Merced. Myers said Margolis will be cremated, and his family will hold a memorial at the Camarillo Airport at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 23:38:30 +0000
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